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Clean power is only half the story; affordability and access are the real battleground.

Clean Power Alliance is reshaping how Southern California thinks about energy—not just by supplying cleaner power, but by redefining what a community-driven utility can look like. In this conversation, Kara Renée explains how a nonprofit energy provider has become the largest green-power supplier in the United States, securing decades-long renewable contracts, lowering volatility for customers, and reinvesting revenue back into the 36 cities it serves. Her passion is unmistakable, and her clarity about the future of energy is refreshing in an industry often clouded by complexity and politics.

She also shares how EV adoption, power demand, and charging infrastructure are changing faster than most people realize. From billions invested in battery storage to the launch of their EV Smart Charge program—designed to help residents charge when electricity is cheapest—Clean Power Alliance is betting big on affordability, resiliency, and a safer grid. This is a look at the future of clean energy that feels practical, community-first, and genuinely hopeful.

00:00 – The energy provider no one sees coming

00:39 – How Clean Power Alliance actually works

01:41 – Clean energy vs. affordability: the real tension

03:20 – Why “local, local, local” changes everything

04:14 – How cities decide to join the movement

05:55 – California’s rising power demand problem

06:55 – The role of storage in stabilizing the grid

07:34 – The future of EV charging and municipal electrification

08:58 – A smarter way to charge your EV

Learn more about Cara Renee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-rene-b9a10636/

Learn more about the Clean Power Alliance: https://cleanpoweralliance.org/

Our coverage of Automobility LA is brought to you by our friends at Cars Commerce: https://www.carscommerce.inc/

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