San Diego Community Power (SDCP), a not-for-profit community choice energy program, on March 1 launched renewable energy procurement services for municipal customers in the five member cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, and San Diego.
SDCP said that customers can choose from energy service options of 50 percent or 100 percent renewable energy both at competitive pricing to their current service.
“SDCP’s products are substantially higher than the current 31 percent option offered by the local investor-owned utility, a package that includes nearly eight percent unbundled renewable energy credits (RECs),” it said in a news release.
SDCP will not rely on unbundled RECs and is the first community choice aggregator (CCA) in the state to codify in its formation agreement the goal to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 or sooner, it said.
“As a local, community-driven not-for-profit agency, SDCP will reinvest all excess revenue generated into community programs, including focused benefits for communities of concern, innovative grants, and local clean energy development,” the CCA said.
While SDCP is now providing energy procurement and related customer services, investor-owned San Diego Gas & Electric will continue to deliver power, distribute monthly billing, and provide ongoing power grid maintenance.
As service becomes available, eligible residents and businesses will be automatically enrolled in SDCP service with the choice to opt-out at any time.
SDCP noted that there are currently 23 CCAs operating successfully across California and providing reliable service to more than 11 million customers in more than 190 cities and counties.
SDCP is the second-largest CCA in the state and is forecast to procure renewable energy for more than 770,000 customer accounts when fully subscribed.
The March 1 municipal launch introduces the first 700 accounts. In June, the commercial service launch will add an additional 72,000, with the remainder joining as part of residential service in the first half of 2022.
Additional information about SDCP is available here.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.
