Marin Clean Energy updates El Cerrito council on programs, bill-relief and virtual power plant pilot

Representatives from Marin Clean Energy (MCE) gave an overview of the community-choice aggregation (CCA) model and local programs at the May 19 City Council meeting.

Kiara Donato, community development manager at MCE, told council that MCE serves 38 member communities and highlighted recent board actions: a board-approved 14% generation rate reduction effective April 1 and a $10 million expansion of MCE Cares bill-credit funding, which provides up to $20 per month in additional relief for eligible customers. Donato described customer-enrollment rates in El Cerrito (high participation in default “light green” and a modest share in 100 percent “deep green” products), and summarized local rebates and programs: EV charger rebates (up to $4,500 for workplace or multifamily installations), residential energy-efficiency rebates and a virtual power plant pilot that aggregates distributed energy resources (solar, batteries, EV chargers) to reduce peak demand.

Council members asked how MCE educates residents about electrification (heat pumps, induction cooktops), how the virtual power plant enrolls customers, and whether MCE could partner on e-bike rebate programs similar to neighboring agencies. Donato said MCE uses mailers, email campaigns, website resources (including a rebate-finder and multilingual materials), tabling at community events, and partnerships with community groups to reach customers and enroll eligible households in programs such as CARE and arrearage management.

The presentation concluded with council members thanking MCE for outreach and asking staff to continue regular updates to the council.

The council did not take action on the presentation; it was provided as information and to inform future city-CCA collaboration decisions.