Friday, February 24, 2017

USA, California: An Opportunity for Geothermal to Be Included in New Community Choice Aggregation

Community choice energy coming to Silicon Valley in April (Mercury News)


Residents and businesses in a number of South Bay communities have started to receive notices in the mail informing them of their automatic enrollment in a new program that will deliver renewable energy starting in April by way of PG&E.

Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) is headed by Tom Habashi, who has worked for municipal utilities in Burbank, Palo Alto and Roseville. Elected officials from the 12 communities served sit on the agency’s board of directors. Members are Cupertino, Los Gatos, Campbell, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, unincorporated Santa Clara County, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Morgan Hill and Mountain View.

SVCE will purchase renewable or low greenhouse gas-emitting energy—comprised of a mix of wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, landfill gas and biomass— at competitive rates from suppliers, who will then deliver it through PG&E transmission lines. While the majority of the facilities are in the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, British Columbia and California, one hydroelectric power plant is in Idaho.

Community Choice Aggregation in California - An Opportunity for the Geothermal Industry [July/August 2016 GRC Bulletin] by Paul Brophy, Past-President, Geothermal Resources Council, and Vice-Chair, Business Operations Committee, Sonoma Clean Power.