East Bay Community Energy (EBCE), one of California’s community choice power agencies, has officially marked the commercial commencement of the Scott Haggerty Wind Energy Center, a re-powered source of clean energy for residents within its district, spanning 14 cities and Alameda County.
The new facility represents a $20 million investment into Alameda County through tax revenue to support public services and will also sustain numerous clean energy jobs across operations and maintenance, following an initial output of more than 115,000 hours of union labor.
“The ribbon-cutting at Altamont underscores what we can accomplish when community organizations have a voice in the development process of our clean energy choices,” says Corina Lopez, board vice chair at EBCE and city council member for San Leandro. “We look forward to meeting our goal of providing all our customers with 100 percent clean energy by 2030, well ahead of California’s official 2045 target date.”
EBCE’s new project honors Scott Haggerty, a 20-year advocate for Alameda County, and replaces 569 100 kW turbines with 23 state-of-the-art environmentally and wildlife-friendly turbines. The new wind farm will produce lower-cost electricity for thousands of residents and businesses who rely on EBCE for clean and affordable energy.
“The re-powering of the Altamont wind project has greatly improved environmental impact while meeting the county’s need for clean, affordable wind power,” states Mehul Mehta, executive vice president with Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, an owner and operator of sustainable infrastructure and energy efficiency projects. “With this project, now the largest wind asset in Greenbacker’s portfolio, we look forward to partnering with EBCE to expand access to renewable energy for the communities and stakeholders within Alameda County for decades to come.”
The clean electricity created from the new turbines will serve as a main supply source for EBCE’s Renewable 100 program, a power mix of wind and solar energy servicing about 100,000 customers.
“In just a few years, we’ve made great strides in bringing more affordable renewable energy and reinvesting our earnings back into the community to drive local green jobs, valuable programs and more clean power projects,” notes Nick Chaset, CEO of East Bay Community Energy.
