REDWOOD CITY, CA – Peninsula Clean Energy will receive 220 megawatts (MW) of wind power as part of the largest renewable energy procurement project contract the agency has signed to date.
Peninsula Clean Energy will begin receiving power for 15 years in 2026 from Pattern Energy’s SunZia Wind project in New Mexico, which will be the largest wind farm in the Western Hemisphere. The 220MW of renewable energy will supply 13 percent of the agency’s total annual electricity demand.
Peninsula Clean Energy is the first Community Choice Aggregation agency to sign a contract to receive power from the SunZia Wind project, which in total will generate up to 3,515 MW of nameplate wind power serving the western United States grid.
“SunZia Wind supercharges our plan to deliver 24/7 affordable renewable power in the near future,” Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Shawn Marshall said. “By providing reliable power whether or not the sun is shining, this contract is a gamechanger toward meeting our hourly renewable power matching goal than any other long-term power contract we have signed to date.”
“This project represents a series of firsts for Peninsula Clean Energy and the larger utility sector,” said Rick DeGolia, Atherton council member and chair of Peninsula Clean Energy’s board of directors. “As the agency’s largest wind contract, it will continue to advance PCE as an industry leader in procuring reliable renewable power that is responsive to our load shape and reliability requirements.”
“SunZia is providing access to some of the best wind in the world, which has a powerful generation profile with an evening peak to complement daytime solar,” said Hunter Armistead, CEO of Pattern Energy. “The project is being built to help supply much needed renewable power to western markets and we are excited to be able to do just that by delivering 220 MW of clean, reliable power to Peninsula Clean Energy.”
As the agency’s first out-of-state renewable project contract, SunZia will provide both geographic and seasonal diversity to Peninsula Clean Energy’s electricity generation as the agency makes headway toward its 24/7 renewable power goal. That includes providing higher wind generation during the winter months, when solar energy generated in California is at its lowest during the year.
The contract also includes prevailing wage requirements, including annual third-party auditing to ensure compliance with Peninsula Clean Energy’s labor policies.
About Peninsula Clean Energy
Peninsula Clean Energy is a Community Choice Aggregation agency. It is the official electricity provider for San Mateo County and for the City of Los Banos. Founded in 2016 with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the agency serves a population of 810,000 by providing more than 3,600 gigawatt hours annually of electricity that is 50 percent renewable, 100 percent clean and at lower cost than PG&E. As a community-led, not-for-profit agency, Peninsula Clean Energy makes significant investments in its communities to expand access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions. Peninsula Clean Energy is on track to deliver electricity that is 100 percent renewable by 2025. Follow us at PenCleanEnergy.com, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.