On February 19th, the EcoBlock team participated in the Advanced Energy Communities Symposium in Oakland, CA.
As one of four Advanced Energy Community (AEC) pilot projects, the Oakland EcoBlock adopts an integrated approach to advancing local climate protection, economic and job growth, and public health with a focus on disadvantaged communities. The event allowed stakeholders—specifically community and local government leaders, policymakers, and energy and climate program implementers—to explore potential program designs and scaling strategies as the pilots near completion. Attendees assessed project outcomes, considered policy recommendations, and informed a policy and program roadmap to advance California’s resilience, equity, affordability, and climate goals.
In the morning, Advanced Energy Community project leads shared learnings from AEC pilot projects funded by the California Energy Commission. In the afternoon, participants engaged in a strategic dialogue about how the AEC models can accelerate community-led clean energy and decarbonization initiatives to enhance local resiliency, equity, and affordability. The session highlighted distributed energy resource deployment and aggregation strategies, including virtual power plants, community microgrids, and innovative community engagement.
The symposium was hosted by The Climate Center, Zero Net Energy Alliance, Community Energy & Equity Resources, MCE, The Energy Coalition, and the California Institute for Energy and Environment at UC Berkeley, with support from the California Energy Commission.
- Plenary Session (EcoBlock portion starts at 44:11)
- Business Models and Community Value Creation: Advanced DSM & DER Strategies (EcoBlock portion starts at 50:02)
- Community and Customer Engagement (EcoBlock portion starts at 26:05)
- Microgrid & DER Network Barriers & Opportunities – Technology, Policy & Regulation (EcoBlock portion starts at 28:39)
Read event recaps from Microgrid Knowledge and Quitting Carbon