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Will MCE really help with Climate Protection?
Posted by bernie on Tue, 10/07/2008 - 15:07 in
In July, Al Gore challenged us to reset the way we make our energy choices.
He challenged us to generate 100% of our electricity from sources that do not lead to global warming -- and to do it within 10 years. Meeting this ambitious goal would create millions of new jobs, lead to permanently lower energy costs for families and help America lead the fight against global warming.
I see MCE as but one way in which we can take more control over our power generation. If we start localizing the power generation, in a distributed way, and we reduce our wastful power consuming ways, I believe we can help mitigate the damage green house gases are causing. If we accept Al Gore's challenge, then let's have MCE for starters.
California’s electric utilities are dedicated to achieving a 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard RPS of the power that they supply come from renewable resources by 2020. This ambitious goal necessitates procurement a broad range of cost-effective resources wherever they can be found and be deliverable to California. Now recent legislation namely SB 14 and AB 64 creates a battle of where that renewable energy is going to come from.
Procurement strategies for renewable resources should be guided by the availability of transmission capacity, maintenance of grid reliability and lowest cost to consumers. The provisions of SB 14 and AB 64 in effect, create a California-only option that needlessly drives up the costs to consumers by stranding existing investments and delaying much needed transmission. California is already an expensive place to do business and limiting a utilities ability to meet renewable goals with cost-effective options will almost certainly place upward pressure on rates.
For these reasons, I respectfully requests that you voice these concerns to your legislator and ask them to oppose both of these bills unless amended. As currently written SB 14 and AB 64 could prevent your utility from counting out-of-state renewable resources toward the state’s proposed 33% RPS goal.
I'd like to say that, because Marin Clean Energy has a real financial base-the money its customers will pay for renewable electricity- it's currently by far the best option, locally, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while stabilizing energy prices and starting up new sectors of our local economy.