The Local Projects Will Provide Renewable Energy and Bill Discounts to Approximately 340 Customers in the Bassett and Avocado Heights Communities
At its December meeting, the Clean Power Alliance (CPA) Board of Directors approved two 15-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Pivot Energy to develop rooftop community solar projects located within the City of Pico Rivera. The projects will serve customers in the Bassett and Avocado Heights communities through CPA's Power Share program, which promotes the development of renewable energy generation in and for underserved communities while providing enrolled customers with 100% renewable energy at a 20% bill discount.
CPA currently has approximately 6,200 customers enrolled in its Power Share program. The two Pivot Energy projects are expected to serve an additional 340 Power Share customers.
"These local community solar projects will provide 100% renewable energy and bill discounts to hundreds of low-income customers within the communities we serve," said Clean Power Alliance CEO Ted Bardacke. "At times California has struggled to match social equity goals with rooftop solar and with these projects CPA is pleased to show it can be done."
The Power Share program incorporates two California Public Utilities Commission-approved programs: the Disadvantaged Community Green Tariff (DAC-GT) program and the Community Solar Green Tariff (CS-GT) program. CPA has a 12.19 MW allocation under the DAC-GT program and a 3.37 MW allocation under the CS-GT program.
CPA will procure the Pivot Energy projects under the CS-GT program, which is designed to encourage the development of clean energy resources located in disadvantaged communities throughout the state of California.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Denver, Pivot Energy brings its expertise in distributed solar, having installed projects across more than 30 states and territories to date.
The Pivot Energy projects, named Beverly and San Gabriel respectively, are rooftop community solar installations located across the street from each other within a disadvantaged community. The Beverly project will have a capacity of 0.40 MW and the San Gabriel project will have a capacity of 0.27 MW. Both projects are scheduled to become operational by Dec. 31, 2023.
"Pivot Energy is proud to be bringing affordable renewable energy to income-qualified communities in California," stated Tom Hunt, Chief Executive Officer at Pivot Energy. "We have pioneered the expansion of community solar across the country and are thrilled to be contributing to one of the first projects to be developed through the state's existing community solar programs. This groundbreaking opportunity signals what we believe will be a very bright future for accessible solar energy in the Golden State."
Pivot Energy is a member of the Bassett-Avocado Heights Advanced Energy Community (BAAEC) partnership along with other stakeholders including The Energy Coalition (TEC), a California-based nonprofit organization, which is developing the project with funding awarded from a California Energy Commission (CEC) grant to accelerate the deployment of Advanced Energy Communities (AECs).
The BAAEC project seeks to demonstrate how disadvantaged communities can be part of a decentralized, clean, and affordable clean energy future.
"The Bassett-Avocado Heights Advanced Energy Community is very happy to see both the Beverly' and San Gabriel' Pivot Energy projects coming to fruition," said Craig Perkins, President, and Executive Director of The Energy Coalition. "These projects are examples of the state of California and Clean Power Alliance working together to ensure hundreds of residents in disadvantaged communities have affordable access to clean renewable energy."
The project addresses structural, cultural, and social-economical barriers to clean energy technology and the electrification of home equipment and transportation. One goal of the project is to ensure that the combination of strong community engagement and utilizing the latest in technological and business innovation helps disadvantaged communities leap into the clean energy future instead of potentially being left behind.
About Clean Power Alliance
Founded in 2017, Clean Power Alliance is the locally operated not-for-profit electricity provider for 30 cities across Los Angeles County and Ventura County, as well as the unincorporated areas of both counties. CPA is the fifth largest electricity provider in California and has the most customers receiving 100% renewable energy in the nation. CPA serves approximately three million people via one million customer accounts, providing clean renewable energy at competitive rates. To view CPA's 2021 Impact Report, click here. For complete information regarding CPA visit www.cleanpoweralliance.org.
About Bassett Avocado Heights Advanced Energy Community
The Bassett Avocado Heights Advanced Energy Community (BAAEC) project is being developed and led by The Energy Coalition (TEC), a California-based nonprofit organization, with funding from a California Energy Commission (CEC) grant. Learn more at advancedenergycommunity.org.
About The Energy Coalition
The Energy Coalition (TEC) empowers communities to leap into the future of clean energy. By bringing ideas, technology, and expertise to public agencies, businesses, educators and more, TEC is creating the building blocks for a new energy economy. Learn more at energycoalition.org.
About Pivot Energy
Pivot Energy is a national renewable energy provider that develops, finances, builds, owns, and manages solar and energy storage projects. Pivot offers a distributed energy platform that includes a range of services and software that serves the full solar ecosystem. Pivot is a Certified B-Corporation that proudly follows a corporate strategy that provides a positive impact on society as measured by Environmental stewardship, social leadership, and responsible Governance (ESG) factors. Learn more at pivotenergy.net.
Media Contacts:
Joseph Cabral
Clean Power Alliance
External Affairs Manager
jcabral@cleanpoweralliance.org
(213) 442-8109
Meaghan Laverty
The Energy Coalition
Director of Marketing, Education, and Outreach
mlaverty@energycoalition.org
(949) 732-1061
