Community Choice San Diego

Community Choice Energy or Community Choice Aggregation is a new program being adopted in some California cities that gives cities' and counties' the ability to purchase power on behalf their residents.  The cities can choose to buy electricity from renewable sources like solar or wind farms, which can provide competitive and often lower price options than that of the utility, and cleaner options for power.  The utility still transmits the power, but the sources can vary based on what the city chooses.  

• Choice - Instead of having only one choice for electricity as has been the protocol, community choice allows, as it implies, communities to choose where their energy comes from.  This competition between sources promotes lower prices, and offers the choice of clean energy sources.  Community Choice seeks to open up electricity to the same market forces that any other product or service is subject to.
• Cleaner Energy - The community can opt for a higher percentage of clean energy in their mix, provided through solar and other renewable energy sources.  
• More Control - Electric rates are typically set by the utility company.  With Community Choice, residents have more control over rates.
• Cost - The competition between sources will drive down prices of energy from the utility, benefitting the customer.

Community Choice is paid for by existing revenue streams, AKA your existing power bill.  They are not government subsidized, and therefore don't cost the taxpayer any extra.

Solana Beach is the first city in San Diego County to work towards adopting Community Choice Energy, and they now have an emerging program in the works.  The Solana Beach City Council voted last May to enter the first of three phases that would create a Community Choice Energy Program in the city.  Their program is now emerging and is in process.  Other cities in San Diego including Del Mar, Encinitas, Oceanside and North County are now also considering the program.