Some Pacific Gas & Electric customers in the Santa Clara Valley will be able to choose renewable carbon-free energy to power their homes next year.

At a Nov. 14 panel discussion hosted by the League of Women Voters of Southwest Santa Clara County, residents of municipalities participating in Silicon Valley Clean Energy were able to ask questions and receive additional information about the clean energy they could use to power their homes and businesses beginning in April.

The panel discussion was held at Campbell City Hall with Councilwoman Liz Gibbons, Los Gatos Town Councilman Rob Rennie and Misty Mersich, Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s communication manager.

Silicon Valley Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that will allow municipalities to purchase renewable and carbon-free energy at rates that the organization says are competitive with PG&E. Participating jurisdictions include Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and the unincorporated parts of Santa Clara County.

The evening discussion saw more than a dozen residents who asked how costs will differ from PG&E, what programs will still stay in place and if customers can choose to stay or leave Silicon Valley Clean Energy.

“It’s locally run and it’s transparent,” Mersich said during the discussion. “And if you have a problem with something or you’re not getting something, you can come to the board meetings and speak to an actual board of elected officials who are locally appointed and tell them what you think.”

By April, PG&E customers residing in participating cities will automatically be enrolled into the program. The organization says rates will be lower than what PG&E offers per kilowatt hour.

Rennie said Silicon Valley Clean Energy will offer two products: Green Start and Green Prime.

Green Start lets customers purchase electricity that is at a rate 1 percent lower than PG&E and is 50 percent renewable and 50 percent hydroelectric energy. Green Prime offers electricity at rates 5 to 15 percent higher than Green Start and is both 100 percent greenhouse gas-free and 100 percent renewable energy. Both options offer 100 percent carbon-free energy. Rates for both options will stay the same until January 2019.

Gibbons acknowledged that city owned facilities in Campbell will be upgraded to Green Prime. Customers will soon receive two notices by mail about enrollment, according to Merisch. Sixty days after enrollment, two notices will be sent alerting PG&E customers they have also been enrolled.

According to Mersich, Silicon Valley Clean Energy is waiting for PG&E to release its rates for the next year to determine what rate would constitute “at least 1 percent lower. ”

Customers can opt out of the program and continue to receive their energy from PG&E.

Bills, emergency responses and programs such as rebates and subsidies will still remain under PG&E’s control. Electricity will be distributed through PG&E’s utility lines.

For more information, visit svcleanenergy.org.