Community Choice in Action: The Power of MCE

MCE is a Business Reporter client.

Community choice aggregation, also known as community choice or CCA, allows residents and businesses to purchase electricity from locally controlled public agencies operating on behalf of their communities. Communities buying energy benefit from reinvestments in tailored programs and services as well as social equity, economic and workforce development opportunities.

CCAs offer a unique value proposition that allows communities to control where their energy comes from and how their electricity dollars are spent. This innovative energy model is resonating throughout California, and, with MCE as its first CCA, there are now 24 CCAs serving the state.

A recent study by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation highlights the massive growth of CCAs in California over the past 10 years. The number of Californians who have a CCA option has grown from 1% in 2010 to 30% today. Across California, up to 6.2 million residents have a default CCA[?] electricity product that is, on average, 50% renewable and 80% carbon-free energy. This is significantly more sustainable compared to the incumbent investor-owned utilities that, on average, offer 33% renewable and 64% carbon-free energy.

Who is MCE?

As California’s first CCA, MCE has been setting the standard for energy innovation in its communities since 2010. MCE offers cleaner power at stable rates while significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and enabling tens of millions of dollars to be reinvested in local energy programs. MCE provides electricity service to more than 480,000 customer accounts and more than 1 million residents and businesses in 36 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Contra Costa, Marin, Napa and Solano.

MCE’s standard service, Light Green, has offered a minimum of 60% renewable energy since 2017, meeting state renewable energy goals 13 years ahead of schedule. By 2022, its Light Green service will be approximately 95% greenhouse gas free, and it will grow to 85% renewable by 2029. In addition to this standard service, MCE also offers two 100% renewable energy services: Deep Green and Local Sol.

MCE was started by a community committed to environmental justice and clean energy, and is governed by a board of locally elected officials who reflect the interests of the communities they serve. As a not-for-profit public agency, MCE customers can influence its policies and programs through public meetings, ensuring that all people, regardless of race, color, national origin and income can influence MCE’s development.

MCE has been committed to energy equity since its inception, working with its communities to advance equity through its programs and services. Part of its mission is to support those who are most impacted by climate change and fossil fuels.

Community reinvestment[Investment?]

During MCE’s first 10 years of service, it reindvested more than $180 million into its member communities through programs such as energy storage and resiliency, energy efficiency services, local renewable energy development and income-qualifying rebates to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), solar, heat pump water heaters, smart thermostats and batteries.

MCE’s Energy Storage Program launched in July 2020 with the goal of deploying 15 megawatt-hours of customer-owned, behind-the-meter battery energy storage systems over two years. The dispatchable batteries are paired with solar and are programmed to provide immediate backup power and daily peak load reduction, resulting in reduced emissions and electricity costs. In addition, MCE provided immediate support to medical baseline customers during the 2020 fire season by distributing 100 portable, off-grid batteries to medically vulnerable customers. To date, MCE’s board has approved $10 million in support of energy storage and resiliency projects.

Its clean transportation programs reinvested more than $4 million throughout its service area in EV charging infrastructure and income-qualifying vehicle rebates. With 1,000 new charging ports, MCE has met more than 40% of the need for EV charging infrastructure in its service area.

MCE’s Feed-in-Tariff projects are another mechanism for local reinvestment, helping to build new renewable energy capacity and to support local economic development through requirements for 50% local hires and prevailing wages. Working with project developers and local workforce development agencies, MCE has reinvested more than $81 million in 35 megawatts of renewable projects in its service area. These projects, combined with MCE’s energy efficiency programs and income-qualified solar rebates, also reinvested more than $440,000 directly into workforce development, supporting more than 2,250 work hours and training over 60 individuals.

The just transition

As we move toward a more climate-friendly future, it’s important to consider the cost of this shift away from fossil fuels, which still employs a large portion of the energy workforce. In 2017, MCE implemented a sustainable workforce and diversity policy focused on creating equitable clean energy jobs. This policy outlines MCE’s commitment to diversity and inclusion regarding contracting for power resources, procuring goods and services and implementing hiring initiatives, and calls for quality training, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, fair wages and direct hiring practices that promote diversity in the workplace.

MCE’s workforce development partners work directly with job seekers in the community, providing on-the-job training and skill-building. Many programs work with underserved populations, including low-income residents and those who were previously incarcerated. MCE is proud to partner with these programs to provide direct pathways into family-sustaining jobs in green energy.

Looking ahead

MCE and California’s CCA energy agencies have been innovating and advancing clean energy throughout the state since 2010. CCAs are instrumental in MCE’s ability to meet and accelerate its clean energy goals and achieve a 100% clean energy grid by 2045. CCAs are able to do this while providing significant community benefits. The power of CCAs is the power to drive innovation while building a brighter future that benefits all communities.

The climate is in our hands. What action will you take? The future is now. For more information, visit mcecleanenergy.org.

— Dawn Weisz, CEO,MCE

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_{This article originally appeared on Business Reporter. Image credit: iStock-1097731282}