Representatives of Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) provided a multi-topic briefing to the Buellton City Council on July 10, describing procurement, battery storage, and customer incentive programs available to local residents, agencies and businesses.

Doss Williams, a 3CE official and former state legislator, told the council that 3CE purchases electricity for member communities while PG&E and Southern California Edison continue to manage transmission and distribution. He said 3CE served roughly 1.2 million customers and secured contracts to make about 64% of its electricity load renewable by October 2028.

A major portion of the presentation covered battery energy storage. Williams said 3CE requires contracted battery storage projects to use containerized systems with individual fire suppression and to meet current fire and building codes; he cited industry-wide reliability improvements and a drop in failure rates since 2018. He also described a compressed-air storage project planned in Kern County that would yield about 200 megawatts for 3CE customers.

Williams outlined customer programs that the city and residents could access: rebates and incentives for electric vehicles (Electrify Ride: $1,000 to $4,000), residential appliance electrification (heat pump water heaters), home batteries, and targeted support for agricultural electrification, as well as fleet planning and electric bus grants. He urged the council and residents to consider purchases that could take advantage of federal incentives that are scheduled to expire or change. In particular, he said federal EV tax credits (up to $7,500 for new EVs and $4,000 for used EVs) must be used by Sept. 30 to be obtained as a point-of-sale benefit, and that the federal 30% tax credit for home energy efficiency measures will end at year-end.

Council members asked clarifying questions about net energy metering (NEM), regional markets, and differences between utility-scale oversupply and individual rooftop solar compensation. Williams said California's NEM changes (NEM 3) reduce payback on rooftop solar unless paired with storage, and 3CE supports customers who choose solar-plus-storage systems. He said 3CE is working on legislative and regional-market initiatives aimed at lowering long-term costs.

Staff noted that 3CE can supply technical assistance to cities developing local reach codes and directed the council to 3CE's customer-facing programs and resources. The council did not take formal action on any ordinance or contract during the presentation; the briefing was received and filed.

Ending
Council members thanked the 3CE representatives and asked staff to follow up on municipal program opportunities, including fleet electrification guidance and potential grant support.