Year in Review 2025
The California Alliance for Community Energy (CACE) is a statewide network of activists, advocates, and grassroots organizations committed to the support and defense of locally controlled and community-determined renewable energy programs. Our shared mission is to advance local clean energy for the environmental, economic, and social justice benefits of California’s communities.
As we reflect on 2025, CACE continues to navigate a challenging and rapidly shifting energy landscape while deepening our commitment to energy democracy, affordability, and community resilience. Building on the groundwork laid in 2023 and 2024, this year was marked by strategic rebuilding, renewed coordination, and intentional collaboration for the next phase of our work. While structural barriers remain, 2025 reaffirmed the importance (and growing urgency) of CACE’s role as a connector, convener, and trusted source of analysis in California’s energy justice movement.
2025 Challenges
The Alliance’s efforts in 2025 were shaped by ongoing structural, regulatory, and economic pressures that continue to constrain locally driven community energy solutions.
A Hostile Regulatory Environment
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) continued to advance policies favoring centralized, investor-owned utility (IOU) control over the electricity system. Rate increases approved in prior years continued to burden households across the state, disproportionately impacting low-income communities and communities of color. Despite growing public concern over affordability, regulatory decisions remained largely disconnected from the lived realities of ratepayers.
Key policies introduced in recent years, including eliminating Net Energy Metering, restrictions on Virtual Net Energy Metering, and limitations on community solar, continued to suppress rooftop solar adoption, reduce access for renters, schools, and multifamily housing, and undermine local clean energy development.
Affordability and Equity Pressures
As electricity costs continue to rise, wealthier customers are increasingly attracted to deserting the electrical grid by installing solar-plus-storage systems, while many low- and moderate-income households face mounting utility debt and shutoff risks. This widening divide reinforced CACE’s core concern: California’s centralized energy model deepens inequities rather than resolving them.
Organizational Transition and Capacity Building
2025 marked a continued period of organizational rebuilding following leadership transitions in prior years. While staff capacity increased modestly, the Steering Committee and Operations team worked within limited resources to stabilize internal systems, strengthen governance practices, and re-engage members statewide.
2025 Accomplishments
Despite these challenges, 2025 was a year of meaningful progress, laying essential groundwork for long-term impact.
Thought Leadership and Statewide Calls
CACE continued to serve as a trusted convener of statewide conversations on California energy policy. Monthly statewide calls brought together members, advocates, technical experts, and organizers to examine critical developments, from energy affordability and cost-of-capital proceedings to distributed energy resources, transmission planning, and utility accountability.
These calls reinforced CACE’s unique Statewide role at the intersection of technical analysis and community-centered advocacy, creating space for shared learning, strategic alignment, and cross-sector collaboration. Many of these calls can be reviewed at youtube.com/@caCommunityEnergy.
Affordable Energy Campaign Participation
In 2025, CACE joined the statewide Affordable Energy Campaign, a coalition of community, environmental justice, and consumer advocacy organizations working to reduce energy burdens for Californians and advance energy affordability as a justice issue.
Through this collaboration, CACE brought member expertise and a community energy perspective into statewide advocacy spaces. We contributed policy analysis, including a white paper on wildfire liability and its impacts on ratepayers and community energy programs, and participated in regular coordination meetings to share priorities and build relationships with partner organizations.
CACE also supported and amplified key campaign efforts, including cost-of-capital advocacy, by lifting up shared messages and encouraging member engagement. We are grateful to have received a generous grant from the 11th Hour Foundation to help fund our contributions to this campaign.
Membership Re-Engagement and Interviews
Recognizing that the strength of CACE lies in its members, 2025 prioritized reconnecting with our members across the state. Membership interviews and surveys helped update records, surface member priorities, and better understand the geographic and sectoral reach of the Alliance. This work improved internal data, strengthened relationships, and positioned CACE more effectively for future collaborations and funding opportunities.
Preparing for Task Forces
Throughout 2025, the Steering Committee laid the groundwork to launch issue-based task forces, offering CACE members opportunities to work with steering committee members on critical energy topics. These task forces are designed to activate member expertise, coordinate advocacy across priority topics, and create structured pathways for collaboration. Planning focused on clarity of purpose, governance alignment, and sustainable pacing to ensure task forces can produce meaningful outcomes over time. The task forces are being launched in 2026.
Internal Systems and Infrastructure
Behind the scenes, CACE made steady progress strengthening the internal infrastructure that supports our members and partners. Throughout the year, we updated internal policies, processes, and documentation, and reorganized core systems such as our Google Drive and email to improve clarity, consistency, and accessibility.
These updates helped modernize day-to-day operations, reduce administrative friction, and better support staff and volunteer leadership. Together, this foundational work positions CACE to grow thoughtfully, engage more effectively with partners, and collaborate more smoothly as our work continues to expand.
Looking Ahead
As CACE moves into 2026, the Alliance does so with renewed focus and direction. With an engaged Steering Committee, improved internal infrastructure, and stronger alignment with statewide partners, CACE is positioned to launch the next phase of its work.
Planned priorities include:
- Launching task forces to coordinate member expertise around affordability, energy democracy, and distributed energy resources
- Continuing energy-focused statewide calls and public education
- Working in coordination with the statewide Affordable Energy Campaign to advance shared policy and organizing priorities
- Strengthening digital communications and outreach
- Using strategic retreats to align long-term vision with near-term action
These efforts remain grounded in CACE’s Vision Statement:
The California Alliance for Community Energy envisions a community-based and democratized energy system that promotes affordable, resilient, local renewable energy resources, prioritizing low-income communities that have historically suffered from inequitable access to essentials such as affordable energy and a healthy environment.
And guided by our Mission Statement:
The California Alliance for Community Energy utilizes the knowledge, expertise, and commitment of its members to promote a more equitable, affordable, reliable, and resilient clean energy future. We seek collaboration with other organizations to educate Californians on the environmental, economic, and social justice benefits that arise from clean, locally controlled, and community-determined energy solutions—especially for communities whose needs have been historically overlooked or undermined.
We invite all who share this vision to continue building with us. The work ahead is urgent, but together, we can make progress toward our goals.