Local Clean Energy Alliance of the Bay Area

AB 813, the bill to create a new Western regional authority to control the energy market of eleven Western states died on the last day of the legislative season, August 31, when Senate Pro Temp Toni Atkins announced it would remain bottled up in the Senate Rules Committee.

On July 18th, the Board of East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), Alameda County’s new Community Choice energy program, adopted a groundbreaking plan for local clean energy development in the East Bay.

 

The Local Development Business Plan (LDBP), as it is called, is a roadmap for providing local clean energy benefits in the East Bay by investing in the development of local renewable energy resources. The Plan spells out actions and strategies for promoting local clean energy such as solar, wind, energy efficiency, and energy storage projects. These projects help address the environmental, economic, and social justice needs of the East Bay community.

On July 13-15, Local Clean Energy Alliance’s Megan O’Neil co-facilitated a Community Energy Justice Summit in Portland, Oregon for over 40 community members.

The Clean Power to the People workshop on June 28, 2018 was a workshop on the newly released draft Local Development Business Plan (LDBP) that is key to East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), Alameda County’s new Community Choice energy program, meeting our communities’ needs. It was also a call to action for community members and organizations to attend the July 18th rally and press conference to be held at the EBCE Board meeting, where  the LDBP is slated for adoption.

When discussing sustainability and clean energy, the topic of microgrids is sure to come up. But what exactly is a microgrid? On the evening of May 10, 2018, at the Movement Strategy Center in Oakland, Local Clean Energy Alliance hosted Rosana Francescato and Matt Renner from the Clean Coalition and Marna Schwartz from Berkeley’s BEAT Microgrid project to answer that question.

 

On March 21, the Earth Society Foundation honored 20 champions of the environment from around the world at the annual celebration of Earth Day on the Spring Equinox, commemorated with the ringing of the Peace Bell at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.  Local Clean Energy Alliance organizer, Jessica Guadalupe Tovar, was honored for her role in the establishment of East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), Alameda County’s new Community Choice energy program, and securing the commitment of the new public energy agency to prioritize local clean energy resources and community benefits. Jessica joins the ranks of past honorees such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Human Rights Activist, Rigobertha Mechu Tum; legendary folk singer and environmentalist, Pete Seeger; and renowned anthropologist, Margaret Mead.

My name is Eric Heaney, I am a software engineer and game designer. During the week I write software, but on the weekend I am a cross-pollinator, connecting local changemakers to each other to solve big problems.

 

On April 17, I was fortunate enough to head over to Laney College for a tour of their facilities and specifically their green labs with the Local Clean Energy Alliance. I learned a lot about up and coming techniques and technologies that are being employed to make our homes and communities of the future cleaner, greener, and brighter.