ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FOR MARIN COUNTY
Updated April 2011

For many years PG&E has been the primary source of electric power for most of Northern California.

California Law, known as Assembly Bill 117, passed into law in 2002, now allows local communities to form Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) organizations to provide that electric power, use the existing PG&E local distribution systems and have individual power bills be collected on a combined PG&E and CCA billing system.

In late 2006 the legislature also passed Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming bill, which called for several actions which would result in a more rapid shift to Renewable Power Sources. However, this new law did not limit itself to the issue of global warming for it excluded the inclusion of large hydro-electric and nuclear power plants - both of which are very low producers of CO2 - in the calculations to determine achievement of the Global Warming related goals.

Proponents of a greater and faster conversion to "Green Power" took advantage of these laws and developed a proposal to do so which has received approval from the Marin County Board of Supervisors and all major cities with the exception of Novato, Corte Madera and the Town of Ross. As a result, a new Joint Powers Authority named the Marin Energy Authority (MEA) has been formed.

This proposal promised to the potential members that the MEA would provide a standard Green package which would include a minimum of 25 percent Renewable power at a price not to exceed the PG&E price. Another option would be to provide a Fully Green package including 100 percent Renewable power at a cost premium of 10 percent.

To meet these promises this new Authority has entered into a five year contract with the Shell Corporationto to supply the needed electricity, to be distribued over PG&E distribution systems to each communtity which has joined. Individual users will automatically be included in this service unless they choose to Opt-Out of joining.

The current plan calls for introduction of the service in two main phases. The first, already started, is to provide electricity to primarily the larger industrial and commercial users. The second phase, scheduled to start in early 2012, will be to provide electricity to the remaining residences.

Longer range plans included creating a Feed In Tarrif (surplus power purchasing program) to encourage the installation of local small scale solar panel systems and the purchase of larger quantities of Renewaable Power from additional sources (with options to purchase such facilities for their own account in the future.) The new Feed In Tarrif was established in December 1010 and along with the publication of a Request For Proposals from those wishing to built larger new green facilities. In addition, contracts have been let for the purchase of power from two gas turbine plants using methane gas collected from landfills in Northern Central California.

During the CCA formative period there were considerable differences in opinion, and claimed facts, between the CCA proponents and the PG&E staff relative to the actual costs and time tables for the implementation of Green Power.

An additional difference in opinion continues to exist as to whether or not PG&E's large hydro-electric and nuclear power plants should be considered as Renewable Power sources. Further, since all power sources, including solar and wind, produce some CO2, in their manufacture if not in their operation, any real reduction of CO2 production must be based on the Life Cycle CO2 production for each type. A number of studies have shown that this Life Cycle CO2 production is greater for both Solar and Wind systems than for large hydro-electric or nuclear systems. Thus, it is logical to raise the question of whether our goal should be to reduce the CO2 production to reduce Global Warming or should it be narrower to require Renewable Sources in accordance with the Legislatures definition of Renewable - even if that results in a greater CO2 production.

While many of those opinions still exist, the actual start of the MEA and the passing of time now allows a new assessment of the various arguments for staying with PG&E or changing to the new MEA.

Further, since the Phase 2 customers (mostly residences) will still face a decision early in 2012 as to whether to allow themselves to be automatically enrolled, or Opt-Out, the purpose of this web site is to present the best current information on both sides of the issue.

For more detailed information, click on any one of the several menu items at the left of this page.

Comments about the facts and opinions expressed on this web site are welcomed.

Express your opinions publicly on http://marinpowerfacts.blogspot.com/ or

Send a private e-mail to GeneDyer@InBox.com.