Carbon-Free Electricity to Debut in Milpitas June 2018

Milpitas residents and businesses to receive services from community agency

Milpitas, Calif. – Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) is gearing up to provide cleaner energy to approximately 25,000 Milpitas residential and commercial customer accounts on June 1, 2018. The Milpitas City Council voted unanimously to join SVCE at the City Council meeting on November 7, 2017. The Milpitas City Council adopted two resolutions authorizing the City of Milpitas’ membership, approving the Joint Powers Authority agreement that established SVCE, and introducing an ordinance authorizing the implementation of a Community Choice Aggregation, also known as Community Choice Energy (CCE) program.

“Joining SVCE to participate in a Community Choice Energy program will provide environmental and economic benefits to Milpitas residents and businesses.” says Marsha Grilli, Milpitas Vice Mayor and SVCE Director.

SVCE buys clean electricity direct from the source—encouraging the kind of market growth and competition that results in more renewable energy sources and lower electricity generation rates. PG&E continues to deliver electricity over existing power lines, maintain the lines and meters, provide gas and electric billing, and customer service. No physical infrastructure changes are needed in the switch to receive carbon-free power from SVCE.

SVCE maintains a full-time staff, and is governed by a public Board of Directors comprised of an elected official from each member community. Member jurisdictions include Milpitas, Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and unincorporated Santa Clara County.

Per the state’s CCE law (AB 117, 2002), customer enrollment into a CCE program is automatic, and customers may choose to opt out, for no penalty. The agency is funded through program revenues only, not local government budgets. Net revenues are returned to the community and passed on to customers in the form of reduced rates, local clean energy projects and customized programs and rebates.

“Silicon Valley Clean Energy has shown success with its previous enrollment of the 12 founding cities in the JPA with a participation rate of over 97%. We’re proud to say after the first year we’re already on sound financial footing,” says Courtenay Corrigan, Los Altos Hills Councilmember and SVCE Board Chair. “Milpitas’ decision to make their electricity supply carbon-free adds another significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for our region.”

Milpitas customers will be automatically enrolled into the program, but will first receive mailed enrollment notifications from SVCE 60 days before being switched to the clean energy service. The notifications will introduce customers to their new energy choices, and provide information about how to opt out, if they choose to do so.

SVCE’s electricity choices for customers includes the default product GreenStart, which is carbon free, and sourced from hydropower and renewable resources such as wind and solar, and costs less than PG&E’s equivalent generation rate. Customers also have an optional upgrade to GreenPrime, SVCE’s premium product that sources 100% renewable electricity from wind and solar, and costs $0.008 per kilowatt hour more than GreenStart, about $3 to $5 more per month for a typical residential customer.

Procuring electricity generated from carbon-free sources allows SVCE member communities to make large-scale reductions in carbon emissions from electricity use. In addition, SVCE will advance programs for energy management, energy efficiency and clean, carbon-free electricity in the place of fossil fuels used in transportation, buildings and infrastructure.

The City of Milpitas and SVCE will co-host an “SVCE 101” community workshop on March 27, 2018, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM in the Barbara Lee Senior Center. Milpitas residents and businesses are all encouraged to join City staff and SVCE representatives for this informational presentation.

About Silicon Valley Clean Energy

Silicon Valley Clean Energy is a community-owned agency serving the majority of Santa Clara County communities by acquiring clean, carbon-free electricity on behalf of residents and businesses. As a public agency, net revenues are returned to the community to keep rates low and promote clean energy programs. Member jurisdictions include Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and unincorporated Santa Clara County. SVCE is guided by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of a representative from the governing body of each member community. For more information, please visit SVCleanEnergy.org.

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