Should Petaluma Join Sonoma Clean Power?

Should Petaluma join Sonoma Clean Power, a county effort to give residents a choice to purchase energy from another company other than PG&E?  

Marin County already has a similar program in place, allowing consumers to purchase alternative energy from Shell (and mostly from out of state producers) at a slightly higher price than PG&E. Those who support Community Choice Aggregation say giving residents a choice to choose a different company for their energy needs is an important first step toward promoting alternative sources such as solar, wind and, more controversially, nuclear.  

Residents would also be able to opt-out from participating in Sonoma Clean Power. Currently about 20 percent of Marin County residents opt-out of Marin Clean Power. In addition, there are no costs to the city of Petaluma and no service interruptions should someone want to "opt-out."

The California Renewables Portfolio Standard, passed into law in 2002, requires counties to derive 33 percent of their energy from alternative sources by 2020. Currently, Sonoma County derives about 20 percent of its energy from alternative energy, according to Cordel Stillman, a capital projects manager at Sonoma County Water Agency who is overseeing the effort.  

Yet PG&E is already working on diversifying its energy base to include wind and solar, making some question why another program is needed. The cost of Sonoma Clean Power to consumers each month has yet to be negotiated and will depend on the bids entered by companies, but Stillman says they will be comparable to what PG&E now charges. 

Petaluma City Council has until June 30 to vote on whether they will join the effort, which is scheduled to begin rollout next year. How Petaluma votes is critical because it's the second largest city in Sonoma County. The more participants in Sonoma Clean Power, the more money available for clean energy programs.    

The companies Sonoma County is considering for the initiative are NRG Energy, Direct Energy, Exelon and ConEdison.  

Read about their track record here.  

Read Patch’s previous coverage of Community Choice Aggregation here.

What do you think? Is it important for you to have an alternate provider of energy?