Rising interest in clean power is presenting electric monopolies with competition for the first time. Community choice aggregation (CCA) gives towns and cities the opportunity to get in on the energy market and decide where their energy will come from. More than a thousand communities across the country are taking electric power into their own hands. Supporters say that is a great way for communities to get greener electricity. San Francisco’s proposed community power option has a goal of 100% renewables and may be provided by a unit of Shell Oil. That juice could cost up to 40 percent more than the local monopoly, PG&E. Skeptics are wary of such cost premiums and say local power may not be as green as people think. A conversation with four experts on local and clean power nationally and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kim Malcolm, Director, CleanPowerSF Shawn Marshall, Mill Valley Council Member; Executive Director, Local Energy Aggregation Network Marcie Milner, Senior Regulatory Manager, Shell Energy North America Hunter Stern, Business Manager, Brotherhood of Electrical Workers This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on June 17, 2013

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices