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Clean Power SF reports low opt-out rates, issues Northern California renewable solicitation
Summary
SFPUC staff reported Clean Power SF retains 96.6% of customers enrolled since 2016, with a 3.4% opt-out rate (36% citing cost). The PUC issued a renewable solicitation (bids due Aug. 28) seeking 50,000–600,000 MWh annual offers, preferring prevailing wage/PLAs for new projects and aiming for initial deliveries in 2021–2023.
Assistant General Manager for Power Barbara Hale told the commission Clean Power SF continues to meet regulatory requirements and maintain high retention: program lifetime opt-out stands at about 3.4%, yielding a 96.6% retention rate, and approximately 6,300 accounts have chosen the 100% renewable "super green" option.
Hale said the PUC issued a renewable energy solicitation seeking Northern California resources (preference for the nine-county Bay Area as the local resource area), with minimum annual deliveries of 50,000 MWh and a maximum of 600,000 MWh. For new resources, the RFP requires prevailing wage and prefers projects that commit to project labor agreements; initial delivery windows start January 2021 and extend through December 2023 with terms up to 25 years. Bids were expected on Aug. 28 with contract approvals anticipated Oct–Dec.
On the customer-side, staff said of roughly 280,000 accounts auto-enrolled in April, about 10,000 opted out; among those who opted out, 36% cited rate or cost concerns. Hale and commissioners discussed communication strategies to address trust and affordability perceptions and noted staff will continue to report on the portion of PPAs that support new construction versus purchases of existing renewable output.
Hale said three long-term PPAs already executed bring about 209 MW of new capacity in California and are expected to create about 750 construction jobs. The majority of those jobs are temporary construction work; operations and maintenance staffing will be smaller by comparison. Commissioners asked staff to continue reporting on workforce impacts and the mix of new vs. existing resources in executed contracts.
