REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the City Manager to Upgrade the City's Municipal Electricity Accounts to Silicon Valley Clean Energy's 100% Renewable Energy "Green Prime" Service; Find that the Action is Exempt from CEQA
Report
BACKGROUND
On December 15, 2015, the Sunnyvale City Council unanimously approved the actions required to form and participate in the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority (SVCEA). Comprised of twelve local government agencies, SVCEA (generally known as Silicon Valley Clean Energy, or SVCE) was established to launch and operate a community choice energy (CCE) program. SVCE will source clean, competitively-priced electricity on behalf of residents and businesses within participating jurisdictions.
Since formation in March 2016, SVCE has convened its Board of Directors, hired a Chief Executive Officer, and made significant progress toward launch of a CCE program. The Board has approved the agency's organizational structure and has begun to fill key positions. SVCE's Implementation Plan was certified by the California Public Utilities Commission in September 2016; this plan included a customer rollout approach that seeks a swift implementation of all customers between April and October 2017. Additional actions underway include relocating the SVCE team to its own offices, securing vendors to provide key services such as a customer call center, and updating community engagement tools, all geared toward the 2017 launch window. Recently, SVCE has begun selection of and negotiations with energy suppliers, to procure renewable and carbon free electricity at costs competitive with what customers pay for PG&E power.
With the program nearing launch, customers will have new choices; this includes new choices for the City regarding its municipal electricity accounts. SVCE will offer customers two power supply mixes. The GreenStart service will be 100% carbon-free, sourced from 50% renewable power sources and 50% hydroelectric power. Cust...
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