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Critical Juncture for Sonoma Clean Power

A request for proposals (RFP) will be issued in February by Sonoma County Water Agency for energy service providers to supply electric power and other services to Sonoma Clean Power. The RFP seeks to receive proposals for power supply, data management and customer and demand side services such as efficiency programs, demand response and net energy metering.

The RFP is currently in draft form and Climate Protection Campaign’s Ann Hancock cautions that the draft document is not aligned with some crucial goals for Sonoma Clean Power established by the board of the Water Agency. “Sonoma Clean Power’s goals will only be realized by prioritizing and explicitly planning for the implementation of local energy resources.” Hancock said. “If we want to stimulate and sustain the local economy by developing local jobs in renewable energy, we need the RFP to require the electric service providers to develop proposals to focus on local renewable energy generation, not simply procuring green power off the grid.”

The Water Agency will also be beginning a nationwide search for a CEO for Sonoma Clean Power.  These two decisions will largely determine what Sonoma Clean Power ends up looking like and how much local renewable energy it helps develop.