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Central Coast Community Energy outlines growth in renewables, customer incentives for Grover Beach
Summary
Spencer Brandt of Central Coast Community Energy told the Grover Beach City Council 3CE delivered 409 MW of renewable power in 2024, is expanding energy storage, and offers programs including up to $4,000 toward qualifying electric vehicles and up to $300,000/year for city electrification projects.
Spencer Brandt, community relations manager for Central Coast Community Energy, told the Grover Beach City Council on Sept. 8 that 3CE delivered 409 megawatts of renewable electricity in 2024 and is expanding energy storage across the Central Coast.
Brandt said 3CE serves about 1.2 million people across 30 cities and five counties and is “on a path to deliver 100% clean and renewable energy 10 to 15 years ahead of the state's timeline.” He highlighted energy storage as a key tool that stores daytime solar and releases it during evening peak hours to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and customer bills.
The presentation listed customer programs the agency offers. Brandt described Electrify Your Ride, which provides between $1,000 and $4,000 toward the purchase of qualifying new or used electric vehicles. He also noted programs for electrifying home appliances, supporting accessory dwelling units, and targeted incentives for agricultural equipment and public-agency fleet replacements. Brandt said up to $300,000 per year is available to member cities to help cover electrification costs such as EV chargers and fleet transitions.
Brandt also discussed federal policy changes. He said recent federal legislation known in the presentation as HR 1 (the “Big Beautiful Bill Act”) removes certain federal tax credits for electric vehicles after Sept. 30 and alters tax incentives for utility-scale solar and wind, increasing the urgency for customers to claim stacked savings from federal and local programs before deadlines.
Council members asked for clarifications on deadlines and technical terms. In response to a question about reach codes, Brandt said a reach code is a local energy efficiency building standard that requires higher performance in new construction and that 3CE provides technical assistance to city planning and building staff considering these codes. He also said 3CE staff and partners can help residents and dealers redeem federal tax credits at point of sale and pointed listeners to 3ce.org and evsforeveryone.com for program details.
The council thanked Brandt for the update and staff said they would refer residents to 3CE's website and local nonprofit partners for application assistance.
