Title
Presentation to the City of San Leandro City Council by East Bay Community Energy on Local Climate and Energy Programs
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITIES
• Infrastructure
• Sustainability & Resiliency
SUMMARY
The City of San Leandro is a member agency of East Bay Community Center (EBCE), a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) formed in 2016 pursuant to California Government Code Section 6500 et seq., to become the default Load Serving Entity (or public power provider) in Alameda County. EBCE currently serves the County of Alameda, and each of the following cities incorporated therein: Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Tracy (San Joaquin County), and Union City. EBCE strives to provide more renewable energy at competitive rates to the 15 member jurisdictions that form the agency’s Joint Power Authority. EBCE reinvests earnings back into the community by supporting clean energy jobs and renewable energy projects; and by offering local programs aimed at advancing environmental justice and helping communities become more resilient and sustainable.
EBCE currently offers energy-related programs focused on energy resilience (e.g., maintaining reliability during grid outages); and the electrification of the building and transportation sectors. These will be the subject matter focus of EBCE’s presentation to the Council.
RECOMMENDATIONS
There is no action necessary for this informational presentation from EBCE on their local programs update.
BACKGROUND
EBCE provides energy-related programming which includes helping jurisdictions keep the lights on at their most critical facilities during grid outages. The EBCE team is currently working with the City of San Leandro to study the feasibility of developing solar and battery energy systems at San Leandro’s critical municipal facilities. For residential customers, EBCE’s Resilient Home program helps residential customers avoid losing power during outages by aiding customer efforts to install solar and battery storage at their homes. These efforts also help relieve system-wide stress on the grid during periods of peak usage (e.g., during heat waves, cold snaps, and other extreme climatic events).
The transportation sector remains the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in California. To further advance transportation electrification, EBCE also offers programs aimed at bolstering electric vehicle fast-charging infrastructure in the East Bay and aiding municipalities looking to electrify their vehicle fleets by providing technical assistance. As part of the agency’s comprehensive approach, EBCE is working on the electrification of both passenger vehicles and medium and heavy-duty goods movement, a historic cause of poor air quality along the transportation corridors of the East Bay.
Lastly, East Bay Community Energy has programming dedicated to electrifying buildings and enhancing energy efficiency. Through innovative partnerships with EBCE’s member jurisdictions and other public agencies (e.g. the California Public Utilities Commission/CPUC; the California Energy Commission/CEC; etc.) EBCE offers options and incentives for customers looking to further electrify their homes and businesses. In 2022, EBCE launched an Induction Cooktop Lending Program that allows customers to rent an induction cooktop for two weeks before making the switch to electric cooking, which is a safer and cleaner alternative to using natural gas.
Analysis
EBCE’s work is in alignment with the City of San Leandro’s Climate Action Plan and will help to achieve several goals related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, renewable energy deployment, electric vehicle adoption, fleet electrification, building electrification, public health, and equity.
Current Agency Policies
• Climate Action Plan BE-2: Electrified new construction
• Climate Action Plan RE-2: Residential owner-occupied renewable energy
• Climate Action Plan RE-3: Residential rental renewable energy
• Climate Action Plan RE-4: Non-residential renewable energy
• Climate Action Plan TE-1: Electric vehicle adoption
• Climate Action Plan TE-2: EV charging stations
• Climate Action Plan TE-4: Municipal fleet fuel reduction
Committee Review and Actions
• EBCE presentation of the municipal facilities solar storage installation project at Facilities Committee on Jun 1, 2022. Committee recommended continuing with the license agreement development.
• Approval of the EBCE CEC EV charger installation project at the Main Library at City Council on Nov 7, 2022.
Summary of Public Outreach Efforts
As a local government agency, EBCE’s Board and Committee meetings are open to the public and subject to the Brown Act. In addition to developing program-specific marketing and community outreach plans, EBCE staff routinely provide updates to its Board of Directors and Committees.
Financial Impacts
No Council actions are needed for this informational presentation and therefore this will not impact fund balance.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A: Presentation slides
PREPARED BY: Hoi-Fei Mok, Sustainability Manager, City Manager’s Office