Host: Clean Energy Alliance
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Mitigation, Energy Efficiency, Infrastructure Development – including Broadband, Renewable Energy, Transportation / Mobility
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Project Management, Data Collection, Stakeholder Engagement,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid – The CEA team primarily works remote and reports in-person for weekly team meetings and Board and Community Advisory meetings. The Fellow would be expected to work onsite primarily on Wednesdays for team meetings and Thursdays for Board and Community Advisory meetings.

Service Needs & Plans

Clean Energy Alliance (CEA) is a growing not-for profit clean energy provider located in north San Diego County which serves the communities of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, Escondido, San Marcos, Vista, and Oceanside. CEA is a Community Choice Aggregation program, which allows CEA’s member cities to pool their communities energy demands and increase their purchasing power for higher renewable energy.

As a part of our expansion and growth to new cities over the past two years, we need to contemplate our strategy for developing and implementing Energy Programs that align with our goals as an organization. These goals include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in our local communities (targeting 100% renewable electricity by 2035) while serving our customers’ electricity needs every hour of every day. This project will identify programs that can be implemented to help reach CEA’s renewable energy goals.

Project Description

This project aims to develop an energy program implementation plan that will act as a roadmap for CEA. The goals of the plan is to learn about community needs, understand existing energy programs, create program recommendations, and identify funding sources.

The fellow will support staff in researching and developing a strategy to determine (a) which projects have the most potential for impact; and (b) how these programs can be implemented in an effective (and cost effective) manner. Energy programs identified during the project may range from incentives for installation of energy efficient appliances, to onsite solar and storage projects, to demand response programs and virtual power plants. Activities will include:

• Perform a survey of similar programs implemented elsewhere in California and across the U.S. to understand program design and effectiveness. This may include direct interviews or conversations with counterparts at other CCAs and organizations.
• Analyze CEA customer characteristics data to understand which programs may be applicable for which customer types, and how to target these programs.
• Develop a quantitative analysis of potential costs and benefits of different program options, in consideration of CEA’s objectives and organizational constraints (e.g., limited ability to incentivize projects with upfront funding).
• For programs identified in this strategy exercise as a high priority, prepare an implantation plan (approach for targeting eligible customers, potential collaboration with nonprofits and other organizational partners, program funding, partnerships with third-party providers, as needed).

Desired Skills

The Fellow should be interested in energy programs, local government, and/or sustainability. Knowledge of stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and data analysis is desired. A Fellow that is bilingual in Spanish would also assist with the proposed project.

Organization & Workplace Highlights

Clean Energy Alliance supports local jobs, sustainable and inclusive workforce opportunities, local economic sustainability, and diversity through contracting for power sources, and procuring goods and services.
CEA provides a unique opportunity for the Fellow to learn about the programs and operations of a joint powers authority, gain exposure working with various cities and City Manager’s offices, and learn technical aspects of the utility/renewable energy industry.

Community Highlights

CEA is made up of seven cities located in the County of San Diego (Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Carlsbad, Solana Beach, and Del Mar). Our service broad service territory provides reliable electricity to coastal communities, inland communities, and agricultural areas. Each City is different, with its own customer make-up, policy priorities, and climate goals.