ARTICLE
On the heels of a successful launch for residential service and just seven months into operation, Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) continues to make gains toward the agency’s primary goals; controlling costs, reducing emissions, and contributing to the economic vitality of the tri-county region. MBCP continues to march closer to more significant contributions in these areas through programs that are currently being designed and prepared for review. Community Outreach Next to achieving operational objectives and mapping out short and long-term strategies to meet MBCP’s founding goals, driving an expansive community outreach program has been a top priority for staff at Monterey Bay Community Power. In just seven months, MBCP has taken part in 135 events across all three counties and even produced two inaugural events of its very own; the Clean Air Fair which took place in Monterey on July 1, and the Community Power Festival which occurred on July 14 in Santa Cruz. Both MBCP events provided low and no-cost opportunities for local businesses, community organizations and non-profits to participate and support shared values around clean energy, clean air, sustainability and community. From local solar developers to local food trucks, vendors and sponsors shared a resounding appreciation for MBCP and for two very successful inaugural events. The Clean Air Fair alone facilitated more than 90 electric vehicle test drives, dozens of electric bike test rides, and helped raise $2,000 for participating local non-profits. Strong Customer Enrollment To date, 99% of businesses and residents in tri-county have chosen to remain enrolled with MBCP. The Community Choice Energy (CCE) model, which MBCP follows, was put in place by elected officials and City Managers representing all cities and counties within Tri-county, excluding Del Rey Oaks and King City. Clearly, the will of our communities was accurately assessed by our community leaders and in turn, businesses and residents are embracing the opportunity to acquire more local control – and more benefits – from the Monterey Bay region’s electricity needs. New, 100% Renewable Energy Service Offering – MBprime Coinciding with the launch of residential service on July 1, MBCP announced the new MBprime service offering as an alternative to MBchoice, the default service offering which provides electricity generated from carbon-free sources like wind, solar and hydroelectric. MBprime was created for customers like the Monterey Bay Aquarium who want to support 100% Eligible Renewable (based on California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard) energy sourced exclusively from wind and solar. In fact, feedback from the Aquarium was central to MBCP getting a 100% Renewable offering online sooner than planned. MBCP staff credit the nimble nature of the CCE model for being able to move from concept to completion on an entirely new service offering in less than two months. The creation of MBprime also exemplifies MBCP’s commitment to working with and meeting the unique needs of the Monterey Bay Region’s diverse residential and business communities. For more about MBCP’s Service Offerings and Rebate Options, click here Community Advisory Council In and of itself, the formation of MBCP’s Community Advisory Council (CAC) is a striking example of the agency’s commitment to engage with tri-county residents and businesses, and to factor their needs into key decisions around how MBCP will balance its own goals with the needs of customers. Originally, the CAC was designed with a sunset provision, meaning the council would be retired after a fixed timeframe. But after community and business leaders spoke up at MBCP board meetings – all of which are open to the public – it became clear that the community at large preferred a permanent council to advise the MBCP Operations and Policy Boards. As such, the MBCP Policy Board voted unanimously in support of a permanent Community Advisory Council. After receiving 62 applications for seats on the CAC, a selection team comprised of County Supervisors Jane Parker (Monterey), Jerry Muenzer (San Benito), and Bruce McPherson (Santa Cruz) chose 11 applicants to be the founding members of the CAC. For more information about the MBCP Community Advisory Council, and a complete list of CAC members, click here Go Local Request for Offers As part of Monterey Bay Community Power’s efforts to grow renewable energy infrastructure in the Monterey Bay Region, MBCP issued a Request for Offers (RFO) on June 7, 2018 for local renewable generation and storage projects located within MBCP’s service territory. The Go Local RFO came in direct response to feedback from the communities which MBCP serves, with the goal of increasing local renewable generation, increasing local energy storage, and promoting the economic vitality of the tri-county area. MBCP aims to procure a total of 20 megawatts through this process. For more information about the Go Local RFO, click here MBCP Strikes Major Renewable Energy Deal During First Year of Operation In a first among all 16 Community Choice Energy agencies operating in California, Monterey Bay Community Power partnered with Silicon Valley Clean Energy for a joint-procurement project and MBCP’s first long-term investment in renewable energy from a new wind farm. The energy production from this new project will ramp up delivery of clean power to the electric grid. The 200 megawatt (MW) Duran Mesa Wind project is currently in development near Corona, New Mexico by Pattern Energy Group 2 LP (Pattern Development). “Through strategic partnerships with other Community Choice Energy agencies like Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Monterey Bay Community Power can leverage additional resources and buying power to develop bigger and more affordable renewable energy projects, which is a landmark achievement for MBCP only being in our first year of service. We are strongly committed to a diverse portfolio of energy resources and this project brings a wide variety of benefits that will be shared by our customers for years to come,” said Bruce McPherson, MBCP Board Chair. The Duran Mesa Wind project is an important addition to the MBCP power portfolio because the renewable wind energy becomes available just as the available solar energy from the day ramps down. The location, high wind patterns and time difference in New Mexico help alleviate the strain on the electric grid in the evenings, during California’s peak electricity usage. For more about the Duran Mesa Wind project, click here Contributing to Tri-county Economic Vitality Since the day Monterey Bay Community Power opened its offices on Garden Court in Monterey and began growing the 3-person startup staff, MBCP has been making valuable contributions to the Monterey Bay Region’s economy. From renting office space and now employing 16 full-time staff, to supporting countless community events and organizations, to doing business in all three counties for needs around signage, graphic design, apparel and more, MBCP is consistently injecting dollars into tri-county’s economy. Most recently, MBCP worked with its data management company, GridX, to create an onsite call center within the MBCP building to better serve customers. Four customer service representatives and data analysts are currently being trained for a local call center that is expected to go live sometime in August. All MBCP customers will benefit from a 3% rebate on their electric generation charges, in the form of a credit on their bill. Commercial customers will receive rebates on a quarterly or monthly basis depending on their electricity needs, and all residential customers will receive their rebate in December. All told, MBCP anticipates rebates totaling approximately $3,000,000 for all customers combined, and given that 2018 rebates will be based on an incomplete calendar year, tri-county will realize even greater economic benefit in 2019.
On the heels of a successful launch for residential service and just seven months into operation, Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) continues to make gains toward the agency’s primary goals; controlling costs, reducing emissions, and contributing to the economic vitality of the tri-county region. MBCP continues to march closer to more significant contributions in these areas through programs that are currently being designed and prepared for review.
Community Outreach Next to achieving operational objectives and mapping out short and long-term strategies to meet MBCP’s founding goals, driving an expansive community outreach program has been a top priority for staff at Monterey Bay Community Power. In just seven months, MBCP has taken part in 135 events across all three counties and even produced two inaugural events of its very own; the Clean Air Fair which took place in Monterey on July 1, and the Community Power Festival which occurred on July 14 in Santa Cruz. Both MBCP events provided low and no-cost opportunities for local businesses, community organizations and non-profits to participate and support shared values around clean energy, clean air, sustainability and community. From local solar developers to local food trucks, vendors and sponsors shared a resounding appreciation for MBCP and for two very successful inaugural events. The Clean Air Fair alone facilitated more than 90 electric vehicle test drives, dozens of electric bike test rides, and helped raise $2,000 for participating local non-profits.
Strong Customer Enrollment To date, 99% of businesses and residents in tri-county have chosen to remain enrolled with MBCP. The Community Choice Energy (CCE) model, which MBCP follows, was put in place by elected officials and City Managers representing all cities and counties within Tri-county, excluding Del Rey Oaks and King City. Clearly, the will of our communities was accurately assessed by our community leaders and in turn, businesses and residents are embracing the opportunity to acquire more local control – and more benefits – from the Monterey Bay region’s electricity needs.
New, 100% Renewable Energy Service Offering – MBprime Coinciding with the launch of residential service on July 1, MBCP announced the new MBprime service offering as an alternative to MBchoice, the default service offering which provides electricity generated from carbon-free sources like wind, solar and hydroelectric. MBprime was created for customers like the Monterey Bay Aquarium who want to support 100% Eligible Renewable (based on California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard) energy sourced exclusively from wind and solar.
In fact, feedback from the Aquarium was central to MBCP getting a 100% Renewable offering online sooner than planned. MBCP staff credit the nimble nature of the CCE model for being able to move from concept to completion on an entirely new service offering in less than two months. The creation of MBprime also exemplifies MBCP’s commitment to working with and meeting the unique needs of the Monterey Bay Region’s diverse residential and business communities. For more about MBCP’s Service Offerings and Rebate Options, click here
Community Advisory Council In and of itself, the formation of MBCP’s Community Advisory Council (CAC) is a striking example of the agency’s commitment to engage with tri-county residents and businesses, and to factor their needs into key decisions around how MBCP will balance its own goals with the needs of customers. Originally, the CAC was designed with a sunset provision, meaning the council would be retired after a fixed timeframe. But after community and business leaders spoke up at MBCP board meetings – all of which are open to the public – it became clear that the community at large preferred a permanent council to advise the MBCP Operations and Policy Boards. As such, the MBCP Policy Board voted unanimously in support of a permanent Community Advisory Council. After receiving 62 applications for seats on the CAC, a selection team comprised of County Supervisors Jane Parker (Monterey), Jerry Muenzer (San Benito), and Bruce McPherson (Santa Cruz) chose 11 applicants to be the founding members of the CAC. For more information about the MBCP Community Advisory Council, and a complete list of CAC members, click here
Go Local Request for Offers As part of Monterey Bay Community Power’s efforts to grow renewable energy infrastructure in the Monterey Bay Region, MBCP issued a Request for Offers (RFO) on June 7, 2018 for local renewable generation and storage projects located within MBCP’s service territory. The Go Local RFO came in direct response to feedback from the communities which MBCP serves, with the goal of increasing local renewable generation, increasing local energy storage, and promoting the economic vitality of the tri-county area. MBCP aims to procure a total of 20 megawatts through this process. For more information about the Go Local RFO, click here
MBCP Strikes Major Renewable Energy Deal During First Year of Operation In a first among all 16 Community Choice Energy agencies operating in California, Monterey Bay Community Power partnered with Silicon Valley Clean Energy for a joint-procurement project and MBCP’s first long-term investment in renewable energy from a new wind farm. The energy production from this new project will ramp up delivery of clean power to the electric grid. The 200 megawatt (MW) Duran Mesa Wind project is currently in development near Corona, New Mexico by Pattern Energy Group 2 LP (Pattern Development).
“Through strategic partnerships with other Community Choice Energy agencies like Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Monterey Bay Community Power can leverage additional resources and buying power to develop bigger and more affordable renewable energy projects, which is a landmark achievement for MBCP only being in our first year of service. We are strongly committed to a diverse portfolio of energy resources and this project brings a wide variety of benefits that will be shared by our customers for years to come,” said Bruce McPherson, MBCP Board Chair.
The Duran Mesa Wind project is an important addition to the MBCP power portfolio because the renewable wind energy becomes available just as the available solar energy from the day ramps down. The location, high wind patterns and time difference in New Mexico help alleviate the strain on the electric grid in the evenings, during California’s peak electricity usage.
For more about the Duran Mesa Wind project, click here
Contributing to Tri-county Economic Vitality Since the day Monterey Bay Community Power opened its offices on Garden Court in Monterey and began growing the 3-person startup staff, MBCP has been making valuable contributions to the Monterey Bay Region’s economy. From renting office space and now employing 16 full-time staff, to supporting countless community events and organizations, to doing business in all three counties for needs around signage, graphic design, apparel and more, MBCP is consistently injecting dollars into tri-county’s economy.
Most recently, MBCP worked with its data management company, GridX, to create an onsite call center within the MBCP building to better serve customers. Four customer service representatives and data analysts are currently being trained for a local call center that is expected to go live sometime in August.
All MBCP customers will benefit from a 3% rebate on their electric generation charges, in the form of a credit on their bill. Commercial customers will receive rebates on a quarterly or monthly basis depending on their electricity needs, and all residential customers will receive their rebate in December. All told, MBCP anticipates rebates totaling approximately $3,000,000 for all customers combined, and given that 2018 rebates will be based on an incomplete calendar year, tri-county will realize even greater economic benefit in 2019.