The Caltrain Board of Directors voted to enroll with San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE), a Community Clean Energy (CCE) program, to provide energy to Caltrain facilities in the city of San Jose. This decision means that 100% of Caltrain’s power comes from renewable sources starting in 2019.

Last March, Caltrain enrolled with five other CCE programs throughout its corridor that have provided approximately half of the electricity used by the system. At the time, San Jose did not have a CCE program, but the city of San Jose voted to create SJCE in May 2017 and the agency is scheduled to begin service in March of next year.

Enrolling with SJCE will eliminate approximately 660 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of the annual carbon footprint of over 1.6 million passenger vehicle miles at a cost only 4.8% higher than it would have been with PG&E. This estimate does not account for Caltrain’s electricity consumption post-electrification, but staff is currently evaluating the agency’s options.

This past September, California enacted Senate Bill 100 which requires that the state’s electricity come from 100% greenhouse gas-free sources by 2045.