Hayward going carbon free
Hayward is on the verge of becoming both one of the first and the largest Bay Area city to move onto entirely carbon-free sources of electrical power generation.
The move began in March with a City Council vote selecting an electricity product for Hayward customers being shifted off Pacific Gas and Electric Company-supplied electricity and onto power supplied by East Bay Community Energy (EBCE).
EBCE is what is known in the energy industry as a community choice energy program. It is one of several such nonprofit agencies being formed by local governments in the Bay Area and across California to provide a locally controlled alternative to electricity procured by PG&E and other investor-owned utility monopolies.
In June, Hayward commercial and public agency electricity customers were transitioned off PG&E power and onto EBCE supply. In late September and October, Hayward residential customers will follow. Customers enrolled in PG&E’s net energy metering program (generally customers with solar power) will be transitioned throughout 2019 based on each customer’s PG&E “True-Up” date—when monthly net energy charges and credits are reconciled.
The goal of EBCE and other agencies like it is to provide a cleaner, greener, more affordable choice of electricity without sacrificing reliability. Under the system, PG&E remains responsible for electricity transmission, maintaining electricity distribution infrastructure, and customer service and billing.
