Cleen’n green? BBOSS? It’s Not Your Father’s Electric Company

For decades we got our electricity from corporations with serious names that were appropriate for a stodgy, regulated collection of monopolies.

Now companies are out there trying to sell energy with such monikers as Friendly Power, Cleen’n green and Undercurrents.

As yet, no “Electrons R Us” or “McEnergy” has signed up with the California Public Utilities Commission.

But instead of utilities named after Thomas Alva Edison (like Southern California You-Know-What) or their main lines of business (like San Diego Gas & Electric), customers will have to learn the names of a whole new cast of characters.

Here are the Big Three among the new electricity service providers who have been most successful so far in marketing energy in California:

* New Energy Ventures. The Los Angeles-based company has signed contracts with such users as the city of San Jose, the Robinsons-May department store chain and Ralphs grocery stores. The contracts represent more than 1,000 megawatts of annual electricity usage valued at more than $1 billion.

* PG&E; Energy Services. The San Francisco-based company is an unregulated subsidiary of Pacific Gas & Electric and has signed contracts representing about 1,000 megawatts of annual electricity usage, valued at more than $1 billion.

Some of its big contracts include McDonald’s restaurants, Blockbuster Video stores and the Safeway-Vons grocery chain.

* Enron Power Marketing. A unit of Houston-based Enron, the world’s biggest integrated natural gas and electricity company.

Enron Power has been marketing aggressively in California and signed large contracts with the University of California and California State University systems, among others. It has not released any megawatt or revenue tallies for its contracts, but industry sources estimate that the company is a close third behind New Energy Ventures and PG&E; Energy Services.

Here are the other companies that have registered with the California Public Utilities Commission to market electricity and have valid service agreements with one or more of the state’s three big investor-owned utilities:

ABAG Power, Oakland

American Energy Solutions, Mission, Kan.

Ancor, Yucaipa, Calif.

APS, Phoenix

Avista Mock Energy, Irvine

BBOSS, Los Angeles

California Polar Power Brokers, San Francisco

California Light & Power Company, La Jolla

California Statewide Electric, Glendale

Christian Energy Electrical, Lynwood

Cleen’n green, San Jose

Commonwealth Energy, Tustin

CSW Energy Services, Tulsa, Okla.

Duke Energy Trading & Marketing, Houston

DukeSolutions, Charlotte, N.C.

Eastern Pacific Energy, Brea

Edison Electric & Power, Carson

Edison Source, Industry

Electric Potential, Houston

EMON, San Diego

Energy Exchange, Carson

Energy Pacific, Los Angeles

Energy Suppliers of America, Stockton

Engage Energy US, Houston

FA Industries, San Diego

Friendly Power, Miami Lakes, Fla.

Green Mountain Energy Resources, Burlington, Vt.

Illinova Energy Partners, Midvale, Utah

ITT Powercom, Industry

Keystone Energy Services, Los Angeles

Montana Power Trading & Marketing, Butte, Mont.

New West Energy, Tempe, Ariz.

Nicom, Encinitas, Calif.

Noresco, Framingham, Mass.

Nxis, Mission Viejo

Pacific Coast Power, Belmont, Calif.

Pacific Power, Pomona

People’s Utility, Santa Margarita

PowerCom Energy & Communications Access, Los Angeles

Power Source 2000, Pico Rivera

PowerUSA, Washington

PowerSource, Beverly Hills

Preferred Energy Services, San Jose

QST Energy, Peoria, Ill.

Scana Energy Marketing, Columbia, S.C.

Seattle City Light, Seattle

Symmetry Device Research, Reno

Undercurrents, San Rafael, Calif.

United Gas Management, Toronto

Utilisys, San Diego

Vista Group Telecom California International, Westlake, Ohio