Two years ago, San Diego took the national spotlight for its commitment to source 100% renewable energy by 2035. The city is now poised to make decisions that chart the path towards this bold goal.

San Diego’s climate action plan (CAP) sets the city on a path to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 50% below 1990 levels by 2035 and 80% by 2050 as established by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-3-05. Passed in 2015 by unanimous council vote, it also aims to meet the daunting challenges of climate change and protect our resources and citizens from the harmful impacts of pollution, while ensuring energy affordability for our most vulnerable communities and fostering economic opportunities for the region.

This current planning phase of CAP implementation has led to a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Feasibility Study as well as a Request for Information on programs that may support or replace a CCA model to reach the city’s 100% renewable energy goal. The study includes detailed analyses of

• Financial viability
• Economic development
• Regulatory challenges
• GHG emissions reductions

CSE is offering a brief analysis of some of the key findings from the 164-page full report and 38-page Executive Summary to help distill this complex topic. Links to additional resources are provided throughout the analysis so that residents and businesses can access more in-depth information to consider and weigh in on these issues and help define how the city proceeds in meeting our climate commitments.