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Marin Clean Energy presentation offers model: two product options, local renewables and phased milestones
Summary
Marin Countys project manager presented Marin Clean Energys business plan to LAFCO, outlining two customer products (light green and dark green), expected participation rates, projected greenhouse-gas benefits, and a staged timeline that moves to vendor selection in early 2009.
Marin Countys project manager described the countys Community Choice Aggregation effort, Marin Clean Energy, in detail Friday and urged San Francisco to consider lessons from Marins multi-jurisdictional approach.
Dawn Wise, Marin County principal planner and project manager for the Marin CCA, said the program would offer two products: a "light green" option starting at about 25% renewable power and intended to grow to 50% within five years, and a "dark green" (100% renewable) option that she said would initially cost 8% to 10% more than PG&E but would decline over eight to ten years under Marins assumptions. Wise told commissioners that Marins business-plan analysis assumed PG&Es prices rise about 3.4% annually when modeling long-term competitiveness.
Wise gave participation estimates from surveys and comparisons with other CCAs: roughly 16% of customers would remain with PG&E, about 34% would select the light green option and roughly 50% would choose the deep green product. She said Marins preliminary feasibility and peer-review work was favorable and traced the programs phase-based schedule: feasibility and peer review (completed), a business plan (completed), an education and city-by-city decision phase through November of that year, formation of a Joint Powers Authority by late year or January 2009, and an RFP for an energy service provider in February 2009.
Wise also summarized Marins costs to date: an initial feasibility study (~$30,000), peer review (~$20,000), a business-plan phase (~$297,000), a $75,000 grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for education, and estimated further launch funding needs of about $500,000 plus a $200,000 contingency to cover early legal, staffing and regulatory costs. She said the county expects the programs proof of concept to depend on whether an energy service provider can meet Marins business-plan requirements; if not, Marin would not proceed to contract.
Wises presentation framed Marin Clean Energy as a test case for regional CCA design and offered concrete figures and timelines that San Francisco commissioners used to compare approaches and resource needs.
