No. PG&E must provide the same rates for all customers in their service area whether or not they receive electricity from Silicon Valley Clean Energy or another third-party energy service provider.
Silicon Valley Clean Energy is governed by a Board of Directors composed of local elected representatives from each of the member communities. Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s local government structure ensures public transparency. The Board of Directors meets monthly to discuss matters pertaining to the operation of Silicon Valley Clean Energy. All meetings are open to the public and comments are encouraged.
The Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority is governed by a Board of Directors composed of one representative from each of the participating communities. Information about the current Board of Directors can be found at www.svcleanenergy.org/board.
No. Directors serve on the board as part of their duties as elected officials and do not receive any additional salaries or other payments of benefits.
No. The cities and the county have firewalled their general funds through the formation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA). The debts and liabilities of the JPA do not extend to the member towns, cities and county. This firewall is protected by state law. Silicon Valley Clean Energy is a Joint Powers Authority that functions as a stand-alone public agency.
Silicon Valley Clean Energy is financed by revenues received from our ratepayers based on the electricity they consume. We are self-funded and do not use any tax dollars. As a community agency, any revenues that exceed our costs will be used to benefit the communities we serve.
No. Silicon Valley Clean Energy is different. We are entirely self-funded by revenues we receive from customers. None of our expenses are paid by taxes, and our revenues cannot be diverted to pay for non-Silicon Valley Clean Energy uses. We have a small staff and our overhead costs are low. We keep our prices competitive by negotiating for all of our customers as a group and by the fact that we don’t have to charge extra to generate a profit.
During the startup period, many of the participating communities provided a portion of the startup funding, which Silicon Valley Clean Energy paid back in late-2017.
Related news: Member Community Startup Funds Returned Early
