CleanPowerSF Receives Renowned C40 Cities Award in Copenhagen

San Francisco is being recognized as a global leader in sustainability.

CleanPowerSF, the San Francisco’s local renewable energy program, has won a C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award, a prestigious honor that provides international recognition for cities that are demonstrating climate action leadership. San Francisco was one of only seven winners from across the globe who were announced today at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen.

San Francisco City Hall.

CleanPowerSF has played a major role in San Francisco’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 36 percent below 1990 levels. The program will also help the City realize its ambitious climate action goals, including reaching 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and reducing net emissions to zero by 2050. Last month, Mayor Breed’s legislation to transition private commercial buildings of 50,000 square feet and larger to 100 percent renewable electricity was enacted into law.

Sales specialist Amanda Irmgard, second left, shows the Ou family their new electric bike at the New Wheel, an electric bike shop in San Francisco, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Alison Yin/AP Images for C40).

Veritable Vegetable, an organic produce distributor in San Francisco, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Alison Yin/AP Images for C40).

Operated by the SFPUC, CleanPowerSF launched in 2016 with a mission to provide San Francisco residents and businesses with the choice of having their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources at competitive rates. Following the largest and last enrollment period in April of this year, CleanPowerSF now serves more than 376,000 customers in San Francisco, a 360 percent increase from the year prior. With a 96 percent participation rate, the program is popular among businesses and residents.

CleanPowerSF was recognized by C40 Cities in “The Future We Want Requires Transformative Change” category. C40 Cities received 195 climate action projects this year, and submissions were evaluated on the following criteria: climate action, benefits, innovation, governance, and sharing and scaling. 

Butterfly Joint, a woodworking studio for kids in San Francisco, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Alison Yin/AP Images for C40).

Grant Rogers, the operations store manager at Last Minute Gear inspects and puts away sleeping bags at the shop, a store where you can rent adventuring and camping gear in San Francisco, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Alison Yin/AP Images for C40).

C40 Cities connects 94 of the world’s leading cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700 million residents and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level.