Facts & Figures

• Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) is delivering on the promise to bring Orange County renewable energy at competitive rates.
  • OCPA’s most recent 2023 Power Content Label, an annual reporting requirement of the California Energy Commission, shows that energy purchased on behalf of customers was 86% renewable and 81% carbon free.
  • In its first two years of operation, OCPA has reduced carbon emissions by over 2 billion pounds. That’s the equivalent of taking over 221,000 gas-fueled cars off the roads.
  • OCPA offers three renewable energy plans so that customers can choose the one that works best for their budget– including one that costs 3% less than Southern California Edison’s (SCE) equivalent generation rate.
    • For those who can and want to do more to reduce carbon emissions, they can enroll in the Smart Choice or 100% Renewable Energy plans.
• OCPA purchases renewable energy on behalf of its customers while Southern California Edison (SCE) continues to deliver energy to homes and businesses.
  • The amount OCPA customers are charged for the purchase of their energy appears on the bill as the “generation” charges.
  • The amount customers are charged by SCE to deliver the energy appears on the bill as “delivery” charges.
• Not-for-profit renewable energy providers, like OCPA, are accelerating the clean energy transition.
  • OCPA is one of 25 Community Choice Aggregators (CCA) in California purchasing more renewable energy to put onto the electric grid at a faster rate than the for-profit utilities.
  • As more and more clean energy is put on the electric grid, the blend of clean energy reaching homes and businesses will be greener and greener over time.
  • This is reducing carbon emissions throughout California.
• OCPA is one of the cleanest and greenest community energy providers in California
  • OCPA has been nationally recognized as a top Green Power Provider by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for two years in a row.
  • OCPA exceeds the mandatory state requirements for the purchase of renewable energy and also exceeded its voluntary renewable energy goals for each retail service offering during its first two years of operation.
  • OCPA purchases renewable and carbon free energy including solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass on behalf of its customers.
• How clean energy procured by OCPA gets to customers
  • OCPA buys the same amount of energy that customers use, including the amount of clean energy designated in customers’ selected plans. This electricity is fed onto the statewide shared electric grid and then moves to customers through infrastructure (poles and wires) owned by SCE.
    • OCPA puts more renewable energy onto the electric grid at a faster rate than the for-profit utilities.
    • As more renewable energy goes onto the electric grid, the blend of energy reaching homes and businesses is greener and greener.
    • This is helping the state of California reach its clean energy goals.
  • All customers receive the same blend of energy to their homes. OCPA customers are helping green the grid over time for everyone, decreasing carbon emissions.
  • OCPA is purchasing a diverse portfolio of renewable and carbon free energy from solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass.
• OCPA is committed to affordability
  • OCPA’s Basic Choice plan costs 3% less than the equivalent generation rate of SCE. This cost – for the energy used by a customer – is listed on the bill as “Generation.”
    • Customer bills also include “Transmission and Delivery” charges from SCE.
  • In two years of service, OCPA’s Basic Choice customers have saved over $2.5 million.
  • In 2023 alone, the 25 CCAs across the state saved their customers roughly $760 million compared to the investor-owned utilities.
  • Throughout California, community energy providers are working collectively at the state and federal level to save customers money.
  • OCPA customers remain eligible for low-income programs, including California’s Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) and Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) rate discounts.
• OCPA reinvests revenue back into its member communities.
  • As a not-for-profit, OCPA reinvests its revenue into member communities through energy efficiency programs including grants, home energy upgrades, and credit for excess solar energy.
  • Community energy providers in California have also leveraged green bonds to save money on energy purchases and pass it along to customers through on-bill savings.
• For solar customers, OCPA’s Net Surplus Compensation (NSC) Rate is 10% Higher Than SCE’s Prevailing NSC Rate
  • When an OCPA customer’s solar panel system produces more energy than is used over a 12-month period, OCPA compensates the customer for adding clean electricity to the local grid with Net Surplus Compensation (NSC).
  • OCPA’s NSC rate is 10% higher than what SCE offers.
• OCPA is fiscally responsible.
  • OCPA’s most recent independent audit has highlighted OCPA’s “strong financial health,” positioning it effectively to serve its customers and fulfill its mission.
  • OCPA’s solid financial performance helps protect customers from unexpected energy cost increases and ensures competitive electricity generation rates.
  • The audit indicates strong accuracy and reliability in OCPA’s financial reporting.
  • This latest audit echoes OCPA’s previous three positive financial audits.
• OCPA has received numerous awards and recognition
  • Named Orange County Business Journal Leader in Sustainability Honoree (2024) and 2023 Environmental, Social, Governance Honoree.
  • Recognized as “Top U.S. Green Power Provider” by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2023 and 2024).
  • Received Honorable Mention for the Southern California Association of Governments’ Sustainability Award “Green Region Initiative: Climate Action and Resource Conservation” (2024).
  • Received Elevate award from the Filipino American Chamber of Orange County for empowering and supporting the Filipino business community (2023).
  • Honored as “Sustainability Advocate of the Year” by the Asian Business Association of Orange County (2023) and “Clean Energy Partner of the Year” (2024).
  • Received the Community Impact Award for “empowering local communities with sustainable energy choices” from the Iranian American Chamber of Commerce (2024).
• OCPA is committed to transparency and awareness
  • OCPA has a robust marketing and public outreach program to continue raising awareness of OCPA’s clean energy mission and goals.
• SCE renewable energy plans are not open for enrollment
  • SCE has a Green Tariff Shared Renewables program (Green Rate program) that allows customers the opportunity to purchase more energy from renewable sources.
  • The volume of interest for the Green Rate program has exceeded the amount of capacity available from approved Green Rate resources.
  • Until new Green Rate resources are contracted, or otherwise ordered, or authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), SCE will maintain a waitlist of customers interested in participating in the Green Rate program.
  • Out of approximately 5 million accounts in the full SCE service area, approximately 3,000 accounts are enrolled in the Green Rate program.
  • OCPA has the ability to procure as much renewable energy as customers desire based on their selected OCPA renewable energy plan.