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Nevada City approves MOU to sell low‑carbon energy credits with Pioneer Community Energy
Summary
The council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to enroll city EV chargers in a low‑carbon credit aggregation program with Pioneer Community Energy and Fuse Carbon Technologies; staff estimates roughly $3,000–$5,000 in annual revenue to the general fund after partner fees.
The Nevada City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) allowing the city to participate with Pioneer Community Energy and Fuse Carbon Technologies in a low‑carbon/energy credit aggregation program.
Britney, a city staff member presenting the item, said the program would pool kilowatt‑hour generation from the city’s public electric vehicle chargers into a market mechanism that converts credits into cash. Under the arrangement described in staff materials, Fuse and Pioneer would each retain about 5% of the transaction revenue and the remainder would go to the city.
“Based on what our EV chargers generate out there on a quarterly basis... the city would anticipate that this program would increase our general fund about $3,000 to $5,000 each year,” Britney told the council, noting the figure is a range because charger usage varies.
Council Member Fleming moved approval of the MOU and authorized the city manager to execute related contracts; Council Member Peterson seconded. The roll call vote was recorded as: Peterson — yes; Fleming — yes; Fernandez — yes; Vice Mayor Cece — yes; Mayor Klein — yes.
Council discussion noted the program’s modest revenue could be used to purchase additional chargers and that doing the credit‑trading work internally would be cost‑prohibitive (staff estimated roughly $100,000 per year to operate a trading program at scale). Staff said participation also yields recorded carbon credits that support the city’s climate goals.
Why it matters: The agreement monetizes a small revenue stream from municipal EV infrastructure, potentially funding a future charger purchase or other climate‑related investments. The council authorized the city manager to finalize related agreements and requested an annual report on actual revenues after one year of participation.
