Central Coast Community Energy tells San Luis Obispo Council it has accelerated renewables, storage and customer rebates

Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) leaders gave San Luis Obispo City Council an annual update on July 15, outlining purchases and community programs that the agency says have accelerated the region’s transition to renewable electricity.

3CE Senior Advisor for Legislative Affairs Doss Williams told the council that 3CE supplied renewable electricity that in 2024 equated to roughly 409 megawatts of generation capacity — which the presenters characterized as enough to power about 350,000 homes — and said the agency avoided almost half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Williams and colleagues said 3CE serves about 1.2 million customers across 30 cities in five counties and already has contracts to supply an estimated 64% of its energy from renewable sources by October 2028.

The presentation outlined several near‑term generation and storage projects. Spencer Brandt, 3CE community relations manager, described the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center, a compressed‑air project planned to provide 200 megawatts for peak‑hour demand. Brandt also listed large solar‑plus‑storage facilities coming online or in development — Atlas, Tina and Victory Pass — and said the combined projects will provide capacity equivalent to powering more than 250,000 homes on the Central Coast.

Panelists emphasized batteries' roles in reliability and affordability. Williams said battery energy storage helps shift renewable production to evening peak hours, reduces reliance on fossil fuel “peaker” plants and can lower customer costs tied to resource adequacy procurement. He told the council that 3CE requires containerized battery systems with individual fire suppression and compliance with current fire and building codes, and said battery‑system failure rates have declined substantially since 2018.

3CE also highlighted customer programs and incentives. Brandt said 3CE’s Electrify Your Ride program provides between $1,000 and $4,000 for qualifying new or used electric vehicles and that the city of San Luis Obispo is a high‑utilizer of the program. He described fleet programs that subsidize charging infrastructure and vehicle replacement for public agencies, plus incentives of about $5,000 per Level‑2 charger port or higher awards for fast chargers. Brandt said since 2018, nearly 7,000 customers have received rebates totaling about $11 million, of which roughly $4 million went to income‑qualified or underserved customers.

Williams warned the council about federal legislative changes that could reduce or eliminate tax credits developers use to build solar and wind projects. He said loss of those federal tax credits could constrict new project finance and eventually increase energy prices, though 3CE’s current forecast showed static rates in the coming year.

Councilmembers asked for additional detail on resource adequacy policy proposals and battery safety; 3CE representatives offered to share more technical materials and to help connect city staff and residents to programs and webinars. The presentation closed with an offer to leave informational materials with the city clerk and to meet further with staff.

The council received the presentation; there was no council action required or taken on 3CE policy during the meeting.