Active Alerts

If you are experiencing a water, power, or sewer emergency or service problem call our 24-hour hotline at 3-1-1 or (415) 701-2311 from outside SF or log on at sf311.org. Learn more or review active service alerts.
Power

2024: A Year of Public Power Wins in San Francisco

2024: A Year of Public Power Wins in San Francisco
  • Donald Pollitt

For more than a century, Hetch Hetchy Power has been at the heart of San Francisco’s energy story. As the City’s public power utility, it delivers clean, reliable electricity to municipal buildings and facilities (e.g., City Hall, schools, libraries, and the Muni transit system), as well as some commercial and residential developments, including affordable housing sites. 

CleanPowerSF, the City’s community choice energy program, has been instrumental in providing clean, affordable electricity to more than 380,000 residents and businesses across the City since 2016. Through Hetch Hetchy Power and CleanPowerSF, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) provides more than 75% of the electricity used in San Francisco today.

Here’s a look back at some of our public power achievements in 2024:

Hetch Hetchy Power: Delivering Savings, Innovation, and Sustainability

  1. $120M in Customer Savings: Hetch Hetchy Power saved residential, commercial, and municipal customers a total of $120 million on electricity bills in 2023 compared to PG&E service. This reflects the utility’s commitment to delivering affordable electricity rates as a not-for-profit provider.
  2. Modernized Market Steet Lighting: The historic Path of Gold streetlights on Market Street received a major upgrade with efficient, brighter LED lighting installed from Castro Street to the Ferry Building.
  3. Power Infrastructure Expansion: The Bay Area Corridor Transmission and Distribution Project was energized earlier this year, enabling the SFPUC to deliver clean, affordable power to customers along San Francisco’s eastern waterfront through a publicly owned grid system.
  4. More Rooftop Solar: SFPUC added more publicly-owned in-city rooftop solar systems, bringing the total to 28. It also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Moscone Convention Center's rooftop solar array, one of the City’s largest.  
  5. First All-Electric Health Clinic: The Sunset Health Center became one of San Francisco’s first public health clinics to go all-electric, eliminating natural gas use.
  6. Electrifying Customer Programs: Programs like the Electrify My Ride e-bike rebate and the All-Electric Multi-Family program are helping to accelerate the transition to 100% clean electricity. To date, the Electrify My Ride program has successfully distributed $350,000 in rebates to eligible customers.

CleanPowerSF: Advancing Climate Goals

Since its 2016 launch, CleanPowerSF has worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2024, its milestones included: 

  1. 100% Clean and Renewable Electricity: For the first time, all CleanPowerSF customers on the default Green service received 100% clean and renewable electricity in the 2023 calendar year. 
  2. Largest Wind Project in Program History: A new partnership with Scout Clean Energy will supply 147.5 megawatts of wind energy and 50 megawatts of energy storage from the Gonzaga Ridge project in Merced County. 
  3. Affordable Housing Partnership: The EV Charge SF program collaborated with Habitat for Humanity to install electric vehicle chargers at affordable housing developments, including Amber Drive.
  4. Award-Winning Solar Program: CleanPowerSF’s Solar Inverter Replacement Program received a Community Impact Award from the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA) for addressing cost barriers for low-income solar customers.

 

The Case for Full Public Power

Despite these achievements, PG&E continues to make it difficult for the SFPUC to operate its public power services today. In 2019, a $2.5 billion offer from the City to purchase the grid was declined by PG&E, leading the City to petition for an independent assessment of the grid’s value. This process, along with an environmental review that is currently underway, continues to position San Francisco to advance its public power goals.

Through public ownership of the grid, San Franciscans can look forward to safer, cleaner, and more affordable electricity. In a recent poll, 78% of respondents supported full public power expansion. Learn more about the growing movement for public power at: www.publicpowersf.org  

As we close out 2024, join us in celebrating Hetch Hetchy Power and CleanPowerSF for continuing to be at the forefront of innovation, sustainability, and community impact. Thank you to all of the SFPUC staff, including our dedicated Power Enterprise colleagues, who made these “wins” possible!