Beginning February 2019, San Jose residents will be given a choice to switch to a new electricity supplier, San Jose Clean Energy, in place of PG&E.
PG&E will continue to handle the delivery of energy to households citywide, but the responsibility of electricity generation will fall under San Jose Clean Energy. The supplier aims to provide residents and businesses with carbon-free energy.
According to San Jose Clean Energy’s official website, electricity generated under the new program will help San Jose undergo an 18 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, a figure equivalent to taking almost 35,000 vehicles
off the road.
“This frees up mental energy for people to make decisions about other things like how they get to work, how they transport around and other choices they’re going to have to make [to reduce their carbon footprint],” San Jose Clean Energy’s deputy director of account management and marketing, Zach Struyk said.
Mayor Sam Liccardo officially launched the first phase of San Jose Clean Energy on Sept. 12, which would transition more than 1,700 municipal energy accounts, including San Jose City Hall and San Jose International Airport, to the new
electricity supplier.
The first phase provides these municipal accounts with 40 percent renewable and 100 percent carbon-free energy.
The Council voted during its Nov. 6 meeting to launch the service with 45 percent renewable power from wind, solar, geothermal, small hydroelectric facilities and 35 percent carbon-free power generated from larger hydroelectric plants.
The decision would account for a total of 80 percent carbon-free power.
The second phase of the program comes into effect when services by San Jose Clean Energy roll out citywide next February. It would also provide residents and businesses with the option of selecting 100 percent renewable, carbon-free power.
“I definitely think that this is a step in the right direction.Anything goes a long way, especially at this point when just last week we experienced how bad the air quality was due to the fires,” hospitality sophomore Gabriel Scarbriel said.
Sixty days before service begins in February, customers who are currently enrolled with PG&E will receive two postcards in their mail to inform them of the option to switch to a different electricity provider.
“I think this choice is a good thing. The city council thought that basically, the additional option is important, it allows to have a more tailored program that is right for residents,” Struyk said.
The council voted in June to set San Jose Clean Energy’s generation rates at 1 percent below current PG&E electricity generation rates.
According to the council memorandum from Nov. 6, San Jose Clean Energy will absorb the increased costs imposed by the exit fees that have to be accounted for when customers opt out of PG&E services.
The lower rates will allow the city’s new electricity provider to remain competitive with PG&E while offering a small discount to all residents and businesses that choose the service.
“Our goal is that customers notice no change in service on in their day-to-day activities, so without doing much customers are already making a huge difference in reducing carbon emissions,” Struyk said.
Pre-nursing freshman Pauline Nguyen said though she agrees the city is moving in the right direction in terms of environmental practices, she wishes these changes were more obvious.
“I mean just walking around downtown I always see that it’s kind of dirty,” Nguyen said.
The implementation of San Jose Clean Energy makes San Jose the largest city in the nation to partake in the Community Choice Energy system, which allows governments to buy electricity for businesses and residents within their jurisdiction.
The system falls under a larger climate action plan enacted by the city called Climate Smart San Jose, which was passed by city council unanimously this February after the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement.
Milestones in the plan include having San Jose Clean Energy offer 100 percent greenhouse gas-free power as a base product by 2021.
The plan also outlines the city’s goal of having all new homes be zero net energy buildings in 2020. The amount of energy used by these buildings is equivalent to the amount of renewable energy created on site.
City officials plan to reinvest excess revenue from San Jose Clean Energy back into infrastructure and projects for the community that would accelerate sustainable and energy-conserving practices.
Projects include more accommodation for those who choose to drive electric vehicles by having more charging stations, working closely with the Department of Transportation as well as switching out gas appliances to those that use electricity, Struyk said.the amount of energy used by these buildings is equivalent to the amount of renewable energy created on site.
City officials plan to reinvest excess revenue from San Jose Clean Energy back into infrastructure and projects for the community that would accelerate sustainable and energy-conserving practices.
Projects include more accommodation for those who choose to drive electric vehicles by having more charging stations, working closely with the Department of Transportation as well as switching out gas appliances to those that use electricity, Struyk said.
