Solar & Battery Regulation & Incentive Programs
The City of Santa Monica made history June 1, 1999, as green electricity began powering all municipal facilities -- including the Santa Monica Airport, City Hall and the Santa Monica Pier -- making it the first city in the world to switch to 100% renewable resources to meet the power needs of city facilities. Under the contract, the city purchases approximately 5MW of renewables. The proposed purchase is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by 5,000 to 6,000 homes.
Commerce Energy (formerly "Commonwealth Energy") currently provides the City with 100% renewable energy for City facilities through the purchase of renewable energy certificates. As of July 2008, the City pays $.134 per kilowatt-hour to Commerce for the electrical component of the City's utility bill which is about par with what the City would have paid Southern California Edison.