Bright Choice Emissions
Overview
APRIL 5, 2023
Overview
• What is Power Content
• EBCE Product Overview
• Renewable Energy Credits and Portfolio Content Category Classifications • EBCE Bright Choice Target History
• PG&E Carbon Free Allocation
• Bright Choice Amendment to Power Content
• Emissions Accounting Methodology
• Where we are now
• CCA Comparison
• 2022 Snapshot
What is the Power Content Label (PCL)?
3 PCL
• Published annually, based on prior
calendar year generation from
owned or contracted-for resources
• Detailed breakdown on sources of
energy used to provide electricity
• Resembles a nutrition label for
electricity
• The PCL submission requires a
formal 3rd party audit and is
reviewed and approved by the CEC
EBCE’s Customer Products
Renewable Energy Credits and Portfolio Content
Category Classifications
5 Renewable Energy Credits (RECs):
• Represent clean energy attributes of renewable electricity • Each REC is equivalent to one MWh of renewable electricity generated • Limitations to the amount that each group can count towards RPS requirements • Classified into three distinct categories Portfolio Content Categories (PCC) PCC 1 Energy and REC are from same source and delivered into a California Balancing Authority (CBA) without any substitution
PCC 2 Substitute Energy not from the same source as REC PCC 3 Electricity Products Not Qualified as PCC 1 or PCC 2, Including Unbundled RECs Bright Choice History
Bright Choice plan was created to provide electricity to customers at a lower price than PG&E as a comparable product.
2018 – Bright Choice was a Board approved product, with an approved power content set at 85% carbon free
• October 2018 – Board approved use of The Climate Registry (TCR) carbon accounting methodology and 2018 calendar year emissions factor target of 142 lb-CO2e/MWh (Actual 2018 emissions was 101 lb-CCO2e/MWh) • TCR is a national emissions accounting methodology that was widely used by load serving entities, including CA IOUs and CCAs, and cities 2019 PG&E Carbon Free Allocation
• PG&E initiated a formal large hydro and nuclear allocation process determined by load share, with deliveries starting in 2020. The acceptance of this allocation had zero incremental cost to CCAs due to PCIA
• EBCE initiated discussions in the November 2019 ExComm meeting followed by extensive discussions on risks, benefits, and costs with the Board and CAC at the December 2019 and January 2020 Board meetings
• Fundamental question for accepting nuclear or not
came down to a trade-off between having nuclear and
lower greenhouse gas emissions, or not having nuclear
and accepting higher greenhouse gas emissions
• EBCE board elected to accept the large hydro
allocation
2020 Amendment to Bright Choice Power Content Guidelines • With the introduction of the carbon free allocation, EBCE’s large hydro portfolio content was expected to be generally in line with PG&E, and therefore Renewable Energy was a much more appropriate focus
• Renewables target was amended to reflect a clean energy procurement floor based on PG&E’s prior year renewable energy power content forecast + 5% buffer for uncertainty
• Challenges existed under this approach due to lack of visibility into PG&E’s annual renewable target and a changing RPS banking strategy. Furthermore, the reporting lag means that actual values are not fully validated until the fall of the year after the power is procured
2020 Bright Choice Renewable % = [2019 PG&E Renewable Forecast] + 5% = 39.5% Assembly Bill (AB) 1110
• Regulations modifying power content reporting methodology and emissions accounting methodology were approved in 2016 for initial implementation in 2020.
• AB 1110 fundamentally required replacing the previously accepted TCR emissions methodology, which took a global emissions perspective, with a California-centric emissions methodology
• Requires retail sellers to:
o Include emissions from PCC 2 RECs resulting in a material increase in reported emissions
o Resources, regardless of source (solar, wind, hydro) are given an equivalent emissions factor based on imported energy into CAISO, typically unspecified system power.
Where are we now?
• In December 2020, the Board adopted a clean energy goal for all electricity within EBCE’s portfolio to have zero net emissions by 2030
• In April 2022, a path to reach that zero emissions goal in 2030 was approved, which included annual targets for renewable and large hydro (as a percentage of sales) • Targets were increased
by an additional 5% in
June 2022
Note: 2019 renewables
procurement increased
significantly to address scarcity
in large hydro generation due
to drought conditions
CCA Comparison
*2021 Power Content Labels data
*PG&E residential rates as of 1/1/2023
2022 Snapshot
Note that these are draft power content forecast positions for 2022 and subject to change following formal reconciliation and audit. Formal PCL and emissions data to be released on October 1st.
* https://www.pgecurrents.com/articles/3689-pg-e-customers-electricity-96-greenhouse-gas-free-2022 Questions?
Thank You
Izzy Carson
Power Resources Manager