North Bay Business Journal

Amy Bolten is public information officer for the Energy Resources Group of Sonoma County Water Agency.

She is set to speak on projects related to the water agency and the proposed Sonoma Clean Power program at Construction Conference 2013, hosted by the Business Journal in Santa Rosa on May 15.

Ms. Bolten and SCEIP manager Jane Elias, a 14-year veteran of green building and energy, spoke with the Journal about construction activity generated by these agencies and programs.

Marin Clean Energy unveiled a new, free energy savings tool available to homeowners in the Marin County and Richmond. … Novato City Council voted unanimously for the city become a customer of Marin Clean Energy ….

Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RH), based in Corte Madera, reported net revenues increased 25 percent for its 2012–2013 fiscal year. …

Town Center Corte Madera (shopttowncenter.com) recently completed a renovation of the center’s office building, whose lobby now has what’s possibly Marin County’s first indoor “living wall.” …

North Bay Leadership Council is gearing up for the third year of its Algebra Academy program this summer in San Rafael and Novato. …

AT&T expanded its high-speed 4G LTE cell phone network to include areas of the North Bay. …

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), whose Cardio and Vascular division is based in Santa Rosa, announced Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance and the first U.S. clinical uses of its new Affinity Fusion oxygenation system. …

As Sonoma County’s political leaders continue to move forward with the process of setting up a county-wide public power agency, many in the business community are examining what the renewable energy-focused proposal would mean to their operations.

SONOMA COUNTY — Offering the clearest picture yet of expected pricing from a renewable energy-focused power agency under development in Sonoma County, a new report shows that a typical business customer in the launch phase of Sonoma Clean Power could expect to pay between 3.1 percent less per month and a half-percent more than conventional utility rates.

HEALDSBURG — Santa Rosa-based Climate Protection Campaign is hosting a forum this week for the local wine industry on the impact the proposed Sonoma Clean Power agency could have on their businesses.

Sonoma Clean Power is a community choice aggregation program being developed by the Sonoma County Water Agency to purchase electricity for Sonoma County customers. This program has multiple benefits and risks, is complex and not well understood by Sonoma County residents and businesses. In order to help the North Bay Business Journal readers understand the various aspects of Sonoma Clean Power, the Journal is partnering with the Sonoma County Water Agency to publish a series of articles discussing the various aspects of this effort. This article, the sixth in the series, discusses the potential risks and benefits of developing a community choice aggregation program in Sonoma County.

Sonoma Clean Power is a program being developed by the Sonoma County Water Agency to purchase electricity for Sonoma County customers. This program has multiple benefits and risks, is complex and not well understood by Sonoma County residents and businesses. In order to help the North Bay Business Journal readers understand the various aspects of Sonoma Clean Power, the Journal is partnering with the Sonoma County Water Agency to publish a series of articles discussing the various aspects of this effort. This article, the fifth in the series, discusses the goals of Sonoma Clean Power.

From January to June of 2012 a series of surveys and interviews were conducted among Sonoma County residents and businesses to determine the public’s opinion of a community choice aggregation (CCA) program in Sonoma County.

The results of these surveys indicated general support from the public however a significant level of skepticism was present within the business community. A lack of information about CCA and its impact in Sonoma County was one of the clearest outcomes of the survey process and was one of the leading drivers for this series of articles regarding Sonoma Clean Power.

Sonoma Clean Power is a program being developed by the Sonoma County Water Agency to purchase electricity for Sonoma County customers. This program has multiple benefits and risks, is complex and not well understood by Sonoma County residents and businesses. In order to help the North Bay Business Journal readers understand the various aspects of Sonoma Clean Power, the Journal is partnering with the Sonoma County Water Agency to publish a series of articles discussing the various aspects of this effort. This third article discusses the scope and history of community choice aggregation (CCA) in California and nationally.

Sonoma Clean Power is a program being developed by the Sonoma County Water Agency to purchase electricity for Sonoma County customers.

This program has multiple benefits and risks, is complex and not well-understood by Sonoma County residents and businesses.

In order to help the North Bay Business Journal readers understand the various aspects of Sonoma Clean Power, the Journal is partnering with the Sonoma County Water Agency to publish a series of articles discussing the various aspects of this effort.

SANTA ROSA — The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors today voted unanimously to create an initial governing authority for a proposed countywide renewable energy-focused power agency known as Sonoma Clean Power, a step needed before determining rates to charge potential customers when service is targeted to begin in early 2014.

SONOMA COUNTY — In an effort to determine the specific rates that customers would pay under the proposed power agency known as Sonoma Clean Power, planners have proposed forming an initial governing authority between the County of Sonoma and the Sonoma County Water Agency.

MARIN COUNTY – The Marin Municipal Water District has chosen to enroll all of its electric accounts with the San Rafael-based Marin Clean Energy power agency, citing cost savings versus current provider, Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

Marin Clean Energy is poised to significantly expand its customer base in the coming months, with the city of Richmond likely to pass a final measure on Tuesday to join the renewable energy-focused power agency.

SANTA ROSA – The Sonoma County Water Agency Board of Directors voted today to approve funding for the development of a comprehensive business plan for a renewable energy-focused power agency in Sonoma County known as “Sonoma Clean Power.”

SONOMA COUNTY — Efforts to create a renewable energy-focused power agency in Sonoma County will reach a significant milestone on April 10 as the county’s water agency board votes on whether to begin work on a comprehensive business plan that will chart a future for the endeavor.

SANTA ROSA — A survey of Sonoma County residents found strong support for clean-energy options, including solar and wind power, and for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

SONOMA COUNTY — The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has allocated $150,000 for a study on community choice aggregation (CCA), which would allow the sale of power directly to residents and businesses, bypassing PG&E.

SANTA ROSA — The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, acting as the Sonoma County Water Agency board of directors, today approved funding for the development of a feasibility study to develop a local community choice aggregation, or CCA, program.

NORTH BAY — The PG&E-backed Proposition 16 “Right to Vote” initiative is generating widespread debate among public and business groups.