Valley Clean Energy, Yolo County’s public power supplier, reports that even cleaner and greener energy has been delivered to its electricity customers than was projected at last year’s launch.
“One of our core goals is to supply Woodland, Davis and unincorporated Yolo County with cost-competitive clean energy,” said Tom Stallard, Valley Clean Energy board chair and a Woodland City Council member. “I’m happy to report that this year VCE has exceeded this goal while still matching PG&E’s rates.”
An analysis of VCE’s 2018 power content revealed that the community choice energy program’s Standard Green electricity portfolio included 48 percent renewable energy (all from wind power sources) and was 85 percent carbon-free, Interim General Manager Mitch Sears reports. The majority of VCE customers receive Standard Green energy.
That exceeds original VCE program goals of 42 percent renewable energy, with 75 percent of the total carbon-free, Sears says.
By contrast, PG&E’s standard electricity product for 2018 was only 39 percent renewable, and the average for California as a whole was 31 percent, as estimated by the California Energy Commission.
The VCE board self-certified the upgraded UltraGreen power content at its meeting Thursday, Sept. 12, said Lisa Limcaco, VCE’s Director of Finance and Internal Operations. That option is 100 percent renewable, with 56 percent of the power generated by local small hydroelectric sources and 44 percent generated by wind power.
Limcaco said SMUD (the Sacramento Municipal Utility District), VCE’s contractor, has performed a detailed review of VCE’s power purchases for the 2018 calendar year and has verified the information on the UltraGreen Power Content Label.
The Standard Green product’s power content will be reviewed by a third-party auditor to verify that the content contained in VCE’s report to the California Energy Commission is accurate. The audit report will be completed and submitted by Oct. 1, Limcaco said.
The California Public Utilities Code requires all sellers of electric energy, including VCE, to disclose “accurate, reliable and simple-to-understand information on the sources of energy” that are delivered to their respective customers.
The updated Power Content Label will be available to VCE customers in October.
VCE supplies electricity to 55,000 customer accounts in Woodland, Davis, and unincorporated Yolo County. It is governed by a six-member board made up of elected officials from those jurisdictions.