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July 2024
This month we welcomed a new solar and battery storage facility into our power portfolio, and electricity rates decreased by an average of 12%. The deadline to apply for this round of Community Sponsorships is fast approaching. And in case you missed it last month, Ava has a new CEO! Read on to learn more.
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 Earlier this month we celebrated the ribbon cutting of the Scarlet I solar and storage facility developed by EDP Renewables in Tranquility, CA (Fresno County).
The project consists of over 230,000 solar photovoltaic panels, and uses Nextracker (a Fremont-based company) technology and hardware to efficiently track the sun. Scarlet I has 200 MW of solar capacity and 40 MW of storage capacity - enough to power 68,000 California homes annually - which will be shared with San Jose Clean Energy. Ava will offtake just over half of the capacity: 100 MW of solar and 30 MW of storage.
The project broke ground on September 30th, 2022, created 230+ construction jobs, and used nearly half a million work hours. The facility will also advance agrivoltaics – the use of land for both solar energy production and agriculture – by partnering with a local ranching family to allow sheep to graze amongst the solar panels!
Read more about the facility.
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Photo: Mural funded by an Ava Community Sponsorship at Melrose Community Garden in Oakland
We’re dedicated to supporting local organizations; three times per year we award 10 Community Sponsorships of up to $2,500. Applications for this round are due July 31!
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On July 1, PG&E decreased their rates across generation and transmission and delivery by 9.3%. In response, we decreased our electricity generation rates by an average of 12% for all customers.
The exact decrease from June 2024 rates to July 2024 rates depends on which rate schedule you are on. Some common rate schedules for residential customers are E-TOU-C, E1, E-TOU-D, or EV2A. For businesses, the most common rate schedules are B1 and B6. Rate schedules are different from your Ava service plan, which is either Bright Choice or Renewable 100. Bright Choice continues to be 5% below PG&E’s rates, while Renewable 100 continues to be ¼ of a cent more expensive per kWh.
As seen in the above graphic, the average change for residential customers on E-TOU-C, the most common rate in our service area, is an 11.42% decrease from June to July. This equals an average decrease of $6.02 per bill on electricity generation. The B1 rate schedule is the most common commercial rate in our service area, and customers on B1 will see an average decrease of 11.41%, totalling an average of $24.48 in savings. It is important to note that these rate decreases apply only to the electricity generation portion of PG&E bills, not to electricity delivery or natural gas costs, so customer bills may increase despite Ava’s rate decreases.
Bills and rates are still some of the highest in the nation and we encourage our customers to learn about their rate and available bill assistance programs. You can learn more at AvaEnergy.org/paying-bills.
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The Ava Board of Directors is on recess during the month of August. Meetings will resume in September. |
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