Delivering on Our Promise of Local Renewables

Learn about MCE’s local renewable energy projects.

Learn about MCE’s local renewable energy projects.

Photo: Cows love solar too! Local renewable energy projects like Cooley Quarry contribute to a healthier environment for all of us.

MCE has a total of 48 MW in our service area. All of MCE’s local projects over 1 MW were built with union labor. Projects built through our Feed-In Tariff also require prevailing wage and 50% local hire. Solar projects require pollinator-friendly groundcover throughout the project site.

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American Canyon Solar, MCE’s 1st Napa County Project

Located on approximately 21 acres, the American Canyon Solar Project is MCE’s first Feed-In Tariff project in Napa County. The annual output from the project is estimated to generate enough clean, locally-produced electricity to power approximately 1,000 homes per year. Now that the project is online and serving customers, it’s paying back dividends to the environment by displacing conventional, greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources with renewable, pollution-free solar.

MCE Solar Charge, MCE’s Mission in Action

MCE’s 10th local renewable project is a great example of MCE’s mission in action. Built by a local workforce, the 80kW PV solar system powers 10 Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports that are open to the public at MCE’s San Rafael office. The project generates approximately 120,000 kWh per year, supports up to 10 charging sessions at a time, and offsets usage in MCE’s adjacent office building.

MCE Solar Charge stations provide 100% renewably-powered EV charging in two ways:

  • When the sun is shining, the charging stations will draw energy from the solar array.
  • Any other time, MCE’s Deep Green 100% renewable energy will be used to support electricity needs.

MCE Solar Charge was built by Marin-based American Solar Corporation, with EV stations funded in part by Transportation Authority of Marin and Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

nine electric vehicles parked, connected to charging ports in MCE San Rafael office parking lot under carport shade structure

Biogas at the Central Marin Sanitation Agency

Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) processes wastewater solids, food waste, and other organic liquids to produce a biogas that fuels an electric generation system. This system powers the agency’s facilities, and delivers the excess renewable power to MCE through MCE’s Feed-In Tariff program. As the largest wastewater treatment facility in Marin County, CMSA creates a sustainable loop by converting the biogas produced by the treatment process into renewable energy.

MCE Solar One, One of the Bay Area’s Largest Public-Private Solar Partnership

MCE Solar One was conceived by the Richmond community to integrate renewable energy and solar facilities in the Chevron Modernization Project. MCE teamed up with RichmondBUILD — which has successfully graduated hundreds of students and placed an impressive 80% of its graduates into well paying jobs — to train and hire its skilled, local graduates for the project.

Environmental and Local Benefits:

  • Expected to eliminate 3,234 metric tons of carbon dioxide in one year, equivalent to taking more than 680 fossil fueled cars off of the road annually*
  • Repurposed 60 acres of a remediated brownfield site
  • Supported 341 jobs
  • Maximized local economic benefits by requiring 50% local resident workforce and engaging Richmond–based contractors and supplier
*Based on the EPA’s greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator.

Landfill Gas-to-Energy at the Redwood Landfill

Yesterday’s trash is tomorrow’s electricity. Waste Management and MCE have ushered in a new era of power generation with the launch of a new landfill gas-to-energy plant. The state-of-the-art plant uses methane gas produced at the Redwood Landfill to power two reciprocating engines that generate electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This renewable energy source closes the loop on trash by turning a greenhouse gas, which was previously destroyed, into electricity. A sophisticated, multi-step scrubbing system removes carbon particulates, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide, making this plant the first of its kind to be nearly emissions free. At $51 million, the plant reflects Waste Management’s commitment to finding environmentally sustainable solutions to its operations, and MCE’s goal to source 100% renewable energy as close to customers as possible.

EO Products

Local manufacturers of natural and organic body care products, EO’s San Rafael headquarters and manufacturing plant is the site of MCE’s sixth Feed-In Tariff (FIT) project: a 60-kilowatt rooftop solar installation. As a participant of MCE’s FIT program, EO Products has added an additional revenue stream while further reducing their overall carbon footprint. As an MCE Deep Green Champion, when the sun isn’t shining, EO Products’ operations are powered by MCE’s Deep Green 100% renewable energy service.

large scale rooftop solar system on commercial building, tree filled hillsides, clear sky, dusk

Oakley Executive RV Boat & Storage

Owner and solar developer Hayworth-Fabian, LLC have deepened their commitment to sustainability by expanding upon an existing 1.5 megawatt solar carport shade structure at Oakley Executive RV Boat & Storage. Built by Baja Construction, the 1-megawatt addition was developed under MCE’s Feed-In Tariff program, which incentivizes local development of small-scale renewable energy projects within MCE’s service area.

drone view of large scale solar system spread on multiple carport shade structures, agriculture land and delta in background

Novato Cooley Quarry

With the help of Danlin Solar, REP Energy, and the Novato Cooley Quarry, MCE has flipped the switch on a new community solar farm. The project was developed under MCE’s Feed-In Tariff, a standard offer contract for local renewable projects. The Cooley Quarry project will supply Local Sol customers with brand new 100% solar energy.

One of our long-term goals is to give every resident and business in our service area access to affordable clean energy from sources as local as possible. Not everyone is a homeowner, and not every homeowner can install solar panels on their home, but everyone should have access to solar energy. Now with Local Sol, anyone in our service area can harness the power of the sun. Enroll online to take advantage of the solar energy produced at the Cooley Quarry in Novato.

Become a Local Sol Founding Customer

Freethy Industrial Park

Freethy Industrial Park – a new, two-megawatt, ground-mounted solar project – is MCE’s third Feed-In Tariff project. Bob Herbst, property manager for JHS Properties, managed MCE’s first FIT project, which came online in 2012 at the San Rafael Airport. Sunstall Inc. and the City of Richmond’s RichmondBUILD program provided labor to construct the solar panel installation, which supported 23 jobs. Three permanent jobs were created for Energy Systems Development to maintain the system for ten years.

large scale solar system on dirt ground, electrical tower, clear sky, clouds, mountains in distance

Cost Plus Plaza Larkspur

Taking advantage of MCE’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program, Rawson, Blum & Leon (RBL) is utilizing unused rooftop space at the Cost Plus World Market in Larkspur. To help incentivize local renewable projects such as this, MCE purchases electricity from FIT projects at an above market rate. The project — developed by RBL and Alta Energy — came online in 2016.

rooftop solar system on commercial building, tree filled hillsides, clear sky, clouds

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

This local project was negotiated as part of MCE’s Cottonwood solar contract with Dominion to build another 23 MW of solar energy in central California. This one MW solar carport shade structure was built on a parking lot at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the nation’s first independent research facility focused solely on the connection between aging and chronic disease. The project came online in 2016 and supported 25 construction jobs, provided by Cupertino Electric, an IBEW 1245 Signatory contractor.

San Rafael Airport Solar

Airports have a ton of roof space to spare, so why not convert them into solar surfaces? In 2012, that’s exactly what the San Rafael Airport decided to do. The airport is selling 100% of the locally generated electricity to MCE through our Feed-In Tariff contract. You can even see how much energy the airport is generating right this minute!

  • Designed by San Rafael-based REP Energy
  • Built in 2012 by Muir Beach-based Synapse Electric
  • 20 jobs employed by Synapse Electric for project construction
  • Employees identified by Marin City Community Development Corporation and CLP Resources
  • Locally financed by Bank of Marin and businessman Joe Shekou
  • 85% of the solar panels are American-made, manufactured by REC Group
  • 100% of the inverters are American-made, manufactured by Power-One

You have the power to make a difference in your community by supporting local renewables!

These projects are just the beginning of a brighter future for all of us. Help us to build even more renewable energy projects right in our member communities. When you opt up to Deep Green, half of your monthly premium will be used for pre-development costs like permitting. Join us as we build a self-supporting clean energy economy that will help address climate change and recharge our local economies.

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