The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on September 9 approved three Advice Letters filed by the California Choice Energy Authority (CalChoice) on behalf of associate members Lancaster Choice Energy (LCE), Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy (PRIME) and San Jacinto Power (SJP) requesting permission to implement a joint Disadvantaged Community Green Tariff (DAC-GT) Program. The Program will offer eligible customers a 20% discount on 100% renewable energy.
“The CPUC’s approval of LCE, PRIME and SJP’s joint DAC-GT Program is an exciting development,” said CalChoice Executive Director Jason Caudle. “The innovative program will help ensure that disadvantaged communities are not left behind as Californians transition to 100% renewable energy.”
DAC-GT programs are designed to improve access to renewable energy for residential customers living in disadvantaged communities. Disadvantaged communities are identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s CalEnviroScreen and are defined as areas throughout California that most suffer from a combination of economic, health, and environmental burdens.
LCE, PRIME and SJP customers who qualify will be auto-enrolled in the DAC-GT Program. To be eligible for the joint DAC-GT program, customers first must qualify for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA). Once enrolled in the DAC-GT Program, customers will receive 100% renewable energy at the same price as their CCAs default rate, with a 20% discount in addition to any discounts received through CARE and FERA. The program will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
The CPUC allotted LCE, PRIME and SJP (“Joint CCAs”) a total combined capacity of 1.31 megawatts (MW) for the shared DAC-GT Program. As part of the Program, the Joint CCAs will be required to install a new solar generating facility located within a Disadvantaged Community in the Southern California Edison (SCE) territory and preferably within one of the Joint CCAs service areas.
CalChoice will be assisting with implementation of the program for the three CCAs. Enrollment is expected to begin in September 2022.
About CalChoice
CalChoice is a California Joint Powers Authority (“JPA”) that provides Community Choice Aggregation (“CCA”) support services, which include energy portfolio management, power procurement and trading, settlements and invoice validations, regulatory compliance, regulatory advocacy, financial and accounting, and rate-setting support functions. Furthermore, CalChoice provides a turn-key CCA offering to other city-specific CCA programs. Learn More at californiachoiceenergyauthority.com