What is “energy mobility”?
“The transportation sector is responsible for 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse
gas emissions (GHGs). We can make real progress in reducing GHGs through the
adoption of electric vehicles and the electrifi cation of mass transit systems. Energy
mobility will drive this transformation in California. SVCE plans to offer programs
this coming year, working with automobile manufacturers, dealers and providers
of charging infrastructure to support
energy mobility.
Tesla charging stations are located
at Coyote Creek Golf Club, La
Quinta Hotel, and Cordevalle, plus
a Tesla supercharger station at the
Gilroy Outlets. For non-Tesla cars,
Chargepoint, EVgo, SemaConnect,
and Electric Charging Stations are
located in various Morgan Hill (3 rd
Street Parking Garage, City Offices,
Condit Road) and Gilroy locations
(152 near Westwood, Automall
Parkway, Gilroy Outlets).
What is the “duck curve” and why does it matter?
There are more solar panels installed in California than in the rest of the country
combined. Our rapidly growing use of solar is disrupting the power grid and the
ability to balance supply and demand.
“SVCE is looking at grid innovation and demand management. This includes
increased flexibility of generation, with the ability to add diverse energy sources,
increase the geographic area in which we can balance power supply on the grid,
and develop better prediction technology. Pricing can be structured to incentivize
customers to conserve more and consume less energy during peak demand
times. And by storing more solar energy during the day, we can shift more solar
output to the evening.”
Programs like SVCE’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) Program help to address
this challenge. For residential and business customers whose rooftop solar panels
produce more electricity than is used, SVCE issues a credit on their bill. SVCE
values net surplus generation at the full retail rate as opposed to the two- to
four-cent wholesale rate paid by PG&E.
The Community Choice Model
Community Choice Energy, also known as Community Choice Aggregation
(CCA), is created when a local, not-for-profi t, public agency such as SVCE takes
on the decision-making role regarding energy sources for electricity generation.
CCAs become the de facto service provider for the power mix delivered to
customers. In a CCA service territory, the incumbent utility continues to own and
maintain the transmission and distribution infrastructure, metering, and billing.
There are now over a dozen CCAs serving load in California, with more
than eighty cities already engaged in or considering community choice energy
programs. By CalCCA’s estimates, more than 50 percent of California residents
will be served by a CCA by 2020.
Girish serves on the board of CalCCA, a 20-member trade association that
represents the interests of community choice electricity providers in the state
legislature and at regulatory agencies. They have more leverage by working as
a group on common interests such as alternatives to Power Charge Indifference
Adjustment (PCIA) exit fees levied by the California Public Utilities Commission.
To learn more, visit svcleanenergy.org.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JUNE/JULY 2018
I
n 2006, California laid the ground-
work for a clean energy future with
AB 32 and SB 32 and reduced GHGs
while growing the economy…and the
work continues.
“It’s up to you, and it’s up to me and tens of
millions of other people … to roll back the
forces of carbonization and join together
to combat the existential threat of climate
change.”
— California Governor Jerry Brown Jr.
Last year, Governor Brown signed a new
law that calls for an additional 40 percent
reduction in emissions by 2030. The
plan to get there is ambitious:
• generate 50 percent of electricity from
renewable energy;
• double the rate of energy effi ciency
savings in buildings;
• increase the number of electric cars
and other zero-emissions vehicles to
4.2 million; and
• reduce the amount of CO2 as well
as other climate pollutants such as
hydrofl uorocarbons, black carbon,
and methane.
Maybe it’s time we surveyed our South
County communities to gauge our
“energy literacy.” We need to pay atten-
tion to our energy use, the basic work-
ings of today’s energy market, proposed
legislation and regulatory policies, and
technology advances. That way, we’ll be
equipped to make informed decisions
about energy, as consumers and as voters.
RELATED ARTICLES
“Utilities: The Power Game,” gmhTODAY (Sept-Oct 2017)
“Regional Thinking,” gmhTODAY (May-June 2017)
RESOURCES
Pacifi c Gas & Electric, pge.com
California Public Utilities Commission, cpuc.ca.gov
California Energy Commission, energy.ca.gov
California ISO, caiso.com
US Department of Energy, www.energy.gov
gmhtoday.com
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