Central Coast Community Energy tells Seaside it's moving toward more renewables and battery storage
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Summary
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) briefed Seaside City Council on its progress toward 70% renewable supply by September 2028, the role of battery storage in avoiding outages, customer programs including a residential battery rebate (up to $13,000) and municipal fleet incentives, and expected near‑term rate and PCIA changes.
Sofia Swierczki, community relations manager for Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), told the Seaside City Council on Jan. 15 that the publicly owned agency is accelerating its clean‑energy portfolio and investing in battery storage to stabilize supply during peak demand. Swierczki said 3CE currently serves about 1.2 million people and ‘‘has contracts in place to supply 70% of our load with renewable energy by September 2028,’’ a step she said places the agency ahead of California goals.
Swierczki highlighted recent and planned investments, including the Willow Rock compressed‑air energy storage project (planned to provide 200 megawatts for 3CE customers) and smaller solar‑plus‑storage projects (Aratina, Atlas and Victory Pass). She said battery systems let utilities capture excess daytime renewable generation and discharge it during evening peaks, reducing reliance on fossil‑fuel generation and the need for flex alerts.
The presentation addressed safety questions about utility‑scale storage: Swierczki said 3CE supports the state's strengthened safety rules (referencing support for Senate Bill 283) and that the agency does not buy from indoor storage facilities like the Moss Landing site. She added that global battery system failure rates have fallen in recent years.
Council members pressed for details about governance and rates. Swierczki said Seaside shares a subregional board seat with Marina, Sand City and Del Rey Oaks; the policy board representative for that seat is Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado. On customer choice, she said new customers receive two mailed notices during a six‑month opt‑out window and that roughly 94% of eligible customers remain enrolled with 3CE.
On bills and fees, Swierczki said federal changes (referred to in the presentation as HR 1) have reduced some tax credits and that 3CE expects to propose a generation‑rate decrease at a policy board meeting later in the month. However, she warned customers may see a net 2% bill increase due to changes to the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA), a CPUC‑set charge passed through by investor‑owned utilities. "The PCIA is a regulatory fee ... paid to PG&E by our customers," she said, adding that retroactive CPUC valuation changes are the driver of the increase.
3CE presented customer programs that could benefit the city: an Electrify Your Ride rebate (up to $3,500 toward EV purchase), technical assistance and up to $300,000 per year in fleet‑vehicle and charging incentives for member agencies. Swierczki also described a residential battery rebate program launched in July 2024 that provides incentives — including up to $13,000 for purchase and installation — and additional per‑kWh incentives for customers receiving state low‑income assistance programs.
What happens next: staff said 3CE will continue regulatory engagement on PCIA and that Seaside's public works director has begun participating in 3CE's fleet programs. Councilmembers asked staff to report back with materials that clarify Seaside's board representation and how rate changes will affect typical residential customers.
Sources: presentation and Q&A with Sofia Swierczki, Community Relations Manager, Central Coast Community Energy; staff remarks to Seaside City Council on Jan. 15, 2026.
