Fall 2020

In this issue:

• Message from our CEO
• Customer resources
• Program highlights
• Good news for EverGreen
• Energy Makeover: Home Edition
• SCP in the news
• Job opportunities
• Upcoming SCP meetings

Message from our CEO

The Future of California's Grid: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

Back in August, California experienced the first statewide rotating power outages since the Energy Crisis of the early 2000s, leading many of us to ask, "what went wrong" and “is this the new normal we should expect”?

On top of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events and multiple wildfires, we’re now being asked to relearn about Flex Alerts and help keep the lights on with targeted conservation efforts. California's Independent System Operator (CAISO), the operators of our shared statewide power grid, issues Flex Alerts when the available energy supply in California might not be sufficient to meet demand. In August, and again in September, SCP’s customers helped California keep the lights on by reducing our electric usage in the afternoon and evening.

Extreme weather events, like the recent heatwave, combined with unanticipated disruptions to our State’s major generating resources – such as underproducing natural gas plants and low solar output due to smoke and heavy cloud cover – can create a situation where electricity usage is substantially higher than usual, but there’s simply not enough power on the grid to meet it.

So why, in 2020, was California not better prepared for this scenario?...

Customer resources

The Sonoma Clean Power office remains closed at this time due to public health concerns regarding COVID-19 ("Coronavirus"). We will let customers know if an official opening date is authorized in the future.

We are here to help!

Have questions about your bill, rate plans, or customer programs? You can still contact SCP by calling our local contact center (who are also working from home) at 1 (855) 202–2139 or by emailing info@sonomacleanpower.org.

Financial assistance and resources

Choose the best Rate Plan for you
Apply for the Medical Baseline Program
Enroll in CARE/FERA
CARES Act for Businesses
Mendocino County COVID-19 Updates
Sonoma County COVID-19 Updates
Preparing for a Flex Alert

Program highlights

Advanced Energy Build

Our Advanced Energy Build program is powering new electric-ready and all-electric housing projects in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties by offering cash incentives and technical guidance to builders! As our cities and counties work to address the need for more housing, SCP hopes that Advanced Energy Build will encourage builders to adopt high-performance standards and increase the number of resilient, efficient homes available to residents in the area. 

School Battery Storage Study

Fight the Climate Crisis with Smart Home Devices

More local solar coming soon

We've got great news for our EverGreen customers! Thanks to your support of our 100% renewable energy service, we have another 2 megawatts (MW) of local solar being built in Petaluma: two 1 MW adjacent projects. Like our other solar systems in Cloverdale, Willits, and Petaluma, these projects were made possible by the generosity of local landowners, our ProFIT program, and SCP customers like you.

Energy Makeover: Home Edition

Remodeling on a Budget - Kitchen Phase

Join SCP customer, Mary Davies, on her home renovation journey as she details her experience upgrading her older, gas-powered kitchen into a low-energy, all-electric one.

I’m a climate activist with a lot of hope, because we know what to do to halt the climate crisis: stop emitting greenhouse gases. So when I bought a house a few months ago, energy efficiency was important to me.

My 70-year-old place is smallish — 945 square feet — and smaller is inherently more sustainable. But the house ran on natural gas: the heating system, water heater, cooking range, even the clothes dryer!...

SCP in the news

Local stories

• City of Sonoma has cut municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 50%
• Sonoma & Mendocino Counties To Get $6.75 Million For EV Chargers
• Discover why these 114 SF North Bay companies are Best Places to Work in 2020
• Powering the Bottom Line: How it can pay for a business to use less energy
• Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino counties get $25M in tax credits for housing after fire

Industry stories

• 5 ways to future-proof a building
• Demand response works: It's time to 'shimmy' over and unleash Flexiwatts
• Electric Vehicles are Indispensable for California's Climate Resiliency, Even During a Power Outage
• Canadian Solar will retrofit 300MWh of batteries at Goldman Sachs’s Mustang Solar plant, California
• California community choice aggregators issue RFO for long-duration storage

Join the SCP team

Sonoma Clean Power is currently recruiting for two new positions: a Principal Compliance Analyst and an Energy Markets Associate, to work in its Santa Rosa office!

The Principal Compliance Analyst will help lead the accurate and timely submittal of compliance filings, contribute to risk oversight practices, and assist in regulatory planning. The Energy Markets Associate will assist the organization with functions related to power supply planning, compliance reporting, data requests, and settlements.

For the full job description and details on how to apply, please visit our website.

Upcoming SCP meetings

*Due to the State's shelter-in-place order, all SCP meetings will be conducted via teleconference until further notice.