CleanPowerSF, the community choice renewable energy program operated by the SFPUC, is making significant investment in San Francisco’s clean energy future.

The SFPUC has significantly expanded its commitment to new solar and wind projects in California. The developments, which will create more than 500 jobs and generate about 1 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year—or about a third of CleanPowerSF’s entire annual energy use—will help the City reach its ambitious goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

For the SFPUC, these projects will expand CleanPowerSF’s power portfolio and provide clean, safe and reliable energy for our customers for years to come. CleanPowerSF’s portfolio includes resources like geothermal, wind, and solar energy sourced from within California. To continue to meet the clean energy needs of its approximately 379,000 CleanPowerSF customer accounts, the SFPUC has entered into three new long-term power agreements with Maverick Solar 6, Blythe Solar IV, and Terra-Gen that will expand wind and solar power procurement starting in 2020.  

Maverick Solar 6, a 100-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant to be built near Desert Center, a community east of Palm Springs, will begin delivering power under a 20-year agreement in December 2021. Developed by EDF Renewables, Maverick Solar 6 will create 150 – 200 full-time positions during construction and operation of the project.

Blythe Solar IV, a 62-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant to be built in Blythe, California, will also begin delivering power under a 20-year agreement with CleanPowerSF next fall. The project, developed by NextEra Energy Resources, will result in approximately 150 full-time positions during construction and operation.

In addition to these new solar commitments, CleanPowerSF will increase the amount of wind power it will purchase from Terra-Gen, LLC’s new Voyager Wind IV facility from 47 to 110 megawatts. Located in Kern County, California, the project will begin generating wind power for CleanPowerSF in winter 2020 and will create 100 – 200 full-time jobs during construction and operation. Wind power delivered under this agreement will account for about 10 percent of CleanPowerSF’s supply mix.

CleanPowerSF has a track record of delivering on its promise to support the development of new renewable energy projects through its power purchase commitments. Last year, the program agreed to purchase power from San Pablo Raceway, a new 100-megawatt solar project in Lancaster, California, which began producing power in 2019.

CleanPowerSF launched in 2016 with a mission to provide San Francisco residents and businesses with clean, renewable electricity at competitive rates. Following the largest and last enrollment period in April of this year, CleanPowerSF now serves about 379,000 customer accounts in San Francisco. With a 96 percent participation rate, the program is popular among businesses and residents. Along with CleanPowerSF, the SFPUC operates the Hetch Hetchy Regional Power System, which provides 100 percent greenhouse gas free energy to public facilities, such as City Hall, San Francisco International Airport, Muni buses, schools and libraries. Collectively, the two systems meet approximately 80 percent of the electricity demand in San Francisco.