March 8, 2024
Via email to: Shawn Marshall, CEO
Peninsula Clean Energy
2075 Woodside Rd
Redwood City, CA 94061
Dear Shawn,
First, we would like to thank you for all the steps PCE has taken to freeze electricity rates and provide outreach grants. Even more impressive is the substantial funding PCE is offering in its Community Reinvestment Package.
We have been encouraging cities in our Chapter to consider investing in local energy resources such as microgrids systems of rooftop solar units with battery backup. On-site clean energy microgrids offer tremendous advantages over the long-distance transmission model of utility scale solar and wind farms, advantages such as much faster speed to deployment and energy resiliency since microgrids can isolate from the big grid during grid outages. Furthermore, the cost to operate local energy microgrids are much lower in the long run compared to utility scale remote transmission systems according to recent studies.
We know that given the political-economic dynamics in our country and the vigorous lobbying by industry groups, the less resilient as well as the much longer period to deployment, and much costlier long distance utility scale model will continue to prevail. Nonetheless, we still believe that it would serve the public good and expedite our transition to clean energy if just a small percentage of the clean energy resources (10 to 25%) in local communities consists of on-site rooftop solar microgrids.
It is very encouraging to hear that PCE is offering funds in its Community Reinvestment Package for local energy resources, including microgrids. We hope to publicize this among city officials in San Mateo and will be asking them to pinpoint a location for a microgrids project; it can be a city-owned building (e.g. library, firehouse, community center, etc.), or a low-income multifamily complex, which has the added advantage of being eligible for federal IRA and Infrastructure Act funds as well. This envisioned microgrids entity will serve as a demonstration project in the city and will have a practical purpose as well because it will provide backup power to residents during times of grid outage. We hope that the existence of this microgrids entity will motivate city residents to consider rooftop solar/battery backup microgrids for their own homes.
It would help facilitate such local clean energy microgrids projects if PCE forms a small task force whose part-time responsibility is to assist local officials with their clean energy projects.
Again, we cannot thank you enough for all that PCE has accomplished to expedite our transition to a clean energy future. I still remember working with you, Supervisor Dave Pine, and the rest of the members of the community advisory committee to realize our dream of a publicly-owned and managed Community Choice Aggregation organization that would serve the public good.
What PCE has become today has exceeded all of our expectations, and your leadership has been an integral part of PCE’s success from its very beginning.
We look forward to meeting with you soon to discuss how PCE can help San Mateo cities with their microgrids projects.
Towards a Sustainable Future,
Sue Chow
Chair, Environmental Stewardship Projects Program
Vice Chair, Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club
sue.chow@lomaprieta.sierraclub.org