Project receives nearly $100,000 to power critical facility needs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2024
Press Contact:
Jackie Nuñez, Bilingual Communications Manager
(925) 695-2124 | communications@mceCleanEnergy.org
SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — This Valentine’s Day, West Marin residents living in select affordable housing sites in San Geronimo will power up with more than just love from local partners – but with new battery storage and solar panels too.
Three senior housing sites at Sage Lane, owned by Two Valleys Community Land Trust, have activated solar paired battery storage systems valued at $100,000 to power critical facility needs. One of the sites without existing solar also received new solar panels.
MCE led the joint effort to fund the project with no out-of-pocket costs to the Land Trust. This includes a direct contribution of more than $36,000 from MCE, $32,000 from a Marin Community Foundation grant awarded to MCE, and $24,000 from the California Public Utilities Commission’s Self Generation Incentive Program, secured by MCE’s project partners.
“We are always looking for ways to improve the quality of life for our residents,” said Kit Krauss, Board Chair of the Two Valleys Community Land Trust. “Battery backup during power outages is very important to our senior residents and gives them peace of mind.”
Each day, while the sun is shining, the battery will charge up from solar produced onsite. When the sun goes down and electricity prices are at their peak from 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., the building will use solar energy from the battery to power its needs.
“MCE is a part of the community fabric and we understand local needs,” said Dawn Weisz, MCE’s CEO. “That’s why we make projects like this happen, helping folks most burdened by energy costs and climate change.”
The new project:
- Installed 10-kWh batteries at three housing sites and 9.45 kW of new solar at one site,
- Will earn nearly $3,000 in monthly MCE bill credits for daily load shifting,
- Saves the Two Valleys Community Land Trust an estimated $0.22 per kWh over the next seven years for discharging energy during peak use hours, and
- Reduces energy costs and carbon emissions.
The batteries and solar panels, installed with love by SonoMarin Solar and Electric, started operating in January 2024.
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About MCE: MCE is a not-for-profit public agency and the preferred electricity provider for more than 586,000 customer accounts and 1.5 million residents and businesses across Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties. Setting the standard for clean energy in California since 2010, MCE leads with 60-100% renewable power at stable rates, delivering a 1,400 MW peak load and significantly reducing greenhouse emissions and reinvesting millions in local programs. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org, or follow us on your preferred social platform @mceCleanEnergy.
About Two Valleys Community Land Trust (formerly the San Geronimo Valley Affordable Housing Association): The Two Valleys Community Land Trust is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that owns and operates three shared housing units rented to six low-income seniors on Sage Lane and the Forest Knolls Mobile Home Park with 19 owner-occupied spaces on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Forest Knolls. We are currently renovating a new 3-unit property for affordable housing and seeking to expand to provide affordable housing throughout the San Geronimo and Nicasio Valleys of Northern California.
About SonoMarin Solar and Electric: SonoMarin Solar and Electric provides top-quality solar and electrical services for customers in the North Bay. Our company seeks to provide these services in a timely manner with an ongoing comprehensive quality control program to ensure work is completed to the highest standard. Our goal is to see that our customers are 100% satisfied. We see each contract as an agreement not between a business and its customers, but between partners that wish to create a close and mutually beneficial long-term relationship.
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