Debate over Clean Power SF rates and RECs highlights tradeoffs between affordability and local build‑out

San Francisco commissioners spent the bulk of their Aug. 6 meeting on a lengthy update and debate over Clean Power SF, the city’s community choice aggregation program, as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission prepares to consider a not‑to‑exceed rate at its Aug. 13 meeting.

Kim Malcolm, director of Clean Power SF in the SFPUC’s Power Enterprise, walked commissioners through the program design and procurement options. Malcolm said the program would aim to offer a 100 percent RPS‑eligible renewable product, that an initial procurement contract under discussion with Shell Energy could cover 20–30 megawatts, and that staff is analyzing whether some scheduling and procurement could be handled in‑house. Malcolm said the program intends to enroll roughly 80,000–90,000 small residential accounts in its first phase and that staff is targeting…