Ava Community Energy

The board meeting covered several key items, including a CEO report on various operational activities, a Community Advisory Committee report, an Integrated Resource Planning process overview, and a review of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 draft budget. Additionally, the board discussed the City of San Leandro's request for a default service plan change. Action items included approval of a procurement policy update and 2026 legislative positions.

The committee meeting covered a range of energy-related topics, including legislative position recommendations for AB 1761 and SB 1138, a preview of 2026 California legislative items, and updates on ad hoc committee activities. Discussions centered on legislative advocacy, utility load growth trends, and program development updates for the SmartHome Battery Program and resilience initiatives.

The Board meeting included informational reports on the CEO's activities, such as federal administration updates, credit rating reaffirmation, and the upcoming enrollment in unincorporated San Joaquin County. The Board also reviewed the Smart Home Battery Incentive Program launch and the CAC report. Action items included the approval of a Board Member Conference Policy, the support of two California legislative bills (AB 1761 and SB 1138), and an administrative update to the agency's Legislative Platform. Additionally, the Board reviewed a report on contracts entered into and authorized appointments to the Community Advisory Committee.

The committee discussed updates to the Administrative Procurement Policy, particularly regarding the prohibition of contracts with companies providing data brokerage or extreme vetting services to ICE. Additionally, the committee received an update on the Ava Charge program and discussed potential future agenda items.

The meeting focused on the CCA 3.0 model, which emphasizes demand-side energy reductions, customer ownership of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), and the creation of an energy ecosystem providing dividend-paying ownership shares to local residents. The discussion covered the limitations of centralized generation, the benefits of advanced DER design principles including interoperability and shared energy use, and the components of the proposed CCA 3.0 model such as structured finance and opt-out enrollment. Participants examined barriers regarding investor-owned utilities, revenue models for microgrids, and the legal challenges of energy sharing, with next steps involving the formation of an ad hoc committee and the preparation of a board presentation outlining the rationale and benefits of this model.