by Bob Spofford

Marin Clean Energy, Marin’s unique green electricity option, is now expanding to include all households and businesses in Marin County. To date, only about 15,000 customers have been able to join MCE as it conducted a conservative “walk before we run” phased introduction. This April, however, the first of five mailings went out to the remaining 80,000 customers in the county announcing that, unless they opt-out and choose to stay with PG&E, their electricity will be supplied by MCE starting in July.

MCE is a unique hybrid arrangement, through which the Marin Energy Authority (MCE’s parent agency) buys the electricity, but PG&E still owns the infrastructure, distributes the electricity, reads the meters, and handles all billing and customer service.

MCL has strongly supported Marin Clean Energy from its inception, and before that the Community Choice Aggregation legislation in 2002 that made it possible. Why? Because energy to light and heat buildings is the second largest source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Marin (transportation is first), and it is the only source of GHGs where massive, widespread reductions can be achieved with the flip of a switch. If we increase the proportion of our electricity supply that comes from renewable, carbon-free sources, the GHG footprint of all our buildings will be reduced overnight. Other climate action measures can only reduce carbon emissions slowly—one project or one vehicle at a time.

That’s why the Climate Action Plans published to date by cities in Marin identify the switch to Marin Clean Energy (or the switch to renewable energy in general) as the single most impactful action they can take to reduce GHG emissions. San Anselmo’s plan is typical, showing MCE having five times the impact of any other measure. (Appendix B, page 46).

Today, electricity from MCE is 50 percent renewable, while PG&E only just meets the state-mandated minimum of 20 percent renewable. Further, anyone in Marin can sign up today for MCE’s “Deep Green” 100 percent renewable option for a few dollars a month over their regular rate. PG&E offers nothing like this.

As MCE’s roll-out nears, naysayers are again trying to spread uncertainty and doubt about MCE. The claim they repeat most often is that MCE is just a bookkeeping exercise—that it isn’t actually creating any new renewable energy. It is true that three years ago, under the “walk before we run” strategy, MEA’s first renewable energy purchases were all from existing facilities. However, in January, 2011, MEA signed a contract to expand two landfill-gas-to-energy projects in Yolo and Solano counties specifically to supply MCE. Then in July, MEA signed a 20-year contract for 31 Megawatts of new solar electricity. One megawatt of this will be built in Marin, and the rest will be built over degraded or unusable vacant land in the Central Valley.

All this is new, clean, renewable generation that would not exist without contracts from Marin, and proposals for additional projects like these are under review. By the end of the decade, MCE will be approaching 100 percent clean renewable power, most of it generated by projects built specifically for MEA.

Marin residents don’t have to do anything to switch to Marin Clean Energy. It will happen automatically in July. However, if you have questions or want to sign up for “Deep Green” service, you can visit the MCE website or call MCE at 888-632-3674.

Back to top

Back to Newsletter