EP.257 Karin Burns on Community Choice Aggregators and the Clean Energy Transition in California

30/09/2025 42 min Episodio 257
EP.257 Karin Burns on Community Choice Aggregators and the Clean Energy Transition in California

Listen "EP.257 Karin Burns on Community Choice Aggregators and the Clean Energy Transition in California"

Episode Synopsis

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Karin Burns, CEO of San Diego Community Power (SDCP). She joins Oliver Kerr, Aurora’s Managing Director for North America, and Farhad Billimoria, Head of US West Research, to discuss the rise of community choice aggregation (CCA) and its role in accelerating California’s clean energy transition.
Karin has led SDCP since 2022, overseeing its rapid growth into one of the largest CCAs in California, now serving nearly one million customers. With a background spanning international finance, non-profit leadership and sustainability strategy, she brings a unique perspective on how community-led models can deliver clean, affordable and reliable energy.
Main topics include:

What community choice aggregation is and how it is reshaping California’s power market
Balancing decarbonisation with affordability and reliability for customers
The impact of federal policy changes and rapid demand growth from AI and data centres
How distributed resources and virtual power plants can enhance resilience in local energy systems

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