What is Community Choice Aggregation?
Through Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), communities can join together to pool (or aggregate) their electricity load in order to purchase clean energy and develop local projects and programs on behalf of their residents and businesses. Aggregators work in partnership with the region’s existing Investor-Owned Utility (IOU), which continues to deliver power and maintain the grid.
How Community Choice Works
What California CCAs Are Doing
Why CCA?
“CCAs differ from other load serving entities because we don’t just care about getting contracts signed. We really do care about the impact of the projects and want to select projects that our communities are going to be proud of.”
– Natasha Keefer, Director of Power Planning & Procurement, Clean Power Alliance
CCAs: Putting Renewable Energy on the Map in California
CCAs are making good on their commitments to invest in new renewable energy facilities throughout California. To date, CCAs have contracted for more than 6,000 megawatts (MW) of new clean generation capacity through long-term power purchase agreements with terms of 10 years or more. See map below for project locations.
Community Choice Aggregation in California
CCA Programs and Choices
Apple Valley Choice Energy
Apple Valley Choice Energy (AVCE) began serving customers in 2017 in the Town of Apple Valley, located in San Bernardino County. AVCE’s default energy supply option, “CoreChoice,” is 35% renewable. A premium option, “MoreChoice,” is 50% renewable and is supplied by solar, wind, and geothermal resources.
Baldwin Park Resident Owned Utility District
Launched in 2020, Baldwin Park Resident Owned Utility District (BPROUD) brings local control and choice of provider to Baldwin Park.
Central Coast Community Energy (formerly Monterey Bay)
Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE), formerly Monterey Bay Community Power, launched in 2018 and serves approximately 300,000 customers in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties and the cities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.
Clean Power Alliance
Clean Power Alliance (CPA) initiated service in 2018 and serves approximately 1 million customer accounts in 32 communities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
CleanPowerSF
CleanPowerSF (CPSF) started service in 2016 and supplies power to the city of San Francisco. They offer a 40% renewable power option (Green), and a 100% renewable option (SuperGreen).
Desert Community Energy
Desert Community Energy (DCE) began serving customers in 2020 in Palm Springs, located in Riverside County. Palm Springs residents and business are enrolled in DCE’s Carbon Free plan, which is 50% renewable and 100% carbon-free. Customers can opt-down to the DCE Desert Saver plan, which is 35% renewable.
East Bay Community Energy
East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) launched in 2018 and serves ~550,000 customers in Alameda County including in Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Piedmont, San Leandro, Union City and the county’s unincorporated areas.
King City Community Power
King City Community Power (KCCP) began providing CCA service in 2018 to residents and businesses in King City in Monterey County.
Lancaster Choice Energy
Lancaster Choice Energy (LCE) is the first stand-alone city CCA in California and the first CCA in Southern California Edison (SCE) territory. LCE serves ~ 50,000 customers in the City of Lancaster in north Los Angeles County. LCE offers ClearChoice 37% renewable and SmartChoice 100% renewable energy service, with approximately half of its customers eligible for low-income energy programs.
MCE
MCE, the first CCA program in California, began serving customers in 2010. MCE (formerly known as Marin Clean Energy) provides electricity service to more than 480,000 customer accounts and more than 1 million residents and businesses in 34 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Napa, Marin and Solano. MCE offers three renewable energy service options — Light Green 50% renewable energy, Deep Green 100% renewable energy, and Local Sol 100% locally-produced solar energy from a new, solar farm in Novato in Marin County.
Peninsula Clean Energy
Launched in 2016, Peninsula Clean Energy serves approximately 290,000 customers in San Mateo County, maintaining a 97.5% participation rate of eligible customers. PCE offers two service options: ECOplus, with 50% renewable and 95% GHG-free energy, and ECO100, with 100% renewable energy that is Green-e certified.
Pomona Choice Energy
Pomona Choice Energy (Pomona), initiated service in 2020 in the City of Pomona. Its standard product, Pomona Choice, is at minimum State renewable content, and the Pomona Choice 100 product consists of 100% renewable energy.
Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy
Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME) began serving the city of Pico Rivera in 2017. PRIME offers three different options for customers to choose from. Prime Power is the default option that residents are automatically enrolled in, which offers 50% renewable energy, Prime Future is their 100% renewable energy plan which residents may opt up to, and Prime Partner is available for those who generate solar/wind power.
Pioneer Community Energy
Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer) launched in 2018 in unincorporated Placer County and the cities of Auburn, Colfax, Loomis, Lincoln and Rocklin and offers a 33 percent renewable power supply.
Rancho Mirage Energy Authority
Rancho Mirage Energy Authority (RMEA) began serving the City of Rancho Mirage in 2018 and provides service to 17,200 accounts. “Base Choice,” RMEA’s default electricity service offering, is 50% carbon-free and its “Premium Renewable Choice” rate plan offers customers the option of “opting up” to 100% renewable energy.
Redwood Coast Energy Authority
Launched in 2017, Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) serves approximately 62,000 customers in Humboldt County, Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Ferndale, Blue Lake, Rio Dell and Trinidad. RCEA offers “Repower” 40% renew-able and “REpower+” 100% renewable energy service options.
San Jacinto Power
San Jacinto Power (SJP) began serving the City of San Jacinto in 2018. “PrimePower,” SJP’s default power option, is available at a price discount compared to Southern California Edison’s default energy option yet is still very eco-friendly with 35% renewable energy content. SJP’s “PureGreen” option is available for customers who want to opt-up to 100% renewable energy at a competitive rate.
San Jose Clean Energy
San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE) initiated service in 2018 and serves approximately 328,000 customers in the City of San José. It is the largest single-jurisdiction CCA in operation in California. SJCE’s “GreenSource” service is 45% renewables and 35% hydropower (80% Carbon-Free), while the “TotalGreen” service is 100% renewables.
Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) initiated service in 2017 in Santa Clara County. It serves the communities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, and unincorporated areas of the county. SVCE is committed to providing renewable and carbon-free electricity at competitive rates compared to those of PG&E. Its default “GreenStart” power mix is 50% renewable and carbon free, while the “GreenPrime” option is 100% renewable and carbon free.
Solana Energy Alliance
Solana Energy Alliance (SEA) is operated by the City of Solana Beach and initiated service to residents and businesses in 2018. It is the first CCA program in San Diego Gas & Electric’s service territory. SEA offers a default energy supply, “SEA Choice,” that is 50% renewable and 75% greenhouse gas-free, and “SEA Green,” a voluntary 100% renewable energy option.
Sonoma Clean Power
Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) serves 226,000 accounts in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. SCP offers CleanStart 49% renewable/91% carbon-free electricity and EverGreen 100% local, renewable electricity.
Valley Clean Energy
Valley Clean Energy (VCE) initiated service in June 2018 and serves over 55,000 customer accounts in the cities of Davis, Woodland, Winters (beginning in 2021), and unincorporated Yolo County.
Western Community Energy
Western Community Energy (WCE) launched in 2020 and serves communities in Western Riverside County. WCE includes the Cities of Eastvale, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, Norco, Perris and Wildomar. WCE’s Choice Plan is the default energy supply option and is 37% renewable. Customers can also opt-up to the Choice Plus Plan (100 percent renewable), while Choice Solar is the option for net energy metering customers.