This commentary was contributed by John Freeman, San Juan Bautista City Council member. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues. Lea este artículo en español aquí.

On Wednesday [June 26] the 3CE policy board met in the historic and beautiful Atascadero City Hall. Four stories high, it was built in 1918. Despite its age, the air conditioning worked well as the outside temperature was in the 90’S.

First approved was the consent agenda where the board unanimously appointed San Benito County’s Celina Stotler to the Community Advisory Council. The Advisory Council takes input from the public and researches the many issues involved in this transition period from fossil fuels to renewable energy powering our society. Celina will be a great addition to the board and represent San Benito County well.

Next up was a report from CEO Robert Shaw. Listed items are:

  • Bio-Mass Energy, Slice of Day (SOD} pricing when periods of high electrical demand have a higher price per KWH which is from 4 pm to 9 pm in our service area
  • Electrify your Fleet incentives directed at local city and county governments to change over their fleets to EV vehicles
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program upgrade to improve our customer service
  • Internship program for college students to obtain on-the-job experience
  • Staff updates on new hires
  • Enrollment plans for Atascadero and the San Luis Obispo County

The next item was a presentation on 3CE’s behind-the-meter residential battery rebate program of which the board was enthusiastically supportive. This is designed to store energy from renewables until such energy is needed in the evening after the sun goes down. These batteries make each home energy resilient and independent from the grid. These batteries can also strengthen the grid since they can discharge power back into it, making it less prone to blackouts. There is a 3CE rebate which covers between one-third to one-half of the cost of installing these batteries. This encourages our customers to help solve our society’s transitional energy challenges.

The next item, 3CE’s Net Energy Metering (NEM), the pricing structure for customers with solar panels on their roofs or properties, was approved as a resolution. This decision starts on July 1, 2024. This pricing will be based on the average market value of the energy generated by the solar panels. It will be competitive or slightly better than PG&E’s NEM program.

Next, we approved 3CE’s financial policies including reserve levels which play a critical role when the state-independent system operator calls for more power on a hot day.

Next, we voted on the methodology of the 2025 rate structure for our customers.

Finally, the board authorized remodeling the new 3CE office building in downtown San Luis Obispo to include a community meeting room and offices for staff.

This concluded the policy board meeting for this quarter. The next 3CE meeting will be a two-day event at Seascape Village in Aptos on September 18 & 19, 2024. The public is invited to attend.

Submitted by John Freeman, Councilperson for the City of San Juan Bautista and 3CE policy board member.