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Energy: Renewable & Carbon-Free Energy in the Local Grid

 
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Why is this a Climate Smart indicator?

  • Building energy usage accounts for over 29% of San José’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the 2024 communitywide inventory.
  • This is why one of Climate Smart’s four key strategies is to power the community with 100% carbon-neutral electricity by 2030.
  • Increasing the amount of renewable and carbon-free energy provided by San José Clean Energy will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and help us meet our climate goals.

What is the City doing to make progress on this indicator?

Completed

  • Launch San José Clean Energy service to municipal accounts (September 2018; 1,760 accounts; approximately 120 GWh annual usage)

  • Open sign-ups for TotalGreen, San José Clean Energy’s 100%  renewable service (December 2018)

  • Council approval of the first GreenSource power mix, San José Clean Energy’s default service (45% renewable in 2019) and updated power mixes for each subsequent year (55% renewable in 2023, most recent year that data is available for)

  • Currently serving more than 350,000 residential and commercial customers since launching in February 2019

  • Launch service to 308,000 residential and commercial customers (February 2019) 

  • Enrollment of remaining customers, representing 20% of total load, by January 2021 

  • Since launching in 2019, SJCE has contracted over $3B for over 1 GW of new renewable energy and reliability resources, including solar, wind, geothermal, and short and long duration battery storage

In Progress / Ongoing

  • 100% renewable and carbon-free electricity plans for residents:
    • TotalGreen: 100% renewable electricity
    • Solar Access: 100% solar electricity, offered at a 20% discount to eligible residents

  • 6 renewable energy projects in development, including solar + battery storage and geothermal

  • 9 renewable projects currently online across four states, producing energy from the sun and wind, some of which include battery storage on-site

About the data

Sources

Shares of both renewable and carbon-free energy in San José Clean Energy’s power mix are calculated based on power procurement. They measure the portion of renewable and carbon-free electricity (respectively) in SJCE’s base rate plan: Green Source. Data come from Power Content Labels (PCLs), which the California Energy Commission publishes annually for each California utility. PCLs include information on the power mix and greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with each electricity portfolio offered to customers.

To calculate the total portion of electricity generation that comes from renewables, only electricity sources that are Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Eligible Renewables are considered. These include energy generated from biomass & biowaste, geothermal, eligible hydroelectric (excludes large hydroelectric), solar, and wind. Renewable energy transactions are governed by and recorded in the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System, which is an independent, renewable energy tracking system for the region covered by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.

To calculate the total portion of electricity generation that is carbon-free, the following Energy Resources are considered: RPS Eligible Renewables (see previous paragraph for list), large hydroelectric, and nuclear.

Last updated

May 2026