Edison International 2019 Sustainability Report: Environmental and Social Justice
Edison International 2019 Sustainability Report: Environmental and Social Justi…
SCE’s service area has a disproportionately high number of ESJ communities compared to peer utilities in the state. Through customer program incentives, earmarked funds in green technologies, and targeted community outreach, SCE prioritizes support for ESJ communities. In the spring of 2019, SCE sponsored a project as part of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s eLab Accelerator to bring together local community-based organizations representing ESJ communities and to discuss communitybased clean energy.
SCE is also working with members of ESJ communities to obtain insights into causes of disconnections; hosting events to identify, educate and develop diverse suppliers; and conducting outreach to businesses in or impacting ESJ communities to raise awareness about electrification opportunities. THE CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS WORKING GROUP SCE continued to convene the Clean Energy Access Working Group (CEAWG) in 2019. Established in 2017 in partnership with The Greenlining.
THE CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS WORKING GROUP
SCE continued to convene the Clean Energy Access Working Group (CEAWG) in 2019. Established in 2017 in partnership with The Greenlining Institute, environmental and community groups, and faith-based organizations, this group works to ensure no community is left behind in the move toward a clean energy future. In 2019, the CEAWG started working with the Clean Power Alliance (CPA) on an early-stage community solar project in Willowbrook, Los Angeles County, Calif., to provide underserved community members access to locally produced solar energy. SCE held two separate tours of the site, one for CEAWG members and one for the CPUC’s Low Income Oversight Board (LIOB) members. The tours provided an opportunity for CEAWG and LIOB members to discuss the benefits this project will offer Willowbrook.
ELECTRIFIED RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES
SCE is piloting a program in three underserved communities in the San Joaquin Valley that will bring electric appliances to qualifying residential customers. For those living in California City, Calif.; Ducor, Calif.; or West Goshen, Calif., SCE will replace propane and wood-burning appliances with more energy-efficient options at no cost. SCE will also install the necessary electrical infrastructure and appliance connections to ensure they work properly. The three-year pilot program, which began in 2019 and will cover about 450 homes, has been designed to help San Joaquin Valley customers lower their emissions as well as their energy costs.
