Central Coast Community Energy tells Greenfield it can deliver cleaner power and rebates

Sofia Schwartzke, a customer accounts manager for Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), told the Greenfield City Council on May 23 that community choice aggregation allows local governments to control electricity procurement and return benefits to member cities.

She said Greenfield joined 3CE in 2018 and that the agency now serves roughly 450,000 customers across 34 member jurisdictions. Schwartzke said 3CE has executed long-term renewable and storage contracts and aims to deliver 60% clean and renewable energy by 2025 and 100% by 2030. "Community choice aggregation allows local governments to have greater control over the type and cost of energy supplied to their communities," she said.

Schwartzke outlined customer-facing programs that the agency runs or supports: cash rebates for electric vehicles, incentives for EV chargers and home electrification, business programs to electrify agricultural equipment, and investments in local charging infrastructure. She noted that 3CE has distributed rebates and funding that, in aggregate, the presentation described as more than $2 million in cash rebates and assistance converting affordable housing projects to electric systems.

Council members did not ask follow-up technical questions in the hearing; city staff confirmed that City Manager Wood serves on 3CE's operations board and Mayor Rios (Gonzales) represents the city on the policy board. Schwartzke closed by offering to connect residents with the city account manager for program details and by pointing to 3cenergy.org for more information.

The next step for residents who want program assistance is to contact the city's 3CE account manager or visit 3CE's website for program eligibility and application instructions.