Peninsula Clean Energy pushes for new chargers in San Mateo County

The nonprofit’s EV Ready program has installed thousands of chargers, with particular emphasis on placing them in “hard to reach” places such as in apartment complexes. 

Brendan Aiello, property manager at Tyrone Properties, participated in the program and has installed multiple charging outlets at more than five of his complexes throughout the county. With PCE rebates covering the majority of costs, chargers have cost Aiello less than $150 each. 

“This has been so affordable,” Aiello said. “For mom-and-pop housing providers, that’s really important to us because we don’t have a lot of capital to spend. 

The EV Ready program is an infrastructure effort to install 3,500 charging ports in the county over four years. 

“We have really moved forward and scaled our EV charger installation through the county,” Marshall said. “With particular emphasis on hard-to-reach apartment buildings and folks that wouldn’t otherwise have access to EV charging, to incentivize the market both up and down the income scale throughout our service territory.” 

The program is tackling an issue outlined by Sustainable San Mateo County, a nonprofit looking to “unveil the inequities” in charging infrastructure and explore solutions. According to the nonprofit, the California Energy Commissions estimates the need to build 129,000 charging stations annually for the next seven years. 

In addition to the charging infrastructure program, PCE offers a 0% interest, $10,000 loan for residents looking to “do anything in their home or business related to replacing gas appliances and electrification,” Marshall said. 

Peninsula Clean Energy was established in 2016 and works in an “energy paradigm” with Pacific Gas and Electric — PCE is responsible for providing electricity from clean energy sources at lower rates, and PG&E delivers the power generated, maintains gas and electric service, and sends a consolidated bill. 

“Peninsula Clean Energy is showing that you don’t have to make a choice between affordable rates and clean energy,” Marshall said. 

Supervisor Dave Pine was a part of Peninsula Clean Energy’s creation, and said he is proud of its work. 

“It’s remarkable how much a small group can accomplish,” Pine said. “You’re really changing the world.” 

Emissions have been slashed by 94% since 2016, Marshall said, and electric generation rates remain at a minimum of 5% below PG&E rates, saving customers money. By the end of 2024, PCE will have saved customers upward of $200 million since its launch, she said. 

In 2023 and 2024 alone, the organization secured significant renewable energy sources, including a wind-powered energy contract, that adds “new capacity onto the grid” that will get the county close toward its 100% renewable energy goal, Roy Xu, senior director of Power Resources, said. San Mateo County hopes to incrementally stride toward reaching this goal by 2030.

“What’s beautiful about it is it’s a subtle impact,” Supervisor Ray Mueller said. “People don’t even realize these programs are in place because it’s so ingrained into our infrastructure now.”

In other business, the Board of Supervisors approved directing $18,488,820 in federal funds toward, currently unspecified, local affordable housing needs. Funds were initially awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 which provided funding for local governments to economically recover from the pandemic.