Peninsula Clean Energy is expanding to Los Banos starting in 2022, which will be our first electricity service to California’s Central Valley.
Why are we doing this?
This move perfectly fits our core mission of reducing greenhouse gases by expanding access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions and our broader vision of a sustainable world with clean energy for everyone.
The long-term viability of not just our success but that of the growing network of Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) who have similar missions and visions will be based on the ability to expand to all parts of the state, including enormous opportunities in the Central Valley.
“Los Banos can showcase how the Central Valley and many more customers statewide can benefit from the unparalleled clean and affordable power and community reinvestment that CCAs have been building across the state,” Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper said.
As Assemblymember Kevin Mullin has noted, this expansion is “incredibly exciting” for our new customers in Los Banos and our larger goals of helping California dramatically expand clean power to address climate change and at a lower cost than what is provided by PG&E.
Why Los Banos?
It’s also only fitting that Los Banos receive the same clean power that they are increasingly helping to create. The Wright Solar Project, the largest renewable generating facility currently tied to a CCA in operation, is located just outside the Los Banos city boundaries and has been providing power exclusively for Peninsula Clean Energy customers since January 2020.
Officially joining with Peninsula Clean Energy allows Los Banos homes and businesses to join our San Mateo County customers in having a real choice in their power generation, including paying 5 percent less for a cleaner energy mix as compared to PG&E. As part of our mission, we reinvest in community programs such as electric vehicle rebates, expanding emergency backup power options and home electrification to reduce natural gas use in appliances and other residential sources. We expect to offer such programs to Los Banos customers.
“We’re really excited to be the first in Merced County to join a CCA,” Los Banos Mayor Tom Faria said. “This seems like the perfect fit and gives our residents and businesses immediate cost savings as well as a choice on who generates their electricity, especially with the Wright Solar farm being right in our backyard.”
Your mission is to reduce GHG in San Mateo County. Does that change with the addition of this new service area?
This fits in with our core mission of reducing greenhouse gases by expanding access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions and our broader vision of a sustainable world with clean energy for everyone.
Peninsula Clean Energy has a number of significant community programs. When will programs like these be available to customers in Los Banos?
We expect to start rolling out community programs for Los Banos customers when service begins there in the first half of 2022.
Will you be opening an office in Los Banos?
We plan to have a physical presence and representation in Los Banos that will be dedicated to serving the community there.