2022 has been a great year with many key accomplishments. Our community has much to be proud of. Peninsula Clean Energy is leading the charge to fight climate change by radically transforming the electricity sector. We have one of the most aggressive renewable energy goals in the world: Providing our 310,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers with renewable energy around the clock by 2025. Due to global climate change, health impacts, and long-term economic benefits, our member communities in San Mateo County and Los Banos are switching from fossil fuels to electricity powered by 100% clean energy sources. Working together, we have reduced carbon emissions from electricity generation by 98% while saving our customers over $90M in electric generation costs since our formation in 2016. See below for some of PCE’s highlights from this past year:
Table of Contents
Delivering Clean Energy
100% Carbon-free Electricity
Peninsula Clean Energy is delivering 100% carbon-free, 50% renewable electricity to the grid, and is on target to meet a goal of delivering 100% renewable electricity by 2025.24/7 Renewable Energy
Last December we issued a white paper, “Our Path to 24/7 Renewable Energy by 2025,” that explained the importance of providing clean energy every hour of the day. The paper described the challenges and requirements to do so cost-effectively. In 2022, we completed building a new 24/7 clean energy procurement modeling tool that has helped us understand the feasibility of our goal to provide 100% renewable energy on an hourly basis. The good news is that our modeling shows that 24/7 renewable energy can be achieved at cost-competitive rates, while reducing emissions and providing broader benefits to the electric grid. Within the next few weeks, we will publish the findings of our modeling and analysis in a second white paper, “Achieving 24/7 Renewable Energy.”Power Purchase Agreements
In 2022, through December 15, Peninsula Clean Energy signed new agreements for 89.25 MW of clean energy and 64.76 MW/318.14 MWh of new storage¹. These energy storage, geothermal, small hydropower, and solar projects will help Peninsula Clean Energy meet its goal of matching renewable power supply with customer power demand every hour of the day.| Name | Resource Type | Location | Project Status |
| Buena Vista | Wind | Contra Costa County | Online |
| Burney Creek | Small Hydro | Shasta County | Online |
| Dos Palos | Solar | Merced | In Development |
| Fish Lake Geothermal | Geothermal | Esmeralda, NV | In Development |
| Heber 2 | Geothermal | Imperial | Online |
| Nova Power III | Storage | Riverside | In Development |
| Ormat Geothermal Portfolio | Geothermal | Portfolio projects, located in NV and CA | In Development |
| Tumbleweed | Storage | Kern | In Development |
| Whitegrass | Geothermal | Lyon, NV | In Development |
Green Access Savings
Peninsula Clean Energy’s Green Access Program kicked off in 2022 and is providing more than 1,000 income-qualified customers in San Mateo County and the City of Los Banos a 20 percent savings on their electric bills. Green Access customers have saved more than $315,000 since the program launched in February 2022.
Building Electrification
Zero Percent Loan Program
Peninsula Clean Energy launched an interest-free loan program which provides up to $10,000 per home for projects that include installation of electric heat pump equipment, including water heaters and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units. No interest. No fees. No credit check required.
Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) Milestone
More than 300 homeowners have been issued rebates for installing heat pump water heaters since the start of the HPWH rebate program in 2020. Peninsula Clean Energy increased its HPWH rebates in October 2022, and is now offering up to $3,000 in rebates.
Heat Pump HVAC Rebate Program
October marked the launch of a $3,500 rebate for installation of heat pump HVAC systems.
70 Homes through Home Upgrade Program
Since launching the Home Upgrade Program in 2021, Peninsula Clean Energy has provided no-cost appliance electrification, energy-efficiency and other home repairs and upgrades for 70 homes. The program focuses on critical needs for income-qualified residents who own single-family homes that use methane gas or propane for heating or cooking and who would otherwise be unable to afford the much-needed repairs and upgrades.
All-Electric Leadership Awards
In May, we announced the recipients of the second annual All-Electric Awards recognizing building projects that are using clean electricity in place of fossil fuels. Winners included the Burlingame Community Center, JESD Workforce Housing in Daly City, Central Menlo Park Remodel, and the Goforth home in San Carlos.
Reach Codes
As of this writing, 19 of the 22 jurisdictions within our service territory have adopted reach codes, which are building codes that are more advanced than those required by the State of California. The municipalities of Portola Valley and San Mateo were the first in our territory to adopt reach codes for existing buildings. Learn more about reach codes here.
Transportation Electrification
Public Fleets Technical Assistance
This year, Peninsula Clean Energy kicked off its Public EV Fleets Program which provides free technical assistance, project planning, and funding to public agencies for new electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure for their fleets.
EV Ready ($28M for EV chargers)
Our EV Ready program hit a milestone with over 300 ports installed and hundreds more in progress. This program offers free, no obligation technical assistance for Peninsula Clean Energy customers and provides support for the design of EV charging projects from inception through installation.
E-Bikes for Everyone
A total of 239 E-Bikes were purchased through this program in 2022, displacing an estimated 330,000 vehicle miles driven by gas cars annually and avoiding burning over 10,000 gallons of gasoline per year.
Used EV Milestones
Last year, Peninsula Clean Energy expanded its rebates for used electric vehicles and now offers up to $6,000 toward the purchase of a vehicle. To date, more than 230 purchasers of EVs have received a rebate for a used EV.
School Programs
Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA)
Peninsula Clean Energy provides annual funding for the Youth Climate Ambassadors Program for 9th -12th grade students in San Mateo County. The YCA empowers youth to take part in social and environmental issues contributing to the global climate crisis and to develop projects designed to drive change and gain skills related to sustainability and climate action.
In 2022, 57 high school students graduated from the Youth Climate Ambassadors program. There are 75 students in the current cohort.
Welcoming Los Banos
In April 2022, Peninsula Clean Energy began serving customers in the City of Los Banos, offering clean electricity at lower costs to their community. Customer retention has remained consistently high at about 92% of eligible Los Banos customers.
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
The Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors officially adopted a Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) Policy to guide our decision-making and daily operations with a DEAI lens. The policy states: “Peninsula Clean Energy recognizes that we have an obligation to maximize our efforts to eliminate disparities and ensure that our programs, policies, and practices are inclusive and accessible for everyone in the geographic markets we serve. Peninsula Clean Energy commits to making diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion a priority during decision-making. We firmly uphold anti-racism, anti-discrimination, diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion as core values.” You can read the complete policy here.
¹Storage discharging/charging rates (in MW) represent the maximum instantaneous discharge/charge from the facility, while storage capacity (in MWh) represents the total amount of stored energy in the fully charged battery, which typically takes 4hr to 8hr to fully discharge.