By Dave McCoard
In 2010 MCE was formed in Marin County as California’s first Community Choice program — a game-changing alternative to the investor-owned utility model that enables cities and counties to pool electricity customers and form a local power agency. Since then, MCE has been an exemplar of what the Community Choice model can do for customers, communities, and the environment. As of this spring, Concord, Danville, Martinez, Moraga, Oakley, Pinole, Pittsburg, San Ramon, and unincorporated Contra Costa County are enjoying these benefits as the newest MCE member communities. MCE also serves Marin, Napa, and most of Contra Costa County’s other cities.
MCE has established a solid financial base and is investing in local clean energy projects. In addition to providing local energy, these projects create jobs and economic development for the community. MCE has developed several local renewable energy sources, including Richmond’s 10.5-megawatt Solar One solar farm, which generated 341 jobs and flipped the switch in December 2017.
Now that it’s providing power to nearly all of Contra Costa, MCE is putting down even deeper roots. It has signed a multi-trade project labor agreement for medium- and large-scale solar projects in Contra Costa, to be union-built and to create local jobs. MCE is also collaborating with Future Build in Pittsburg to establish MCE’s first local call center. And MCE is planning to open an East Bay office in Concord’s downtown area, creating economic and job benefits.
For more details on local renewable energy projects, visit www.mcecleanenergy.org/local-projects.
Dave McCoard is co-chair of the Bay Chapter's Energy & Climate Committee
Image: Community Choice Energy development in California. Explore an interactive version of this map at https://cal-cca.org.