July 30, 2020
Bay Area Community Energy Agencies Reach Emission-Free Power Resiliency Agreements
Helps thousands of households install affordable, clean backup amid wildfire power shutoffs
Oakland, Redwood City and Sunnyvale, CA – Three Bay Area Community Choice Energy providers have reached agreement with San Francisco-based Sunrun to install up to roughly 20 megawatts (MW) of emission-free solar and battery backup power to 6,000 households vulnerable to emergency power shutoffs during wildfire season.
East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), Peninsula Clean Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) have agreed with Sunrun to increase renewable power, reduce overall peak demand and improve grid reliability by putting this increased capacity online on a rolling basis from 2020 through 2022.
All three agencies have carve outs in their contracts for low-income customers, disadvantaged communities and vulnerable residents in Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, including those hit by last year’s PG&E emergency power shutoffs.
“Last fall’s power shut-offs were not just an inconvenience or financial hit to residents due to losing perishable groceries in the fridge. They were devastating to vulnerable residents among us who depend on electricity for their well-being,” EBCE CEO Nick Chaset said. “With this program, EBCE is paying an incentive to deploy energy storage systems that benefit our regional energy grid, while also providing the direct benefit of backup power for homes.”
“The wildfires that disrupted our power and lives last fall have given us an opportunity to find ways to better protect our most vulnerable customers from losing essential supplies and comfort during emergency outages. By partnering with Sunrun and our local non-profit agencies, we can identify those customers who can benefit the most from this program,” Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper said. “This innovative approach and partnership also establish a new model for a cleaner and more reliable electricity grid for all our residents.”
“In addition to providing needed resiliency to the members of our community most impacted by power shutoffs, this program is instrumental in shifting away from a centralized, fossil fuel-based grid to one that is distributed, decentralized and decarbonized,” SVCE CEO Girish Balachandran said. “Historically, reliability is provided by centralized gas plants. We are at a pivotal moment where it has tipped toward battery storage systems and local resources.”
“Sunrun’s Brightbox rechargeable solar battery system can help families power through blackouts and better manage energy costs when they need it most,” said Lynn Jurich, Sunrun co-founder and CEO. “We’re excited to partner with these innovative energy providers to begin paving the way towards a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system.”
In addition to providing reliable backup power, solar-powered home batteries can save all energy consumers money by helping to displace the need for costly transmission infrastructure. This technology will also support the move to a more electrified energy and transportation system, including the increased adoption of electric vehicles and less reliance on fossil fuel-powered home appliances.
The contracts are part of a joint solicitation last November from the three Community Choice Energy providers and Santa Clara municipal utility Silicon Valley Power that was issued shortly after emergency power shutoffs last fall affected hundreds of thousands of customers in the Bay Area.
By reducing peak power demand, these innovative contracts will effectively enable the use of local resources to help fulfill state “Resource Adequacy” requirements, which refer to energy generating capacity that local agencies and utilities must contract to ensure the safe and reliable operation of California’s electrical grid in real time. This requirement has historically been filled through purchasing Resource Adequacy from distant power plants. These contracts will shift the purchase of Resource Adequacy to new local solar power and battery storage systems that provide the benefits of backup power directly to local homes and businesses.
About East Bay Community Energy
EBCE is a not-for-profit public agency that operates a Community Choice Energy program for Alameda County and eleven incorporated cities, serving more than 550,000 residential and commercial customers throughout the county. EBCE initiated service in June 2018 and is one of 19 community choice aggregation (CCA) programs operating in California. CCAs are expediting the climate action goals of their communities and those of California. EBCE is committed to providing clean power at competitive rates while reinvesting in our local communities. For more information about East Bay Community Energy, visit https://ebce.org/.
Media Contact
Dan Lieberman
dlieberman@ebce.org
925-579-1591
About Peninsula Clean Energy
Peninsula Clean Energy launched in October 2016 as California’s fifth Community Choice Aggregation agency and is the official local electricity provider for all of San Mateo County. It is one of only three CCAs in California to obtain investment-grade credit ratings. While offering rates that save San Mateo County customers an estimated $18 million annually compared to PG&E, Peninsula Clean Energy is aggressively striving toward the goals of providing 100 percent greenhouse gas-free power by 2021 and 24/7 renewable power by 2025. Find out more at peninsulacleanenergy.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook (@PenCleanEnergy) and on LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Darren Goode
dgoode@peninsulacleanenergy.com
202-550-6619
About Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Silicon Valley Clean Energy is a community-owned agency serving the majority of Santa Clara County communities, acquiring clean, carbon-free electricity on behalf of more than 270,000 residential and commercial customers. As a public agency, net revenues are returned to the community to keep rates competitive and promote clean energy programs. Member jurisdictions include 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 is guided by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of a representative from the governing body of each member community. For more information, please visit SVCleanEnergy.org.
Media Contact
Pamela Leonard
pamela.leonard@svcleanenergy.org
530-306-0122
About Sunrun
Sunrun Inc. (Nasdaq: RUN) is the nation’s leading home solar, battery storage, and energy services company. Founded in 2007, Sunrun pioneered home solar service plans to make local clean energy more accessible to everyone for little to no upfront cost. Sunrun’s innovative home battery solution, Brightbox, brings families affordable, resilient, and reliable energy. The company can also manage and share stored solar energy from the batteries to provide benefits to households, utilities, and the electric grid while reducing our reliance on polluting energy sources. For more information, please visit www.sunrun.com.
Media Contact
Andrew Newbold
press@sunrun.com
816-516-5809