New leadership for clean energy group in San Mateo County

“I have no doubt it will continue on its culture of setting aggressive goals to save the planet. It has already demonstrated that and will continue to do so,” Marshall said.

Peninsula Clean Energy is a joint powers agency created in 2016 by San Mateo County cities to provide energy to the area. Its goal as a community choice aggregation organization is to provide clean, renewable energy at lower prices than PG&E and invest proceeds to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. PCE generates the electricity from its sources, and Pacific Gas and Electric delivers it through their infrastructure, with PG&E still providing billing services, planning, construction and maintenance.

Marshall begins May 2 and plans to spend time learning its inner workings and looking at partnerships with other CCAs and organizations in San Mateo County. Her short-term goals are to examine its current programs to see what’s working best and what programs can be refined and grown for further impact and efficiency in the community toward its long-term goals. Its main goals are to provide 100% renewable energy by 2025 and help the county and state reach goals of 100% greenhouse gas-free energy by 2035.

“Those goals are the beacons that continue to frame our work,” she said.

Marshall helped launch Marin Energy Authority in 2010, now called MCE Clean Energy, the first community choice aggregation program in California. She also has political experience as the former mayor of Mill Valley in Marin County. She touted her previous experience in renewable energy companies throughout California and the field’s importance in reducing greenhouse gases and increasing renewable power. She said PCE is renowned for being one of the best CCA programs in the state and nationally, calling it a top-notch program with potential. She noted that despite natural market fluctuations and the recent power price spikes of the last few years, PCE had maintained its 5% discount compared to PG&E prices.

“One of the reasons I’m joining PCE is that it has one of the most aggressive portfolios of energy programs and by far the most aggressive goals for carbon reduction and 24/7 renewable power,” Marshall said.

PCE wants to build a strategic menu of programs focused on the building and transportation sectors of the region. It has long-standing infrastructure programs focused on expanding electric vehicle charging stations in the county. PCE is also part of the Bay Area Reach Codes team, a coalition of various government organizations like Peninsula Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, East Bay Community Energy and the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability that develops recommendations and information metrics about building and transportation reach codes for cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The group provides technical assistance and a $10,000 incentive to each city that brings reach codes to its council. San Mateo city staff recently recommended findings based on input from the Bay Area Reach Codes team. San Mateo has begun its reach code process that calls for further restrictions on gas appliances and more electric options in new and existing buildings. Marshall praised the collaboration between the cities and the agency now and moving forward.

“I see that partnership 100% continuing. We will follow our local governments’ lead in terms of how they want to introduce their reach codes,” Marshall said.

She expects to continue relationships with city governments, the public, unions, other CCAs and state organizations like the California Air Resources Board. Several challenges remain moving forward, like volatile energy prices and regulatory and legislative challenges. Other long-term issues are the logistics of increasing the technical capability of energy storage to achieve a transition to a renewable future.

Marshall said PCE and PG&E continue to work together to build a strategic partnership instead of an adversarial situation. When PG&E raises rates, PCE has maintained its commitment to have rates be 5% lower than PG&E.

“There could come a time in the future where PCE considers cost-based rate setting, like some other CCAs are starting to do in California, but there is no particular timeline for that,” Marshall said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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