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MCE, Kate Sears, and Clara Peller
For the last two years Marin Clean Energy has featured its local solar farms as the hub of a public relations campaign whose goal is to divert attention from the nearly $500 million that MCE will export to Royal Dutch Shell and Électricité de France.
If the local solar farms are constructed they will produce less than 1% of MCE’s annual energy load, which includes new customers in the East Bay.
One solar farm garners particular interest – the 990 KW project at Novato's Binford Storage. MCE’s 2014 Integrated Resource Plan showed Binford would be on-line September 30, 2015. MCE’s 2015 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) restated the September go-live date.
But a visit to Binford puts MCE at odds with reality. While MCE represents that Binford should have been powering 300 homes for the past 8 months, there is nothing at the site. Managers at the storage facility say constructing a rooftop solar farm is a hoped-for event that might be achieved in a year, but first they have to construct the buildings.
How will MCE cover this solar shortfall?
This is similar to MCE’s failed Rio Solar solar farm, which featured MCE's deception and ultimately the use of RECs as substitute clean energy. The 100 acre solar farm was originally slated for construction in Rocklin. MCE consultant Kirby Dusel referred to Rio Solar's developer -- North American Power Group -- as "highly experienced."
After months of no progress the developer suddenly pulled up stakes and moved plans for Rio Solar's construction 300 miles south to Bakersfield. This, while MCE resisted making proactive public disclosures -- its then-Chair Damon Connolly wrote that there were “no negative developments" in the Rocklin project. Finally, after sitting on its hands for nearly 14 months, MCE quietly cancelled Rio Solar.
MCE continues to burnish its moniker of “Misleading Consumers Everywhere” as it funnels money to nuclear power companies, loads up on gas-fired power generation, imports coal-fired power into California while calling it “clean energy,” and doctors its advertised carbon emission numbers with RECs to induce municipalities and consumers into joining its program.
As long as Dawn Weisz and Supervisor Kate Sears remain as MCE’s leaders, consumers who haven’t outright rejected the energy agency will hold their collective noses while asking Clara Peller’s question "Where's the beef?"
Rising sea levels aren't waiting for MCE's answer.