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Clean Power SF begins service with low opt-out rate; LAFCO projects modest early jobs, larger gains over decades
Summary
Clean Power SF began enrolling customers May 1 with an opt-out rate below 1%. SFPUC and LAFCO staff said initial phases will generate modest local jobs (an estimate of roughly 300 in Phase 1) while longer-term models project thousands of cumulative jobs if the program scales over decades.
San Francisco’s new community choice aggregation program, Clean Power SF, moved from planning to operations in early May and enrolled customers began cutting over May 1, SFPUC power staff told commissioners.
Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager for Power, said enrollment is proceeding with an opt‑out rate under 1 percent and that the program has executed initial resource adequacy and energy purchases, including transactions with Calpine and Hecatech. “Our total opt‑out percentage remains less than 1%,” Hale said, and staff will issue statutorily required additional notifications to customers through June.
Jason Fried, executive officer for San Francisco LAFCO, presented a job‑potential analysis for Clean Power SF that compared other California CCAs’ experience. Fried said other CCAs produced few new construction jobs at launch and typically added local job creation as their programs matured and added voluntary programs (efficiency, behind‑the‑meter incentives, and local renewable build‑outs). Using the program’s December 2015 business plan assumptions and current launch phase, Fried said SFPUC staff estimate roughly 300 jobs could arise from the first phase of Clean Power SF activities, with cumulative scenarios reaching several thousand jobs over decades if the program scales and additional local projects are developed.
Fried and commissioners discussed that early job creation will likely come from energy‑efficiency and behind‑the‑meter programs rather than immediate new renewable construction. He emphasized hiring remaining SFPUC positions tied to Clean Power SF and accelerating procurement processes as ways to support near‑term job creation.
Commissioners requested updates on program acceleration options and integration with GoSolar and other local installation programs. Members also discussed outreach strategies to increase signups for the program’s super‑green option ahead of automatic enrollment phases.
