Central Coast Community Energy briefed Scotts Valley council on batteries, electrification incentives and local participation

Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) provided a program and policy update to the Scotts Valley City Council covering procurement, battery energy storage, local incentives and outreach efforts.

Doss Williams, senior advisor for policy and legislative affairs at 3CE, told the council the agency serves about 1.2 million customers across 30 cities and five counties and is working to deliver 100% clean energy to customers. "Battery storage is essential for California's energy transition," Williams said, explaining batteries capture renewable energy when supply is high and discharge during peak demand; he told council that at utility scale battery discharge can represent "up to 30% of our energy during the most crucial and expensive time of the day."

Williams said 3CE has contracts to supply roughly 70% renewable energy by 2028 and highlighted recent growth in storage capacity: he compared a Labor Day 2022 event with a similar heat event two years later and said battery discharge had more than tripled, supporting reliability without broad public appeals to reduce usage. He emphasized safety measures and said 3CE supports containerized battery systems with fire suppression rather than indoor facilities.

3CE programs available to member agencies include: electrify‑your‑ride EV incentives ($1,000–$4,000 depending on income, stackable with federal credits), rebates for home electrification (heat pump water heaters, batteries), support for fleet electrification (including full delta funding for heavy‑duty vehicle replacements in some cases) and funding for charger installations. Williams said 3CE has returned more than $11 million to customers since 2018, including more than $4 million to underserved community members; Scotts Valley residents have used 3CE programs to date for about $340,000 in funding across several program types.

Williams warned the council about pending federal policy changes that could affect incentives. He referred to HR1 (described in the presentation as the "big beautiful bill") and said proposed eliminations of some federal tax credits could raise electricity and EV costs over time; he encouraged residents to use current incentives before the dates specified in the presentation. He also described 3CE's support for a regional market initiative ("pathways") that could stabilize prices by moving excess renewable energy across the Western grid.

Council members asked for clarification on import power sources, affordability programs for seniors and low‑income residents, and steps 3CE takes to ensure storage safety. Williams said imported power is partly unspecified market power but remains majority natural gas; he said 3CE has added bilingual staff, expanded language access (a customer line supported in about 150 languages) and specific programs that improve affordability for income‑qualified residents.

Why it matters: 3CE is the electricity procurer for Scotts Valley customers; its contracting and incentive programs shape local costs, EV adoption and electrification for municipal and resident fleets. The council asked staff to continue coordinating with 3CE board members from the city on operations and policy issues.

What’s next: Williams provided contact information and offered follow‑up on program uptake; the council and city manager, both serving on 3CE boards, signaled ongoing engagement.