Center for Resource Solutions Provides Green-e Certification to PG&E’s Newly Launched Solar Choice Program

SAN FRANCISCO, February 3, 2016 /3BL Media/ — Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) announced today that Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) received certification by Green-e Energy, North America’s leading independent certification program for renewable energy, for PG&E’s Solar Choice. The new program extends the option for solar energy, sourced from new small- and mid-sized projects within PG&E's service area, to residential and commercial customers throughout Northern and Central California. Customers are given the option to sign up for a 50% or 100% of their electric power from solar energy.

PG&E is the first of California's investor owned utilities (IOUs) to offer a Green Tariff Shared Renewables Program under Senate Bill 43, and the California Public Utilities Commission directed the state's three largest IOUs to offer Green-e Energy Certified green pricing programs to their customers. The other IOUs, San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison, together with PG&E, supply nearly 80% of the state's electricity.

"PG&E's Solar Choice program is an excellent option for businesses and residential customers throughout Northern and Central California to switch to 100% clean energy while supporting local resources," said CRS Executive Director Jennifer Martin. "By signing up for PG&E’s Solar Choice, Californians can reduce the environmental impact of their electricity use while directly incentivizing new solar development in the state."

In addition, PG&E is also launching another green-pricing program called Regional Solar Choice, which allows customers to enroll in shared solar programs directly through developers and receive bill credit through the utility. Regional Solar Choice is also Green-e Energy certified.

Green-e Energy is the leading renewable energy certification and verification program in North America. In 2014 over 836,000 total retail customers—including 50,000 businesses—purchased nearly 38 million megawatt‐hours of certified electricity, enough to supply nearly half of all residential electricity use in California for a year. The program provides independent, third-party certification to ensure that certified renewable energy meets strict environmental and consumer-protection standards, and is the only program of its kind in the U.S.

Providers of Green-e Energy certified renewable energy agree to abide by the Green-e Energy Code of Conduct, and meet strict disclosure and truth-in-advertising requirements. All participants in Green-e Energy undergo an annual third-party verification audit to document that the company purchased or generated enough quantity and type of renewable energy to meet customer demand and marketing claims.

Customers can visit http://www.pge.com/solarchoice to learn about the programs. View the online tool for more details on the monthly charge and environmental impact associated with signing up for PG&E’s Solar Choice.

About Green‑e and Center for Resource Solutions

A program of the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions, Green‑e is North America’s leading independent consumer protection program for the sale of renewable energy and greenhouse gas reductions in the retail market. Green‑e offers certification and verification services through Green‑e Energy, a renewable energy certification program; Green‑e Climate, a greenhouse gas emission reduction certification program; and Green‑e Marketplace, a program that provides forward-thinking organizations a simple, nationally recognized logo they can use to communicate their renewable energy and climate commitment to their customers and stakeholders. To learn more about Green‑e Certified products and programs available in all 50 states and Canada, visit www.green‑e.org.

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©2016 Center for Resource Solutions. For more information, see us at www.resource-solutions.org or call 415-561-2100.