Sofia Schwartzke, community relations manager for the Northern region of Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), told the Capitola City Council on July 24 that 3CE is “working to deliver our customers 100% clean and renewable energy” and highlighted battery storage as central to that goal.

Schwartzke said batteries store renewable energy when generation is high and discharge it during peaks, reducing fossil-fuel reliance and lowering rates; she presented graphs comparing statewide grid mixes during extreme weather and cited battery contributions during a recent heat spell. She also described 3CE’s preference for outdoor, containerized battery systems with fire suppression and said newer battery chemistries use lithium iron phosphate, which she characterized as “far more stable.”

The presentation emphasized two program areas: customer-facing incentives (for example, Electrify Your Ride and Electrify Your Home), and member‑agency programs that help cities electrify fleets and install public chargers. Schwartzke said 3CE has more than $300,000 available to “the City of Capitola” this year and showed a slide saying Capitola has received over $414,000 from 3CE programs to date, including funds used to buy an electric street sweeper. She also listed grants and rebates 3CE administers, including up to $4,000 toward electric vehicle purchases and funding for agricultural electrification.

Schwartzke discussed utility-scale and regional policy risks. She named HR 1 (referred to in the presentation as the “Big Beautiful Bill Act”) and said it would eliminate certain federal tax credits for electric vehicles and home energy upgrades on dates specified in the slide; she attributed potential rate increases to loss of federal tax credits for utility‑scale solar and wind that she said would apply to projects that have not broken ground by 2026. She also described the Pathways initiative, a proposed Western regional energy market 3CE supports, and mentioned resource adequacy trading as another legislative topic under consideration.

Council members thanked the presenters and asked no follow-up questions during the meeting. The presentation materials and the new 3CE office location at 2601 Porter Street were announced during the update.

Why it matters: 3CE is the public aggregator that secures power for local customers; its investments in storage and local programs affect local electrification incentives, municipal fleet options and the timing of some climate‑related infrastructure projects.