SONOMA CLEAN POWER
After 10 'electric years', Sonoma Clean Power looks to the future
INSIDE: 2 A brief history 4 Municipalities join SCP 5 Small businesses go EverGreen 7 The future is now
Geof Syphers, CEO of Sonoma Clean Power, atop Labcon's Petaluma building, circa 2017. [Photo by Julie Hughes Photography]
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SONOMA CLEAN POWER
Sonoma Clean Power at 10: The fight for clean energy From rolling blackouts to renewable energy today—a brief history of Sonoma Clean Power
By Cerrissa Kim
S onoma Clean Power is celebrating 10 years of bringing clean energy to the residents of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, as the public power provider serving about half a million residents. Now, more than a decade in (the official launch day was May 1, 2014), 87% of eligible homes and businesses in Sonoma and Mendocino counties are customers—an indication of user satisfaction and SCP’s success in providing cleaner electricity, like solar and geothermal power, aimed at reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions at comparable costs to traditional providers. But the road to cleaner power has been long and sometimes
fiasco was the motivating factor in the recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis, who was voted out of office in 2003.) In response to what became known as “the energy crisis,” the state legislature in 2002 passed Assembly Bill 117, an energy game-changer for Californians. Authored by North Bay Assemblywoman Carole Migden, the law allowed local jurisdictions to form a community choice aggregator (CCA)—a local agency which could purchase electric power on behalf of residential and commercial customers, to be delivered via the supply infrastructure already in place through traditional utilities like PG&E. The aggregation advantage Without the profit motive of investor-owned utilities, Community Choice Aggregation enables local agencies to offer cleaner energy choices at competitive rates. Any city, county or combination within an investor-
Geof Syphers, SCP CEO
rocky—marked by an energy crisis, opposition from utilities and the ever- encroaching threat of climate change. Here’s how Sonoma Clean Power came to be. Community Choice—born under punches The advent of Sonoma Clean Power and clean-energy providers like it was never a sure thing. In fact, only a few years before SCP launched, the reliability of the energy industry in California was hitting its low point. The seeds of the problem were laid in 1997, when California, by way of Assembly Bill 1890, deregulated its
owned utility’s distribution territory can form a CCA. While CCAs provide electric generation, utilities like PG&E remain responsible for gas, the poles and wires for electric delivery, meter readings, billing and repairs. (Customers can also opt out of a CCA and have their energy needs fully served by an investor-owned utility.) Once AB 117 was on the books, several communities launched feasibility studies, risk assessments and community outreach about community choice. Moving fastest was Marin County, which launched
energy market in the hopes that more competition would lower prices. What it led to, instead, were regulatory failures and manipulation of the market by companies like Enron in their quests to increase profits. By 2000, state residents became all-too familiar with the term “rolling blackout”—when high energy demand coupled with limited supply, led utilities like PG&E to schedule temporary power cuts to certain areas in order to reduce demand. The public was incensed and faith in such companies as PG&E and other investor-owned utilities hit an all-time low. (Some say the energy
the first community choice program in California in 2010. Marin Clean Energy (now simply MCE) faced its share of challenges along the way. In addition to educating a community that had come of age under the traditional for-profit utility model, Marin fought pushback from PG&E—which funded a ballot measure that, if passed, would have set the bar so high for CCAs it would have been virtually impossible for them to form. When that initiative, Proposition 16, was rejected by voters in 2010, the Sonoma
Timeline
2014: SCP launch
2000: Gov. Davis during the energy crisis
2002: Assembly passes AB 117
May 1, 2014: Sonoma Clean Power launches service
2002: AB 117 passes—California communities can legally form CCAs
2000: Energy Crisis reaches peak
2010: Marin Clean Energy becomes first CCA in state
2016: SCP and five other CCAs form California Community Choice Association trade association
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It’s initiatives like the Customer Center that keep SCP ahead of the game, he says. Slayter credits Sonoma Clean Power’s reputation as a leader and innovator within the industry, in large part, to its “world-class staff.” “Experts with decades of experience in energy procurement, programs, energy industry analysis, marketing and management are members of the Sonoma Clean Power team, led by their CEO,” says Slayter. Susan Gorin, who served as 1st District Sonoma County Supervisor in the early days of the agency, knows first-hand the impact
County Water Agency (now Sonoma Water) formed a steering committee to study the risks and benefits of operating a CCA. Two years later, in December of 2012, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the formation of Sonoma Clean Power. By 2013, a board of directors was established and Geof Syphers was named CEO—the switch to cleaner energy was about to be flicked. Lights on! On May 1, 2014, a makeshift sign lined with LED lights commemorating the start of service was plugged in—and the era of Sonoma Clean Power was born. Geof Syphers, CEO of SCP, has been with the agency since its planning stages. Among its most important accomplishments, he says, are allowing customers to save on electricity costs about 80% of the time—compared to what they would pay using PG&E—and launching service to customers in 2014 with an option to choose SCP’s innovative EverGreen service, the nation’s first 24/7, 100% local, 100% renewable electric service. He is also proud that SCP has been instrumental in getting state power providers to promote electric vehicles. “Sonoma Clean Power was the first power provider in California to work with local dealerships to provide a bulk discount program,” says Syphers. “Over three years, the Drive EV program has helped customers lease or buy more than 1,250 electric cars and distributed over 4,000 free home chargers.” Former Petaluma City Councilmember Dave King served as that city’s first representative on the SCP board. He asked for the assignment because he thought it was an excellent opportunity to work toward countering climate change locally, he recalls. “I believe SCP has been instrumental in California's attempt to reduce carbon and combat climate change,” says King. And, like many supporters, he understands the importance of that work continuing through the years to come. New initiatives Funded by a $9.7 million grant from the California Energy Commission, the 10,000-square-foot SCP Customer Center opened in 2021 in downtown Santa Rosa as an interactive educational space that showcases energy-saving solutions and offers free classes on home renovations and cooking without using gas—all with a goal of helping customers transition away from fossil-fuel appliances in their homes. Architect Patrick Slayter, an early SCP board member representing Sebastopol, today sends many clients to the SCP Customer Center to get information about clean energy appliances, HVAC systems, information about EVs, rebates and incentives, and more.
Carole Migden, author of AB 117, the community choice aggregation law.
SCP can have on customers. Gorin lost her home in the 2017 wildfires and used the Advanced Energy Rebuild incentives offered by SCP to rebuild her home, making it 100% electric. Gorin served as the first board chair of SCP and remains a vocal champion of the agency. “I have been an EverGreen customer since the beginning,” she adds. Over the next two years, SCP is forecasting the agency will help Sonoma County residents save over $100 million on electricity, equating to about $450 saved per household in that timespan. Syphers says upcoming initiatives include the GeoZone project which aims to build 600 megawatts of new, renewable power for the community while demonstrating the viability of geothermal technologies which can be used worldwide. He also says SCP is focused this year on three pieces of legislation to lower risks associated with new geothermal construction, and ensure California gets its fair share of jobs, tax revenues and more. Perhaps most important of all, Syphers says after years of paying other companies to construct renewable energy sources, “In the coming decade, SCP will start to build our own.” With energy demand increasing, SCP’s focus on affordability, meeting the energy needs of customers, and the continued transition to affordable cleaner energy is an investment in communities that benefits everyone. n
2024: SCP celebrates 10 years
2021: GeoZone launches
2017: Mendocino County joins
2021: Customer Center opens
2021: Geothermal Opportunity Zone, aka GeoZone, is launched
2022: SCP and eight CCAs form California Community Power joint powers agency
2017: SCP begins serving Mendocino County
2021: SCP Customer Center opens in Santa Rosa
2024: SCP celebrates 10 years of providing clean electricity to Sonoma and Mendocino counties
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Bright lights, big cities How Sonoma Clean Power’s EverGreen service helps local municipalities meet their low-carbon goals
By Mallorie Deming
C lean, renewable energy for everyone—it’s not just an idea, but a reality for thousands of Sonoma and Mendocino County residents and businesses. Back in 2014, Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) unveiled its EverGreen service, becoming the only utility in California (actually the U.S.) offering 100% renewable and locally generated energy around the clock. Using solar energy during the day, and geothermal energy at night,
Power is generated for all cities within Sonoma and Mendocino counties, with the exception of Healdsburg and Ukiah; both have their own city-operated public power utilities program. The value of going EverGreen Anyone can opt in to the EverGreen service, which is 100% renewable, an upgrade over the baseline service, CleanStart, at 50% renewable and 91% carbon-free. EverGreen comes with a higher price, with customers paying an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour of usage. According to SCP, the cost of the
this clean-power concept is made possible by our area’s abundant natural resources—both above and below the surface. “It’s all about how [the energy] is made,” says Patrick Slayter, who served 12 years on the Sebastopol
premium EverGreen service for the average residence is roughly an additional $13 per month over CleanStart, depending on household usage, time of year and other determining factors. “The idea that SCP would be able to offer 100% renewable electricity without any reliance on natural gas power plants to back it up at night was really aspirational,” says Slayter. Slayter also urges those
City Council, mayor for four of those years, as well as serving as Sebastopol’s representative on the Sonoma Clean Power board of directors, with two years as chair. “If [a city] can reduce electricity being made in a non-renewable way and replace it with electricity made in a renewable way, it puts us in a better place,” says Slayter, one of the earliest advocates of Sebastopol joining SCP’s 100% renewable program. In total, nine cities and counties have joined EverGreen: Sebastopol, Sonoma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, the town of Windsor, and Sonoma County and Mendocino County. A geothermal gold mine Below the surface in Northern California, there is access to geothermal energy—a low-carbon energy generated by heat within the Earth’s crust. “Geothermal is very renewable,” says Dave King, former board member of SCP and Petaluma City Council in the early days of the agency. “It is power generated from steam that comes out of deep hot rocks,” he explains. “We sit between Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma— basically the Saudi Arabia of geothermal. “It’s renewable, it's clean and it's local,” he adds. “If projects can be done locally like that, it's good economically for the region.” King is one of several former Petaluma City Council members who were an integral part of EverGreen’s rollout. SCP is a community-owned not-for-profit agency, governed by a board of directors made up of elected officials from cities and counties who are members of the agency. In 2015, King was on the board as Petaluma’s representative for SCP and later became vice chair until 2022. “In the beginning, not all of the eligible cities and counties were part of Sonoma Clean Power,” he says. “But it was fairly quick for most to join on, [later] expanding into Mendocino County” in 2017.
The Geysers Geothermal Field near Clear Lake [Courtesy usgs.gov]
considering solar as the primary way of lowering their carbon footprint to look into the EverGreen service to provide their power at night and through the winter or as an alternative to rooftop solar altogether. “For homes, it’s much more cost effective to have EverGreen than solar on any single house,” he explains. “The amount of embodied energy in a standalone rooftop solar system on a smaller house is significant. Large scale solar is more efficient and cost effective for the net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.” Goodbye greenhouse gas The EverGreen service eliminates almost all greenhouse gases from electricity use—which can result in a major shrinking of the energy carbon footprint it takes to operate a municipality. “To me, the great benefit of EverGreen is that municipalities like Sonoma County started to realize that we could switch our service to 100% locally produced renewable,” says Slayter, adding that it goes a long way toward helping cities and counties meet their greenhouse-gas- emission goals. When cities like Sebastopol and Sonoma switch to EverGreen, it provides clean energy for a vast array of electricity needs—think streetlights, city offices, etc. “This allows them to meet state-mandated requirements for GHG,” says Slayter. “To get that level of reduction any other way would cost a lot more.” n
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SONOMA CLEAN POWER
Going EverGreen Spotlight on local businesses championing 100% renewable electricity from Sonoma Clean Power
By Janet Perry
A s the dangers of climate change continue to rise, so does the need for responsible choices around clean energy. And several local commercial customers of Sonoma Clean Power have made the decision to go “all in” on their commitment to lowering their carbon footprints by choosing SCP’s EverGreen service—which means operating their businesses on 100% locally-produced renewable electricity. The EverGreen service is SCP’s more ambitious option—CleanStart, the default service, is 50% renewable and 91% carbon- free. (Residents can also “opt out” of clean energy and be served by PG&E.) While EverGreen boasts twice the renewable energy, it also has a different price structure, with customers paying an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour of usage. Still, many businesses’ commitment to sustainable practices is undeterred. As Steve
The Point Arena Lighthouse. [Photo by Julie Hughes Photography]
president and executive director of the lighthouse, says the nonprofit had a goal of being 100% carbon neutral by the end of 2025. “This choice of 100% renewable electric energy gets us 98% of the way there,” Hancock says. “[Plus] it helps the environment, and that has long-term benefits to the communities in Northern California.” Hancock says being 100% renewable is important to him and his staff, who are committed to clean energy and protecting and preserving the environment. Maintaining the area’s “rugged, unspoiled beauty” is key to long-term preservation of the lighthouse, he says. “I hope we continue to light the way for another 154-plus years and provide an amazing and unique visitor experience to everyone that comes here,” he says. A market for renewables Surf Market is a busy community shopping hub in Gualala, with refrigeration systems running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Still, market managers didn’t hesitate to enroll in the EverGreen service once it became available. Grocery stores “use a massive amount of energy,” says Caroline Ducato, marketing director and specialty food buyer at Surf Market. The move to 100% renewable required “some internal financial planning,” she concedes, “but supporting and promoting the importance of locally produced, renewable energy is the right decision for the environment.” On its website, surfsuper.com , market owner Steve May says the company has always tried to provide leadership in environmental issues, citing the protection of the oceans as a personal priority. Surf Market even eliminated its use of plastic bags before it became law, he says. In an online video, May describes EverGreen as a way for the market “to move from being part of the problem to being part of the solution.”
May, owner of Surf Market in Gualala, and vocal EverGreen proponent, puts it, “We all affect each other and we are connected also to nature… so much has been given to us that we feel a responsibility to pay it back, to give back. “It’s in our power to change the state [of the environment]—we have the power to make these changes.” Here’s a look at some of the local businesses choosing 100%
renewable electricity from Sonoma Clean Power. Lighting the way The Point Arena Lighthouse first started lighting the waters off the Mendocino Coast in 1870. Owned and operated today by the nonprofit Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.—dedicated to its historical preservation
and education outreach—the
lighthouse is among those SCP customers going EverGreen. Mark Hancock,
Surf Market in Gualala.
[Photo by Julie Hughes Photography]
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“EverGreen is a convenient way to do the right thing.” —Steve May, owner of Surf Market
“EverGreen is a convenient way to do the right thing,” he says. “And the more people who do it, the more momentum it builds and inspires other businesses to say: We could do that too.” ‘One small thing we can do’ Naomi Crawford and Joel Baecker opened their farm-fresh, grab- and-go lunch spot, Lunchette, in Petaluma in 2017, with a mission to achieve zero waste as soon as possible. They wanted their business to commit to more sustainable choices, such as all-electric cooking in their kitchens. Signing up for SCP’s 100% renewable service was a natural, says Crawford. “If I owned our building, I'd install a solar array,” Crawford says. “As a tenant, this is the best we can do,” she says. Crawford and Baecker also installed solar at their home, among other energy efficient lifestyle choices. “Every time I look up at the roof, or plug a car in, I feel rewarded,” Crawford says. Profit margins are thin, so committing to EverGreen is a pinch, she says. But among the ways a small-business owner can be sustainable, Giving Back
Naomi Crawford, of Lunchette in Petaluma
“paying a little more every month is one small thing we can do.” Adds Crawford: “Sometimes doing something for the greater good costs us more. It's a choice we feel is better for us, better for our region.” Beyond EverGreen Veterinarian Diccon Westworth leads the Sustainability “Green” Team at the VCA Animal Care Center of Sonoma County, where energy-heavy MRI and CT machines run regularly. Westworth says his team became concerned after conducting a carbon calculation on the facility’s energy use, and “we realized we were causing substantial amounts of carbon to be emitted.” The eye-opening assessment spurred VCA to commit to a more sustainable veterinary practice. Enrolling in EverGreen was “the easiest way” to align with their sustainability goals, Westworth says. But, he adds, choosing the 100% local renewable service was but one of several ways the animal care center has partnered with Sonoma Clean Power to promote sustainability. For instance, he says, the sustainability team won an SCP grant for an E-bike workplace commuter, allowing the VCA to purchase four electric bikes for staff use. Not only that, but through support from SCP, the veterinary center is installing nine EV chargers for client and staff use—curbing the carbon impact of staff commute and client visits, which account for as much as 36% of VCA’s emissions footprint. Westworth says the animal-care center has a large banner celebrating their collaboration with SCP in the lobby of its offices at 6470 Redwood Drive in Rohnert Park. “Clients have commented on the banner, and they are pleased to see us leading the way,” says Westworth. “By [partnering with Sonoma Clean Power], we are doing our part to pave the way for California and the wider U.S. [toward] an ever-faster transition to local clean renewable electricity sources,” he says. n
n Since 2014, the agency has provided more than $5 million to nonprofits and other community groups, with a focus toward assisting basic needs such as food, housing, family support and community resilience. n Sonoma Clean Power fosters an in-house culture of service, with staff as a whole committing thousands of hours toward volunteer work in the community. n SCP highlights various state programs to help customers save money. These include the CARE Program, a potential 20% monthly discount for income-eligible residents; the FERA Program, a potential 18% income-qualified discount for households of three or more; and a Medical Baseline Program for households with someone dependent on live-support equipment or with other serious medical conditions. Source: Sonoma Clean Power Sonoma Clean Power’s commitment to the community goes beyond lowering its carbon footprint. Here are a few ways SCP gives back:
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‘Thinking Generationally’: SCP and the decade ahead Sonoma Clean Power looks to the future, while keeping an eye on the present
By Jason Walsh I t’s been a rough year for planet Earth. Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions in 2024 reached 37.4 billion metric tons—surpassing the previous record set in 2023. Last year, global average temperatures exceeded the 20th century average by 2.3 degrees. In fact, 2024 was the warmest year on record. Even with the successes clean energy agencies like Sonoma Clean Power have achieved over the past 10 years, their tasks ahead have never been more daunting, nor the stakes higher. Still, the promise of renewable energy seems boundless. From the ongoing completion of solar and wind projects to the newfound popularity of electric cars to the potential of new geothermal technologies, it’s an exciting time to be in the renewable energy business. Geof Syphers, CEO of Sonoma Clean Power, says part of the agency’s first 10 years has been about setting the groundwork for the decades to come. “The past decade was about financing the construction of new wind, solar and battery projects,” Syphers says. The next decade, he says, will have a focus on building new geothermal power. “New geothermal technology allows us to recycle water in a loop and extract heat from the ground to make power, but it will also allow us to stop paying natural gas power plants to keep the lights on at night.” Syphers
CEO Syphers (aka 'Dr. Zapmaster') educates a group of kids about electricity.
the other hand, runs all the time—and having a broad mix of power sources is vital for affordability, he says. That focus on affordability will continue to be a priority for Sonoma Clean Power in the coming years. Syphers says SCP plans to step up its advocacy before the state public utilities commission and monitor any PG&E rate increases for errors. “We want to be sure rate payers are only paying what they should be paying,” he says. Another component of sustainability SCP is focused upon is one of mindset—changing the narrative of how climate progress is viewed. As the agency describes in its decade-anniversary book, 10 Electric Years , changing the narrative is about “focus[ing] on impacts, not technologies.” “We have never said a technology, or an incentive, is going to solve a problem—we try to find the absolute goal,” Syphers says. As an example, electric vehicles are a means toward decreasing the burning of fossil fuels, but they’re not the goal itself. Syphers adds, “We can promote electric cars while recognizing that they still cause traffic, cost too much and need exotic materials like lithium to build. That means we’re also advocating for bicycling, transit and other solutions to the same problem.”
says one of the most valuable power sources locally are the geysers. “When you buy solar and wind, it only runs when the sun shines and the wind blows,” he explains. “So you always have to pay for a share of a natural-gas- fired power
plant—that’s getting very expensive.” Geothermal, on
Clean technologies are important steps toward greater climate solutions.
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Electric Youth Sonoma Clean Power supports STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs at local schools, while offering resources to those pursuing careers in the building trades. Here’s a look at youth education and workforce development programs supported by SCP: n The Duck Curve Challenge: The Sonoma County Office of Education enlists students from seventh to 12th grades to brainstorm for ways to reduce evening energy use through the promotion of clean power. n Mike Hauser Academy: A collaboration with local chambers of commerce, the Mike Hauser Program is a three-week summer program for incoming ninth-grade English Language Learner students and those looking for support in math and science. In the program, students visit STEM-focused companies, meet professionals and enjoy hands-on activities to see the practical application of classroom lessons in real-world jobs. n Career Technical Education Foundation: CTE, a nonprofit working to advance careers in agriculture, engineering, healthcare and more, partners with SCP to expand STEM and climate-resilience education to align classroom learning with pathways into the workforce
SCP is co-founder, underwriter and electricity provider for Redwood Ice Theatre Company's free outdoor holiday skating shows at Snoopy's Home Ice.
Technology are tools and not the goal. While climate progress can seem at times overwhelming—with goals penciled out years and decades ahead— clean power agencies can also focus on their communities here and now. They can simultaneously set sights on challenges to the grid in 2050, as well as meet the needs of communities each and every day. Part of that is through education and outreach, says Syphers. SCP partners with schools, teaching about 6,000 elementary students a year about renewable energy and conservation, while encouraging young people to consider careers in clean-energy fields. “We’re thinking generationally,” Syphers says. Part of that ongoing outreach is about being available to the community in times of need. One memorable example took place during the holidays in 2021, when local residents were still cautious about community gatherings following a year of pandemic social distancing. Not wanting families to miss another year of seasonal fun, SCP proposed a partnership with the Redwood Ice Theatre Company and Snoopy’s Home Ice to host a weekend of free outdoor holiday skating shows at the Santa Rosa skating facility. “Along comes Sonoma Clean Power
looking for a special project for the community,” says Tamara Stanley, general manager of Snoopy’s Home Ice, about the inspiration for the holiday shows. Together with SCP’s marketing director Kate Kelly and Redwood Ice Theatre Company director Carmen Mitchell, they planned a free weekend of outdoor shows that would become a yearly tradition. “It was fantastic,” says Stanley. “Thank goodness they decided they wanted to do it again.” Audiences have responded enthusiastically, with subsequent years attracting north of 200 attendees per show—kids sit upfront in the red- carpeted “kids zone” and the event includes cocoa, SCP giveaways and a T-shirt cannon for Snoopy shirts. Stanley sees it as another example of SCP’s community-minded ethos, noting the agency has also recently opened up its downtown-Santa Rosa Customer Center for nonprofit gatherings. “They’re always looking for the ‘yes,’” Stanley says about SCP. “It’s such a generous thing, for people in this community to have that. We’re lucky.” n
n Lime Foundation: The foundation’s NextGen Trades
Academy advances skills in green building and vocational trades, allowing students to explore careers in more than 20 trades, such as architecture, plumbing, roofing, electrical, solar technology and more.
Source: Sonoma Clean Power
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