ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council voted on Feb. 24 to establish San Diego Community Power’s product, Power100, as the default electricity choice for all customers within the city.
Power100 can provide 100% renewable electricity to customers at a cost on par with San Diego Gas and Electric’s current customer rates, a city release said. The selection of Power100 as Encinitas’ default offering enables the city to achieve its 100-percent renewable electricity goal well in advance of the 2030 target date.
“The action that we take tonight is going to send a signal to the market regarding the importance of providing renewable energy,” Councilman Joe Mosca said.
At the meeting, representatives from SDCP Interim CEO Bill Carnahan and COO Cody Hooven, shared their plan to roll out electricity service in the following phases: Phase 1, March 2021: Municipal accounts and miscellaneous other similar accounts (e.g., school districts); Phase 2, June 2021: Commercial and Industrial accounts; and Phase 3, May 2022: Residential accounts.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced Tuesday, March 2, that the city will officially transition all of its energy accounts to San Diego’s newly launched community choice energy provider, marking the first step toward powering all city facilities with 100% renewable energy sources, according to wire reports.
Although all electricity customers will be automatically opted into the Power100 option, at any time they may voluntarily opt down to receive the less-expensive PowerON (50% renewable) offering or opt-out of the SDCP electricity service altogether and have their power continue to be procured by SDG&E which is currently 31.5% renewable.
The Encinitas Climate Action Plan calls for the formation of a Community Choice Energy (CCE) program and the delivery of 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. On September 11, 2019, after the completion of a favorable feasibility study and governance analysis, the Encinitas City Council authorized the formation of a CCE program.
The SDCP held its inaugural board of directors meeting on Oct. 31, 2020, with representatives from its five member cities — Encinitas, San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and La Mesa. Since then, SDCP has been preparing to launch electricity service by procuring $35 million in start-up loans, hiring staff and electricity procurement consultants, and completing all the necessary regulatory requirements.
The new agency began providing renewable energy to municipal customers for the first time Monday, March 1, and will offer more than the incumbent utility, including less carbon-intensive energy over time at competitive prices and oversight by local jurisdictions instead of private shareholders.
New customers can expect to hear from SDCP about their service offerings through upcoming mailers and other notifications. Once implemented, the new SDCP service will appear as a line-item on a customer’s existing electric bill provided by SDG&E. The bill will still include costs for transmission and delivery and other standard fees.
For the most up-to-date information on San Diego Community Power’s electricity service launch, visit https://sdcommunitypower.org/.
