A small city decided to opt out of 3CE, making its own renewable energy agency.

When Monterey Bay Community Power launched in 2018, 16 cities and three county governments were members. Since then, it has expanded to include 28 cities and four counties, and changed its name to Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) to reflect that expanded reach.

All but one city in Monterey County joined. King City remains the lone holdout, instead operating its own community choice aggregation, or CCA, model called King City Community Power, which provides electricity to 85 percent of residents within city limits, using mostly solar and wind energy.

“It just shows that every community can do their part,” says King City Mayor Mike LeBarre. “Even a small little agricultural community like King City can play a big part in meeting our state’s goals and providing a better, cleaner future for our kids and future generations.”

In 2018, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 100, the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act, into law, which set an ambitious goal: to have 100 percent of California’s electricity come from renewable and zero-carbon energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass, by 2045. A phase-in plan calls for 33 percent by 2020, and 60 percent by 2030.

KCCP started operations in 2018 with 29-percent renewable energy (the minimum required) and has already surpassed the state’s 2030 target.

There are over 20 CCAs in California providing power for about 11 million customers. KCCP remains one of the smallest, serving roughly 3,400 customers.

Part of why King City opted to stay solo is that it allows them to address unique local issues, says City Manager Steve Adams. If they were part of a larger CCA like 3CE, “We wouldn’t have any [say] over the decision-making,” he says.

They’ve been able to maintain lower rates than PG&E (5-percent lower in 2020 and 1-percent lower in 2021). Part of the CCA’s revenue is allocated to go back into the community. On June 21, for example, the city installed six solar street lights at the skate park using that revenue. “The CCA allowed us to address those direct needs that we weren’t able to handle through our budget,” LeBarre says.

Pilot Power Group Inc. is KCCP’s energy service provider. Pilot acquires renewable energy generated in California (in Riverside and Alameda counties), and from out-of-state.