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Central Coast Community Energy tells Monterey council batteries bolstered reliability but PCIA offsets most rate cuts
Summary
At an annual update, Central Coast Community Energy told Monterey officials that battery storage helped avoid flex alerts and boosted reliability; 3CE highlighted program grants for municipal fleets and urged council support for bills AB1761 and SB1138 to improve PCIA transparency and resource‑adequacy rules.
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) gave Monterey’s City Council an annual overview on March 17, saying its contracts will cover roughly 70% renewable energy by 2028 and that recent growth in battery storage helped California avoid flex alerts during last summer’s heat waves.
Sophia Schwarzky, community relations manager at 3CE, told the council 3CE delivered enough renewable energy last year to power more than 350,000 homes and that investments in battery systems ‘‘allow us to capture excess renewable energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing’’ and discharge it during evening peaks, reducing reliance on fossil‑fuel generation.
The update also highlighted local programs the agency offers to customers and member governments, including the Electrify Your Ride rebate (up to $3,500 per vehicle) and agency‑specific grants. Schwarzky said $300,000 per year in fleet funding is available for Monterey for vehicle purchase and EV chargers, and that the city’s public works director has enrolled in 3CE’s plan‑your‑fleet technical assistance.
Council members pressed 3CE staff for details about local membership and bills that could affect customers’ bills. Schwarzky said 3CE recently lowered its generation cost, producing an average 24% reduction in its generation component, but that the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) — a CPUC regulatory fee paid to PG&E — will cause the average Monterey residential customer to see a net bill increase of about 2% this year. She urged the council to consider supporting Assembly Bill 1761 (PCIA transparency) and Senate Bill 1138 (hourly resource‑adequacy trading), and offered to supply draft support letters to the clerk.
In public comment, a resident urged leaders to consider the full lifecycle impacts of batteries, including manufacturing and recycling, while 3CE staff emphasized that the agency supports only containerized battery projects built to current fire and building codes and has backed SB 283 to improve storage safety standards.
Next steps: 3CE said it will follow up with the clerk on sample legislative letters and contact information; council members asked staff to circulate that material to interested residents and to track local participation in 3CE fleet programs.
Quote: ‘‘Battery storage is essential to creating a cleaner, more reliable, and affordable energy future,’’ Sophia Schwarzky said. "By capturing excess renewable energy when the sun is shining . . . batteries store power that can be released later when demand is high."
