FAQs

The Study will help the region understand how we can meet our current and future energy needs by identifying how much energy can be generated and stored by infill renewable energy systems to balance increasing loads. It also identifies actions to improve regional coordination and align of community priorities with infill energy opportunities.  

This project is led by the County’s Office of Sustainability & Environmental Justice (OSEJ) with technical support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL - the National Renewable Energy Laboratory). NLR is a public, unbiased research organization that uses local context, data, maps, models, tools, and software to analyze and develop advanced energy technologies. The County is also leading community engagement to provide local context. 

In addition to the County and NLR, the Study team will engage a broad range of participants in the region. This includes San Diego Community Power and the Clean Energy Alliance, cities, Tribes, community groups, residents, universities, other regional agencies, and energy-focused non-profits.

Every year, our region uses over 22,000 Giga-watt Hours of electricity. In 25 years, this demand is expected to more than double to 50,000 Giga-watt Hours.

As of May 2025, our region already produces at least 2,140 GW of electricity through solar systems on homes and businesses but has the potential for more.

The Study will not have any direct effect on your energy bills. The Study will model the potential cost impacts (on-bill) of different scenarios of infill renewable generation and storage.

The Study team is working closely with the administrators of local energy programs (like the Clean Energy Alliance, San Diego Community Power, and the San Diego Regional Energy Network) to offer technical insights that support regional coordination.

The Study is part of the County‘s Regional Decarbonization Framework (RDF), which promotes public, private, and civic interests working together to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2045. The Energy ARC Study was directed by the Board of Supervisors in May 2023 to expand and add additional local context to the energy analysis in the 2021 RDF Technical Report.

The Draft Study will be available for review on this Engage page in Spring 2027. In the interim, you can contribute to the effort by participating in a public meeting (events will be scheduled throughout the Study period and posted on this Engage page) and/or offering ideas and feedback on this Engage page or by emailing us directly.  

In 2027, NLR will produce a public report of its findings. The County will also create resources to describe local best practices and potential actions. The goals of this engagement are to identify barriers to creating renewable energy and its benefit to communities. It will focus on communities that are most-affected by energy challenges.