San Francisco Supervisors pave way
for community choice renewable energy

Illustration courtesy re-energy.ca

By Tamara Barak

June 20, 2007

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Tuesday passed an ordinance paving the way to renewable municipal power in San Francisco.

The Community Choice aggregation program would form a public-private partnership between the city and energy entrepreneurs to create a renewable power supply for San Francisco.

According to the Sierra Club, the plan would create an innovative kind of energy based upon clean technology like wind, solar, tidal and geothermal. The energy supplier would be required to meet-or-beat current utility prices and offer the service to all residents and businesses. Those who do not want to use the green power may opt out of the program.

The plan will finance solar and other technologies on public buildings and rooftops of private and public buildings using the revenue bond financing authority approved by voters in 2001.

The ordinance was passed 9-2, with Michela Alioto-Pier and Ed Jew voting against the measure.

The measure was sponsored by supervisors Tom Ammiano, Ross Mirkarimi, Chris Daly and Bevan Dufty.

Supervisors plan to consider various energy suppliers, and the plan will then be reviewed by the Local Agency Formation Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, Ammiano said.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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