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

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, to discuss the rise of community choice aggregation (CCA) and its role in accelerating California’s clean energy transition. Karin has led SDCP since 2021, 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