The Richmond Chamber of Commerce is pleased to share Marin Clean Energy‘s Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2015
Jamie Tuckey | Communications Director
415.464.6024 | jtuckey@mceCleanEnergy.org
Bay Area Program Achieves Gov. Brown’s 2030 Goal 18 Years Early
Marin Clean Energy offers 50-100% renewable energy today
SAN RAFAEL, CA — In his annual State of the State address, Governor Brown laid out what many across
the country are calling an ambitious energy plan. A key element of the plan is to increase California’s
renewable energy to 50% by 2030. The Bay Area’s first community choice public power agency, Marin
Clean Energy (MCE), achieved this goal 18 years ahead of schedule!
MCE launched service in 2010 with two service options: Light Green (now 50%renewable) and Deep
Green (100% renewable). Today MCE offers a third, 100% local solar service option: Local Sol.
Governor Brown believes his new 50% renewable energy goal is “absolutely necessary if we are to have
any chance of stopping potentially catastrophic changes to our climate system.” California currently
has a law dictating that the State’s electricity supply be 33% renewable by 2020.
MCE is a public, not-for-profit electricity agency that serves more than 125,000 customers in the Bay
Area. MCE customers have the power to choose energy products that are 50% to 100% renewable.
These renewable resources include solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal and hydroelectric. MCE’s rates
are cost-competitive with PG&E. MCE offers 50% renewable power at prices lower than PG&E – and
saved its customers over $5.9 million in 2014. MCE currently serves all of Marin County and the City of
Richmond and will soon be offering service to unincorporated Napa County and the cities of San Pablo,
El Cerrito, and Benicia.
Providing more renewable power for MCE’s customers achieves significant greenhouse gas reductions.
Since its launch in 2010, MCE has already reduced an estimated 131 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
MCE Executive Officer Dawn Weisz comments, “Simply by replacing fossil fuel purchases with
renewable energy like solar, geothermal and wind power, MCE is able to achieve huge greenhouse gas
reductions.” For example, the County of Marin reached their climate action plan greenhouse gas
reduction goal eight years ahead of schedule.
Through more renewable power, MCE also contributes to the construction of new California renewable
power sources, which create California jobs and grow the California economy. MCE will receive power
in 2016, 2017, and 2018 from the new EDP Renewables Rising Tree Wind Farm (Kern County, CA),
which created and supported over 300 California-based jobs. In total, 177 megawatts of new, California
renewable energy projects are under development for MCE customers – enough to provide power for
approximately 85,000 homes per year.
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About MCE: MCE is a not-for-profit, community-based electricity provider that gives customers the choice of having
50% to 100% of their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources such as solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal
and hydroelectric at competitive rates. By choosing MCE, customers help support new in-state and local renewable
energy generation. For more information about MCE, visit www.mceCleanEnergy.org or call 1 (888) 632?3674.