CleanPowerSF is a program of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), an enterprise department of the City and County of San Francisco.
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rSF is committed to protecting customer privacy. Learn more at cleanpowersf.org/privacy .
OUR MISSION: To provide our customers with high-quality, efficient and reliable water, power and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.
525 Golden Gate Avenue, 7th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
T 415.554.0773
TTY 415.554.3488
[email protected]
Date: December 1, 2023
To: Commi
ssioner Tim Paulson, President
Commissioner Anthony Rivera, Vice President
Commissioner Newsha K. Ajami
Commissioner Sophie Maxwell
Commissioner Kate H. Stacy
Through: Den
nis J. Herrera, General Manager
Barbara Hale, Assistant General Manager, Power
From: Michael Hyams, Deputy AGM, Power – CleanPowerSF
and Power Resources for Michael Hyams
Subject: C
leanPowerSF Quarterly Update
_______________________________________________________________ This mem
orandum serves as the regular quarterly update to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC or Commission) on the Power Enterprise’s CleanPowerSF program.
This quarte
rly update focuses on the following topics:
1. Program Service Statistics and Enrollment Activities
2. Communic
ations Activities
3. Custome
r Programs Update
a. Net Energy
Metering (NEM)
b. SuperGreen S
aver (Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff)
c. EV Charge S
F
d. Solar Inv
erter Replacement Program
e. Heat Pump
Water Heater Regional Contractor Incentive Program
f. Peak Day P
ricing
4. Energy Suppl
y
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1. Program Service Statistics and Enrollment Activities CleanPowerSF continues to provide clean electricity generation services to San Francisco customers, serving nearly 385,000 active customer accounts as of November 2023.
CleanPowerSF’s opt-out rate remains stable at approximately 4.5% of all enrolled accounts. The opt-out rate is consistent with the rate stated in the third quarter CleanPowerSF update provided to the Commission on August 8, 2023.1 Figure 1: CleanPowerSF Enrollment, November 2023
Customer enrollment in SuperGreen, CleanPowerSF’s optional 100% renewable energy product, has also remained steady since the last quarterly update at 2.1% of active accounts. Staff estimates that these accounts’ electricity usage represent nearly 12% of CleanPowerSF’s total annual electricity sales, up from the 9% figure reported in August, due to the enrollment of several large commercial accounts. Enrollment in the SuperGreen Saver program has reached 1,177, up from 783 in August.
2. Communications Activities
a. SuperGreen Upgrade Marketing and Outreach Campaign Results In April, CleanPowerSF launched a multilingual marketing and outreach campaign focused on encouraging San Francisco residents to upgrade their service to CleanPowerSF’s 100% renewable energy option, SuperGreen.
1 The CleanPowerSF Quarterly Report communicated to the Commission on August 8, 2023 may be accessed here: https://sfpuc.sharefile.com/share/view/s1bd016ebd4a34b948525bcabb565d758 [accessed on October 24, 2023]
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The SuperGreen Upgrade campaign leveraged both digital advertising and in- person activations or events featuring an eye- catching apartment set painted entirely green. The campaign primarily targeted CleanPowerSF renters, especially those who have l imited English proficiency and/or have moderate to low incomes.
Both the campaign’s digital advertising and in- person components were successful. For the digital campaign, there were over 2.8 million views of the advertisements on social media or Google, and nearly 9,000 clicks to the SuperGreen webpage on the CleanPowerSF website. 2 T he digital campaign over-delivered in views and engagement when compared to standard industry benchmarks for a similar campaign and topic.
For the in-person activations or events, CleanPowerSF staff engaged with approximately 1,300 customers across six events in neighborhoods like Japantown, Bayview, Mission, and Civic Center. From May to September 2023, CleanPowerSF saw a total of 585 upgrades to the program’s SuperGreen service.
CleanPowerSF will continue to evaluate the campaign and apply lessons learned to outreach efforts in the future.
Figure 2: General Manager Dennis J. Herrera (center) poses with SFPUC staff in the SuperGreen Apartment Set in Civic Center
2 CleanPowerSF’s SuperGreen webpage can be found at https://www.cleanpowersf.org/supergreen [accessed on October 30, 2023]
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b. Community Power Update Meeting, “Keeping the Lights On” Webinar
Power Communications and Power staff executed a new format for the quarterly Community Power Update meeting and hosted a one-hour public webinar about the electric grid on August 24, 2023 called “Keeping the Lights On: Electric grid reliability and a changing climate.”3
More than 360 people registered for the webinar , representing over 160 organizations including: San Francisco C ity d epartments, community -based organizations, energy and environ mental groups, and other community choice aggregation programs, making this our best-attended Community Power Update meeting to-date.
The webinar was also well received. In a post -webinar survey, 80% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the event, and nearly 83% found the topic to be helpful and informative. Due to the success of the new format, SFPUC staff plan to replicate the webinar model at the next Community Power Update meeting planned for January 2024.
Launched in 2020, Community Power Update meetings are held periodically by the SFPUC and are open to all to attend. At each meeting, SFPUC staff provide regular updates to the community about the Power Enterprise’s activities and can also hear directly from community partners and customers to better meet their needs.
Figure 3: “Keeping the Lights On” webinar graphic
c. CleanPowerSF Product Content Label 2022
In September, we finalized CleanPowerSF’s Product Content Label, which shows CleanPowerSF’s sources of energy for our Green, SuperGreen, and SuperGreen Saver products for the previous year (2022). In addition, the interior
3 Recorded Zoom webinar, https://www.cleanpowersf.org/news/lightsonwebinar [accessed November 16, 2023]
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panels of the mailer also highlight how CleanPowerSF provided clean energy and supported customers during the past year.
Customers received the Product Content Label either by mail or via email in October. A digitally accessible and downloadable version of the Product Content Label can be found on the CleanPowerSF Key Documents webpage.4 Figure 4: Front cover of the Annual Product Content Label for CleanPowerSF customers
4 CleanPowerSF’s 2022 Product Content Label can be found at:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a79fded4c326db242490272/t/6520306db7a76433d092f746/1696608 366707/CleanPowerSF+Product+Content+Label+2023.pdf. The CleanPowerSF Key Documents page can be found at: https://www.cleanpowersf.org/key-documents. [both pages accessed on November 27, 2023] Figure 5: Back cover of the Annual Product Content Label for CleanPowerSF customers
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3. Customer Programs Update
CleanPowerSF continues to develop and offer programs that help customers manage their energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint, and align with City and County of San Francisco and state environmental goals. Below are some highlights from this past quarter.
a. Net Energy Metering (NEM)
CleanPowerSF’s NEM program provides monthly bill credits and net surplus compensation to 10,645 CleanPowerSF customers with rooftop solar. To date, the program has operated under a Commission-adopted tariff that is consistent with the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC’s) NEM 2.0 rules. Until recently, CPUC NEM rules required the investor -owned utilities to provide bill credits to participating customers at the full electric retail rate for energy exported to the grid. As initially reported in the April 2023 quarterly update, the CPUC approved the successor to the NEM tariff, called the Net Billing Tariff (NBT) in December 20225. The CPUC aimed to address the following concerns and goals with the NBT decision:
• Incentivize the adoption of energy storage to improve grid stability; • Improve equity; currently non-solar customers (including low- income customers) pay higher rates to support NEM program costs; • Address affordability concerns due to the NEM cost shift; and • Improve alignment of costs and benefits for programs supporting customer-sited rooftop solar.
In response to the CPUC decision, PG&E has proposed its net billing tariff , branding it the Solar Billing Plan. The primary change from NEM to Solar Billing Plan is that electricity exported to the grid will be credited to the customer at a rate more closely in line with the wholesale market value (or avoided cost) of that electricity rather than the full retail rate. On November 30, the CPUC passed a resolution approving PG&E’s and the other investor -owned utilities’ net billin g tariffs with modifications . PG&E will have until January 30, 2024 to file the modifications to their Solar Billing Plan tariff; those modifications will become effective July 1, 2024.
CleanPowerSF staff expect to accommodate PG&E’s Solar Billing Plan customers under CleanPowerSF’s existing NEM tariff while continuing to assess the impact of adopting an NBT- like tariff for customers wit h rooftop solar . In addition, staff anticipate bringing clarifying changes to CleanPowerSF’s current NEM tariff to the Commission in 2024.
b. SuperGreen Saver (Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff) CleanPowerSF’s SuperGreen Saver program provides 100% California Renewables Portfolio Standard-eligible renewable energy and a 20% electric bill
5 The CleanPowerSF Quarterly Report communicated to the Commission on April 11, 2023 may be accessed here: https://sfpuc.sharefile.com/share/view/s0ddb57b11834450889d9e6802548f62c [accessed on November 27, 2023]
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discount to qualifying low-income residential customers residing in state-defined Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). As of November 2023, there are 1,177 SuperGreen Saver program customers , a 51 % increase since the last CleanPowerSF quarterly update to the Commission reported in August 2023.
During the last quarter, the SuperGreen Saver program was transitioned to a lottery-based auto-enrollment process based on random account selection to enroll eligible customers on an opt-out basis. The randomly identified customers received two notices of the auto-enrollment, allowing them the opportunity to decline participation in SuperGreen Saver. No customers elected to opt out of SuperGreen Saver. CleanPowerSF will continue enrollment efforts until program capacity is reached. There is capacity for approximately 1,237 total customers.
Figure 6: Current SuperGreen Saver Customers by Census Tract
c. EV Charge SF
EV Charge SF offers incentives and technical assistance to CleanPowerSF and Hetch Hetchy Power customer s to support their compliance with the City’s EV Readiness Ordinance. There are currently six projects enrolled in the program:
five multifamily buildings and one commercial building. Of these six projects, two have moved forward on installing electric vehicle (EV) chargers with the help of CleanPowerSF’s technical assistance team and have reserved their incentives.
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Program website and documents have been updated to include existing commercial garages subject to the City’s Commercial Garage EV Charging Ordinance in the program.6 Staff continue to explore expanding the program to existing buildings.
d. Solar Inverter Replacement Program
The Solar Inverter Replacement Program, available to low -income customers with GoSolarSF-funded solar systems, continues to see strong participation due to the need to repair and update many old solar inverters of declining reliability that are out of warranty. Since the last update, the program’s total number of applicants has risen by nearly 20% from 160 to 191; 119 projects have been completed. The program helps low- income households participating in discounted rate programs
7 to meet a difficult solar ownership financial
maintenance challenge and helps assure their GoSolarSF systems will deliver lower energy bills to them for years to come.
e. Heat Pump Water Heater Regional Contractor Incentive Program CleanPowerSF has seen 66 incentives paid out under this program since it began in May 2022. There are now 32 contractors participating in this program who serve CleanPowerSF customers (up from only 10 contractors participating in this program this time last year). The program experienced a 25% increase in installations in May and June compared to the previous two months following direct outreach on this program to both contractors and CleanPowerSF customers during spring.
f. Peak Day Pricing
The Peak Day Pricing Program is a voluntary demand response program that incentivizes large commercial customers to reduce their electricity consumption between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm on “Event Days” in the summer and fall when the grid is expected to be strained, typically due to high temperatures. The 2023 Peak Day Pricing season began July 1 and concluded at the end of October, marking the completion of the fifth year that CleanPowerSF has offered this program.
This year, 50 accounts enrolled in the program, representing a 39 percent increase from 2022. The program c alled nine event days, three less than the season maximum of 12. The program was particularly impa ctful during California’s mid-August heat wave, during which the program called three event days in succession.
6 Ordinance 244-19, File No. 190793, approved November 1, 2019, effective December 2, 2019. 7 Eligible customers participate in either the California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA). For more information, visit https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/save-energy-money/help-paying-your-bill/longer-term- assistance/care/care.page?cid=ps_CARE_EN_20230101_ApplyNow_Google_All_na&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQj wqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzoTbUYOdUhmJDV3pm645m6JC7jFhnIzqy0YIhZy0GonMsWkjpwESiAaAlIAEALw _wcB [accessed on October 30, 2023]
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With the season’s conclusion, staff will evaluate participants’ performance data and conduct participant interviews to gather customer feedback. This data will be used to inform and further develop the program.
4. Energy Supply
a. California Community Power’s “Getting it Built Right” Workshop
California Community Power, also known as CC Power, is a joint powers agency that San Francisco helped form to leverage the joint purchasing power of CCA programs to procure power supplies and services that CleanPowerSF might not be able to procure as effectively on our own. The SFPUC Commission and the Board of Supervisors approved CleanPowerSF’s membership in the Spring of 2021. And today, CC Power has 9 member agencies representing over 3 million customers across almost 150 municipalities spanning from Humboldt County to Santa Barbara County.
On November 3
rd, CC Power held a workshop it called “Getting It Built Right” in San Jose.8 Getting it Built Right was structured to promote discussion with CC Power members, state regulatory agencies, renewable energy developers, and community advocates regarding key considerations for project development, including perspectives on land use, local community impacts, project viability, opportunities for labor, environmental justice, and environmental effects.
Building on agreement that CCAs must meet their local and state clean energy goals, the event enabled discussion and listening with industry and community partners on "what makes a clean energy project successful?" The w orkshop provided an opportunity for both panelists and attendees to share valuable perspectives, challenges, and proactive ideas to help make our clean energy transition a success.
At its regular Board meeting held on November 15
th, the CC Power Board
formally established an Ad Hoc Committee to review findings from the event and consider next steps for the agency. CC Power invited comments from the public following the workshop so that the Board’s Ad Hoc Committee c ould consider this additional feedback as it contemplates next steps. Comments will be accepted on an on-going basis to: [email protected].
CleanPowerSF staff will continue to actively participate in on-going discussions at CC Power regarding project principles and values, consistent with the Commission’s direction adopted in Resolution No. 23-0138.
8 For more information see: https://cacommunitypower.org/events/ [accessed on November 27, 2023]
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b. Voluntary Green Power Procurement
CleanPowerSF has been recognized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)9 as among the top ten community choice aggregators in the US in 2022 for providing renewable energy to its customers above state minimum requirements. NREL’s analysis shows that community choice aggregation (CCA) has become the largest growing segment of “voluntary” renewable energy procurement in the US. CCA voluntary renewable energy procurement grew by 14.6 million megawatt-hours (MWh) since 2010, compared to 11.2 million MWh by utility and 13.2 million MWh from non -CCA competitive provider green pricing programs over the same period.
Figure 7: CCA Voluntary Renewable Energy Sales and Customers, 2010 to 2022
9 NREL is a laboratory of the US Department of Energy; its mission is to advance the nation's energy and environmental goals through developing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices, promoting related science and engineering, and transferring knowledge and innovations. See news item at https://www.cleanpowersf.org/news/2023/11/16/cleanpowersf-recognized-as-a-green-power-leader [accessed on November 16, 2023]
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Figure 8: Community Choice Aggregation Top 10 Voluntary Renewable Energy Sales, 2022