Local Clean Energy Alliance Program

The program of the Local Clean Energy Alliance includes both policy advocacy and efforts to build a stronger clean energy movement in the Bay Area.

Our current policy priorities for advocacy are:

·      Comprehensive and Equitable Energy Reduction. We advocate for a program that reduces overall energy use through increased efficiency and conservation. We advocate for policies that promote energy efficiency upgrade programs, broad-based and affordable financing mechanisms, and pathways for local residents into clean energy jobs.

·      Local Renewable Power. Bay Area communities benefit from local renewable energy development, which creates jobs and revenue for cities while helping them meet their greenhouse gas reduction goals. We advocate for policies, such as in feed-in tariffs, that promote community-scale energy generation and for programs that provide energy financing and ownership for low-income communities.

·      Community Choice Energy. Community Choice energy programs, as provided for by AB 117 (2002), allow local governments to pool or “aggregate” electricity customers to form a local electricity agency. This gives communities the power to procure electricity, while the existing investor-owned electric utility deliversand services the electricity for customers. Community Choice energy is a powerful vehicle for the development of local, democratically controlled, renewable energy resources that meet community needs.

Resources we offer to building a stronger clean energy movement include:

·      The Annual Clean Power, Healthy Communities Conference. This conference draws a diverse cross-section of over 150 climate activists, clean energy businesses, trade unionists, environmental justice advocates, and public officials to discuss the benefits of local renewable power to Bay Area communities and how to build a movement to realize those benefits. For details about the 2011 conference click here.

·      Community Power: Decentralized Renewable Energy in California. This highly acclaimed publication from the Local Clean Energy Alliance shows how local, decentralized generation of electricity offers many benefits to California’s communities relative to large central-station solar or wind power plants in remote areas. It also identifies obstacles to local renewable power and outlines policies that can promote its development. The publication has been a major educational tool for energy advocates. To purchase or download a copy of the publication, click here.

·      Energy Policy Briefings. The Local Clean Energy Alliance conducts energy policy briefings for organizations that want to educate their membership or staff to the economic and social implications of various renewable energy policy options. These briefings for organizations such as the Asia Pacific Environmental Network, California League of Conservation Voters, and the California Environmental Justice Alliance are customized to the needs of each organization.

·      General Membership Meetings and Educational Events. On a regular basis the Local Clean Energy Alliance presents educational programs and discussions about timely clean energy issues. These range from legislation, to local energy initiatives, to presentations of research studies, to new technologies, policies, or strategies. These meetings provide a forum for advocates to interact on a regular basis.