Part 1: Ava Energy

If you’re a Berkeley resident, you’re probably familiar with Ava Energy. They’ve been the source of Berkeley’s renewable energy since 2018. But did you know that they also have a resiliency hub program? The night before Halloween, we have two representatives coming to talk about Ava Energy. They’ll provide:

• • An overview of Ava Community Energy, including a brief history of the agency and its community investments 
  • Information Ava past and present local programs offered by Ava to drive electrification and renewable energy adoption
  • Preview of upcoming solar and storage program with potential to provide backup power during outages
  • An introduction to ‘resilience hubs’, what they are and what purpose they can serve in the event of a power outage

About Ava Community Energy

Ava is a not-for-profit public agency that provides electricity generation services to residents in Alameda and San Joaquin counties. As a local community choice power supplier (“CCA”), Ava is committed to providing its customers with clean, green electricity at low rates. Ava also reinvests its revenue back into the community through local electrification programs, clean power projects, and community organizations.

James Cunningham is the Outreach and Engagement Manager for Ava Community Energy. He leads the outreach team’s efforts to strengthen Ava’s presence, reputation, and impact in the communities Ava serves via events, sponsorships, and community partnerships. Before joining Ava, James spent 8.5 years at GRID Alternatives, where he first led the organization’s local Bay Area outreach team before joining GRID’s HQ to support org-wide outreach operations. Prior to that, he spent 5 years at Sungevity holding various positions within the sales department. James has a B.A. from The Evergreen State College and applies his interdisciplinary education to his work, which now spans more than 15 years of community-facing functions across nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors.

Shuge Luo works on community outreach, partnerships, and sponsorships at Ava. She educates customers about Ava’s electricity service, programs, and electrification resources at local events. Shuge is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Interdisciplinary Studies Field program, where she studied how art and environmental design help us build a stronger sense of belonging. Shuge loves cooperative movements, California ecology, and music.

Part 2: Electrical Power during an Emergency: a community discussion

Have you thought about what power resources you’ll need in an emergency? Have you come up with solutions you’d like to share? Come and join the second portion of this session to share and learn from neighbors about how to prepare for a major power outage.