Renewable Energy
The Renewable Energy Strategy in the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) aims to increase supply and access to renewable energy for existing and new residences, commercial properties, and municipal facilities. Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar and wind will reduce pollution, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
To accomplish this, the City’s CAP calls for the launch of a Community Choice Energy (CCE) program, the installation of solar panels on homes and businesses, and the addition of solar panels on municipal facilities, among other initiatives. Implementation of these measures is estimated to reduce the City’s GHG emissions by 434 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) by 2020 and 20,935 MTCO2e by 2030.
Explore the sections below to see what the City is doing to achieve these goals.
RE-1: Establish a Community Choice Energy Program
100% Renewable Electricity by 2030
One of the key goals of the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) was to launch a Community Choice Energy (CCE) program that serves 100% renewable electricity to customers by 2030. CCE programs are not-for-profit, locally controlled energy agencies that purchase clean electrical power on behalf of residents and businesses.
In 2019, after the completion of a Technical Feasibility Study, the City formed a CCE Joint Powers Authority along with the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa, and Imperial Beach. Operating as San Diego Community Power (SDCP), the new agency began serving power to customers on March 1, 2021. Service was rolled out in the following phases:
- Phase 1: March 1, 2021 - Municipal Customers
- Phase 2: June 1, 2021 - Commercial Customers
- Phase 3: April 1, 2022 - Residential and Solar Customers (Net Energy Metering)
As part of this roll-out, Encinitas City Council voted to establish SDCP’s premium product, Power100, as the default electricity choice for all customers within the City of Encinitas. Power100 provides 100% renewable electricity to customers at a cost that is only marginally greater than San Diego Gas and Electric’s (SDGE) current rates, 1 to 3% greater depending on the rate class. This action enables the City to achieve its 100% renewable electricity goal well in advance of the 2030 target date.
UNIT | A kilowatt is a measure of power, or how fast something generates or uses energy. The capacity of a solar photovolatic (PV) system to generate energy is measured in watts. Solar PV systems installed on single family homes typically range in size from 5 kW to 20 kW. One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. | kWKilowatt |
A kilowatt is a measure of power, or how fast something generates or uses energy. The capacity of a solar photovolatic (PV) system to generate energy is measured in watts. Solar PV systems installed on single family homes typically range in size from 5 kW to 20 kW. One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. | kWKilowatt |
Last updated April 26, 2023
RE-1: Establish a Community Choice Energy Program
Number of SDCP Accounts by Service Type
In 2022, 98.4% of accounts were subscribed to Power100 (100% renewable) and 1.6% were subscribed to PowerOn (50% renewable). From the total active accounts, only 423 customers choose to opt down from Power100 to PowerON. A total of 1,886 customers opted out of SDCP altogether.
To learn more about SDCP, visit their website.
Note: Graph only includes data from 2022 because SDCP service rollouts were not complete until April 2022.
Last updated April 26, 2023
RE-1: Establish a Community Choice Energy Program
Number of Active SDCP Accounts by Customer Type
In 2022, SDCP recorded 26,067 active accounts in Encinitas, which includes municipal, commercial, residential, and solar accounts. The City has a SDCP participation rate of 93.3%.
To learn more about SDCP, visit their website.
Note: Graph only includes data from 2022 because SDCP service rollouts were not complete until April 2022.
Last updated April 26, 2023
RE-2: Require New Homes to Install Solar Systems
Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
In 2015, the City adopted Ordinance No. 2015-13, which incorporated new statewide residential solar requirements into its local building code. In 2022, in accordance with the state’s triannual code update, the City updated its local building code through the adoption of Ordinance No. 2022-13 which still includes solar requirements for residential buildings. All new single-family and multi-family homes up to three stories in California are required to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) system large enough to meet the average annual electricity usage of the building. This supports the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) goal to install 400 kilowatts (kW) and 1,000 kW of additional residential solar by 2020 and 2030 on newly constructed buildings, respectively.
Over the past several years, many residents have also voluntarily installed solar panels on their homes. Residential solar PV systems typically range in size from 5 to 20 kW per home. In 2022, 5,224 kW of solar were installed on residential properties. Together with the statewide residential solar mandate, between 2012 and 2022, a cumulative total of 34,868 kW of solar has been installed on 5,249 homes in Encinitas.
Last updated April 26, 2023
RE-3: Require Commercial Buildings to Install Solar Systems
Commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
The CAP calls for increasing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on commercial buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from commercial electricity use. To achieve this goal, the City adopted local green building regulations —first adopted in 2021 and then amended in 2022—which requires solar PV systems to be installed on commercial building additions and alterations of a certain size or permit value. All new commercial buildings must also install PV systems in accordance with California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6). To maintain consistency with the California Energy Code, the ordinance defines commercial buildings as “nonresidential” buildings. In addition to commercial buildings like retail, office, and warehousing, the ordinance also applies to hotels and motels.
These requirements support the City’s CAP goal to install 2.7 megawatts (MW) of solar by 2030 on new and retrofit nonresidential projects. While staff has started tracking progress towards this target, the ordinance has only been effective since August 2, 2022; as of the end of 2022, no remodels triggering the requirement have completed construction. More data will be available in 2023 as commercial projects are permitted and constructed.
Some nonresidential properties have already voluntarily installed solar panels. Between 2012 and 2022, a cumulative total of 3,983 kilowatts (kW) of solar were installed at 104 commercial properties in Encinitas. In 2022 alone, 36 kW of solar were installed on non-residential properties.
Note: There is no 2020 target set on this graph, as this measure was revised as part of the interim 2020 Climate Action Plan (CAP) update.
Last updated April 26, 2023
MRE-1: Supply Municipal Facilities with Renewable Energy
Municipal Facilities with On-Site Renewable Energy
The City’s CAP set an ambitious goal of supplying all municipal facilities with enough onsite renewable energy to achieve “Net Zero Electricity.” This means that municipal buildings would generate as much electricity as they consume. The City aims to supply 50% of its municipal energy needs from renewable sources by 2020 and 100% by 2030.
In 2008, the City installed a 96-kilowatt (kW) solar PV system at City Hall. The system generates approximately 150 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity each year which is equivalent to about 7% of the City’s total municipal building electricity use, annually.
In 2019, the City hired an energy consultant to design and install solar PV systems for the Community and Senior Center, the Public Works building on Calle Magdalena, the Encinitas Public Library, and to add more solar panels at City Hall as part of a “paid-through-savings” program. In total, the project was anticipated to increase the City's solar capacity to approximately 600 kW, which would be have served 48% of the City’s total municipal electricity needs. In 2020, this project was put on hold due to COVID-19 and other competing project financing needs. This will to be revisited as part of a future City budget cycle. In the meantime, as of 2021, all City facilities are served with 100% renewable electricity provided by San Diego Community Power. See RE-1 for more information.
Last updated April 26, 2023
Homes and Businesses
How You Can Help
Last updated August 30, 2022
