SAN DIEGO (October 11, 2016) – During the October 2016 National Energy Action Month, the Center for Sustainable Energy® (CSE) will celebrate 20 years as a leading nonprofit dedicated to its mission of accelerating the transition to a sustainable world powered by clean energy.
CSE will commemorate its milestone with an event in San Diego on Thursday, October 27, 2016, featuring keynote speaker California State Senator Fran Pavley, author of the nation’s leading climate action legislation — Senate Bill 32, California’s Global Warming Solutions Act.
Through 20 years of managing numerous local, regional and state energy efficiency, renewable energy and electric vehicle programs, CSE has administered more than $766 million in incentives to drive market transformation. In the last six years alone, these efforts have prevented more than 2.4 million metric tons of new greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere.
“Nationwide the urgency for sustainable energy grows each year,” said CSE Executive Director Len Hering, RADM, USN (ret). “The solution is to promote and deploy integrated technologies and support policies that address climate change, increase energy independence and generate lasting economic and environmental benefits. Through this anniversary we honor those who helped build CSE from its inception and signal that our organization today is flexible, innovative and capable of helping consumers and organizations capitalize on their clean energy goals.”
Founded in 1996 as the San Diego Regional Energy Office to implement and manage local energy efficiency planning and programs, the small organization soon established the Energy Resource Center, offering information, education and workshops for the public and businesses. It also became engaged in local, regional and statewide policy and legislation related to clean energy issues.
The nonprofit’s expertise in designing and managing energy programs was recognized in 2002, when the California Legislature selected it to administer the San Diego County portion of the state’s first distributed generation rebate program, known as the Self-Generation Incentive Program.
In 2006, the California Public Utilities Commission tapped the Regional Energy Office to become the only nonutility administrator for the California Solar Initiative, which has resulted in more than 200 megawatts of installed solar power in San Diego County, making it a nationally recognized solar power hub. Soon after the group became the California Center for Sustainable Energy to note its expanding role throughout the state. Through the Rooftop Solar Challenge, a component of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, CSE is working with local governments, industry stakeholders and utilities to help make solar fully cost-competitive with traditional sources before 2020.
In 2009, the center expanded its portfolio into electric vehicle adoption, heading up the first statewide rebate program, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, funded by the California Air Resources Board. Through the project, the center is responsible for incentivizing more than 160,000 drivers to choose electric cars over gas-powered models. To date, the project has issued over $340 million to consumers who now drive low- and no-emission vehicles.
The organization became the Center for Sustainable Energy in 2014 to reflect its growing expertise in engineering, technical assistance and program administration nationwide. By then, it had launched the statewide education and outreach campaign Energy Upgrade California® and become the manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to drive wider development of combined heat and power technologies throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii. More recently, CSE was selected by Massachusetts and Connecticut to administer their first statewide zero-emission vehicle incentive programs.
Today, CSE is expanding its services into other states to support policies and programs that drive implementation of emerging technologies like energy storage, distributed energy resources and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
About the Center for Sustainable Energy®
Accelerating the transition to a sustainable world powered by clean energy.
Founded in 1996, the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to developing a clean energy future that addresses climate change, increases energy independence and generates lasting economic and environmental benefits. CSE is helping to create this opportunity through its expertise in clean transportation, distributed energy resources, energy efficiency, energy engineering, and regulatory and policy support. Positioned as a trusted advisor, CSE partners with clients of all sizes to accelerate achievement of their sustainability objectives through a suite of energy services that include comprehensive program design and management, research and analysis, technical advising, incentive and rebate management, and education and outreach. CSE is headquartered in San Diego with offices in Boston, Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif. Learn more at EnergyCenter.org - Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
