Big Win for 100% Renewables in Orange County!
Orange County, California – In a historic move in February 2022, three Orange County cities, Buena Park, Huntington Beach, and Irvine, voted to adopt 100% renewable energy as their default power for electricity customers. Fullerton voted for 70% renewables for residential/commercial customers and 38.5% for their municipal buildings. The four cities are part of the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), the first Community Choice Energy agency in Orange County.
It Takes A Village!
OC Turn Out To Advocates For Clean Non-Polluting Energy
Many groups contributed to this win. Climate Reality OC thanks Climate Action Campaign for their excellent outreach efforts and research on climate justice, which you can read about here. Countless other groups and individuals helped with this win and we are so grateful for their continued partnerships over the years. These include: Climate Reality OC, Orange County for Climate Action, OC Clean Power, WAVE, Citizens Climate Lobby, Sierra Club, Surfriders, Fridays For Future Orange County, Sunrise Movement OC, OCICE, Canyon Democrats, Irvine United Congregational Church, and countless other organizations.
We also teamed up with Michelle Ellison of Green By Default, an expert on the default rate, who was instrumental in moving 19 cities in LA to choose 100% renewables.
Over the last few months members of our team held multiple meetings with decision makers, conducted phone/email outreach to our members, schools, community organizations and businesses in the four cities. We mobilized our communities on social media to send in emails of support or make public comments.
The Largest City In The Country!
Irvine Votes for 100% Renewable Default Rate
Irvine is poised to be the largest city and the second largest municipality (behind only LA County) in the country providing renewable energy for their electricity. With this one council decision, the city will virtually eliminate electricity-related emissions for 307,000+ residents, making it easy for residents to power their homes and businesses with clean non-polluting energy.
Huntington Beach will be the 3rd largest city (after Oxnard, CA) with a population of just over 200,000 residents. There are currently 6 cities outside of California that currently run on 100% renewable electricity. They tend to be smaller cities than those in Southern California where the population and electrical load is high. This is a huge win for clean energy and will save a minimum of over 1 million metric tons of fossil fuel emissions per year.
The Power Of Choice
There’s always a choice, but over 95% stay in!
To be clear, the default rate is a starting point. It sets a precedent and sends a message about city priorities. Customers can choose another option before launch, or any month going forward. But evidence shows the vast majority stick with the default. In Clean Power Alliance (CPA), the community choice energy agency serving Los Angeles and Ventura counties, 19 of their 32 municipalities are at 100% renewable energy. For three years CPA has maintained a strong participation rate of roughly 95% so customers are happy to be on clean energy!
Help spread the word about 100% renewable energy default!
Cities belonging to Community Choice Energy agencies like OCPA are uniquely poised to make a quick transition to renewable electricity. According to Green By Default, with these latest votes for 100% renewable default, 3.5 million people across 32 diverse communities virtually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their electricity supply! And this remarkable progress has been achieved in just a few short years, beginning in 2016. To support this continued campaign for the 100% default in LA, San Diego and beyond, please see more here.
About Community Choice Energy:
More than 200 cities, counties, and towns in California with over 11 million customers have successfully taken the step of creating more energy choice for ratepayers through a Community Choice Energy program. You can read more about Community Choice Energy (CCE), sometimes called Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), by clicking here.
Climate Reality OC has prioritized Community Choice Energy advocacy since we formed in 2018. It is the first and most powerful choice cities can make toward bold climate action. There are 34 cities in Orange County, and it takes CONSTANT education and outreach to inform and support city adoption of CCE. We will continue to support adoption of CCE in every city and continue to engage with OCPA to support strong climate related policy, equity, and transparency, while staying fiscally responsible. You can see our Youtube Channel for past workshops, and take action on our website, to inform your city about Community Choice Energy.
What our Members Had to Say About the Recent 100% Renewables Default Campaign:
“I’m grateful for my team’s support! Every time I reached out with a request for help in particular cities, members showed up” Linda Kraemer, Chapter Co-Chair and Clean Energy/City Action Chair.
"I learned so much from the HB Action Team and made valuable contacts in my city government and community that I can rely on for future activism. I am really proud of the team and City of Huntington Beach for taking this important step to address climate change." Lisa Swanson, Policy Chair and Huntington Beach resident.
"Climate change does not recognize city boundaries and whether you live in one of the OCPA cities or not, a strong vote from any city for 100% renewable energy positively affects all of us on a global level. As momentum grows exponentially, we hope that more Orange County residents reach out to their local city councils to ask that they enact similar renewable energy strategies”. Sandra Smallshaw, Climate Reality Leader and Huntington Beach resident.
“Participating in the campaigns to encourage Fullerton, Irvine, and my town of Huntington Beach to go for the 100% renewable default rate has been thrilling! To know that I made even a tiny difference in helping whole municipalities make the most sustainable choice in this matter brings great satisfaction. It takes a village!” Joclyn Rabbitt-Sire, Climate Reality Leader, Sustainable Living Co-Chair, Huntington Beach resident.
“I believe that most policy makers, at least at the community level, want to make decisions that benefit the community that they serve. While on this journey, I discovered that the activists can be an aide to the policy makers by being honest, helping them remain focused on the issue and letting him or her know that it is okay and expected to take courageous steps for the betterment of the community.” Danny Gray, Climate Reality Leader, Entertainment Chair, Irvine business.
“Michelle Ellison (greenbydefault.org) was there with facts, talking points, and support at any hour of the day. She was present at over 20 meetings, and many more follow-up calls. I want to continue to support her work throughout cities in California''. Linda Kraemer, Chapter Co-Chair and Clean Energy/City Action Committee.
Learn more here about Climate Reality Project’s Roadmap for Clean Energy.
Watch and Share Our Video about the Power of Choice and ask your city to join the OC Clean Power Authority.
Power of Choice Video
Interested in joining our Clean Energy Committee?
Contact OC Climate Reality Committee Chair Linda Kraemer at climaterealityprojectoc@gmail.com
To learn how you can have an impact on the climate now, check out The Climate Reality Project – OC’s Action Hub!