Consumer choice, local control, and accountability
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?
6,117 Megawatts
New Solar Panels
1,044 Megawatts
New Wind Turbines
2,646 Megawatts
New Energy Storage
14 Megawatts
New Geothermal
7 Megawatts
New Biogas
“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 almost 10,000 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: Power in Numbers
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.
Central Coast Community Energy (formerly Monterey Bay)
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is a public agency that sources competitively priced electricity from clean and renewable energy resources. 3CE’s goal is to source 100% of its customer demand from new clean and renewable resources by 2030, 15 years ahead of the state’s clean energy goal. 3CE serves more than 400,000 customers throughout the Central Coast, including agricultural, commercial and residential customers in communities located within Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties.
Clean Energy Alliance
Launched in May 2021, Clean Energy Alliance is the new default power provider for the cities of Carlsbad, Del Mar and Solana Beach, bringing residents and businesses clean power at competitive rates. All three member cities—Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Solana Beach—have selected a 75% carbon-free power supply as their default energy product.
Clean Power Alliance
Founded in 2017, Clean Power Alliance is the locally operated nonprofit electricity provider for 30 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as well as the unincorporated areas of both counties. CPA is the fifth-largest electricity provider in California and has the most customers receiving 100% renewable energy in the nation. CPA serves approximately 3 million people via 1 million customer accounts, providing clean renewable energy at competitive rates.
CleanPowerSF
CleanPowerSF (CPSF) offers renewable, affordable and accessible electricity to more than 380,000 residential and business accounts in San Francisco. To date, CleanPowerSF has contracted 467 MW of new wind and solar projects in California and signed three solar-plus-battery-storage contracts. CleanPowerSF delivers at least 50% renewables portfolio standard-eligible renewable energy for its default Green product.
Desert Community Energy
Desert Community Energy (DCE) began serving customers in early 2020 and provides service to over 40,000 accounts. The Palm Springs City Council unanimously voted to default all accounts to DCE’s 100% Carbon Free plan. In doing so, Palm Springs is effectively cutting its carbon emissions equivalent to taking 15,000 cars off the road. For those customers that are concerned with lower costs, DCE offers the Desert Saver plan, which has saved customers almost $200,000 in the first six months of service.
East Bay Community Energy
Launched in 2018, East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) serves approximately 635,000 customers in the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Tracy and Union City. The unincorporated areas of Alameda County are also served by EBCE.
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) offers renewable, locally controlled, cost-competitive electricity options for more than 1 million residents and businesses in 37 Bay Area communities across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa and Solano counties. MCE provides customers with almost twice the amount of renewable energy compared to traditional electricity service and is 90% greenhouse gas-free. MCE customers are greening California’s electricity supply while helping invest in local energy programs.
Orange County Power Authority
Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), a Community Choice Energy provider in Southern California, was established in November 2020 and is gearing up for launch this year. Commercial service begins in April 2022, residential service begins in fall 2022, and in 2023, unincorporated areas of the County of Orange will come on line. Upon launch, OCPA expects to be one of the greenest Community Choice Energy programs in California.
Peninsula Clean Energy
Peninsula Clean Energy is the official electricity provider for San Mateo County and, beginning in spring 2022, for the City of Los Banos. Founded in 2016, the agency serves approximately 300,000 customers, maintaining a 97% participation rate of eligible customers and providing 3,500 GWh of energy annually. Peninsula Clean Energy offers two service options: ECOplus, with 50% renewable and 100% GHG-free energy, and ECO100, with 100% renewable energy that is Green-e certified. Peninsula Clean Energy plans to offer 100% renewable electricity for all customers by 2025.
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.
Pioneer Community Energy
Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer) initiated CCA service in 2018 to 96,000 customers in the unincorporated areas of Placer County, the Town of Loomis, and the cities of Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln and Rocklin. In January, Pioneer began serving most of unincorporated El Dorado County and the City of Placerville, increasing Pioneer’s customer base to over 160,000 customers—a 67% increase.
Rancho Mirage Energy Authority
Rancho Mirage Energy Authority (RMEA) began serving the City of Rancho Mirage in 2018 and provides service to 18,000-plus accounts. “Base Choice,” RMEA’s default electricity service offering, is 50% carbon-free. It is comprised of 35% renewables and 15% hydroelectric. RMEA’s “Premium Renewable Choice” rate plan offers customers the option of “opting up” to 100% renewable energy at an affordable price. RMEA’s net energy metering program features a net surplus compensation rate of 6 cents per kWh.
Redwood Coast Energy Authority
Launched in 2017, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) serves over 63,000 customers in Humboldt County, Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Ferndale, Blue Lake, Rio Dell and Trinidad. RCEA offers “REpower” 38+% renewable and “REpower+” 100% renewable and carbon-free energy service options.
San Diego Community Power
Having officially launched municipal service in March 2021, San Diego Community Power (SDCP) is a Community Choice Aggregation program (CCA) formed by community leaders to benefit their customers. Their program will provide renewable electricity service to about 770,000 customer accounts in the cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa and San Diego once they have fully launched.
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) serves approximately 350,000 customers in the City of San José, the 10th-largest city in the U.S. with a population of 1.03 million. It launched service in February 2019 to most residents and businesses. SJCE’s total annual load is approximately 4 TWh and its peak demand is approximately 1 GW. SJCE offers three clean energy options: GreenValue is SJCE’s lowest-cost service (same price as Pacific Gas & Electric) and is 40% renewable; GreenSource is SJCE’s standard service and is 60% renewable; and TotalGreen is SJCE’s premium service for 100% renewable energy.
Santa Barbara Clean Energy
Santa Barbara Clean Energy is the newest CCA and began serving customers living in the city of Santa Barbara in October 2021. SBCE gives three energy options, Green Start, 100% Green, and Resilient. Green Start is a minimum of 50% GHG-free energy while 100% green is 100% carbon-free, GHG-free energy.
Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) initiated service in 2017 in Santa Clara County. It serves 270,000 customers in Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and unincorporated Santa Clara County. SVCE offers two carbon-free energy choices: GreenStart, procured from 50% renewable sources and 50% hydro, and GreenPrime, a 100% renewable, Green-e certified product.
Sonoma Clean Power
Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) serves 229,000 accounts in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. SCP offers CleanStart 49% renewable/93% carbon-free electricity and EverGreen
100% local, renewable electricity. SCP enjoys an 87% participation rate. Mission: Sonoma Clean Power is turning the tide on the climate crisis, through bold ideas and practical programs.
Valley Clean Energy
Valley Clean Energy (VCE) initiated service in June 2018 and serves over 62,000 customer accounts in the cities of Davis, Woodland, Winters (beginning in 2021), and unincorporated Yolo County.