MCE centers sustainability and community benefits in power procurement decisions with:
● Pollinator-friendly solar and responsible biomass procurement principles
● Equity and community benefit metrics when considering power supplier offers
● Union labor and prevailing wage requirements to support the green workforce and local job opportunities

MCE’s power procurement goes beyond providing clean energy. Our procurement practices consider a wide-scope of economic, environmental, and equity-based data. Learn about how MCE applies its principles to maximize sustainability and community benefits.

Bestäuberfreundliches Solar

Pollinator species have experienced global population decline over the last 10 years threatening crop production and the health of the food production ecosystem. MCE is responding by requiring new solar project partners to plant pollinator-friendly ground cover throughout project sites and submit a pollinator scorecard every three years.

Pollinator-friendly solar provides a much needed habitat for critical pollinators, reduces soil erosion, and increases crop yield and carbon sequestration among other benefits. This requirement takes advantage of land where solar projects are built, ensuring that the space is used to generate clean energy for our customers, while supporting the local economy and ecosystem.

Responsible Biomass Procurement

Biomass and bio-waste make up um 6% of MCE’s Light Green electricity service. To ensure responsible development, MCE has established biomass principles that require facilities to meet strict environmental standards. Facilities must have appropriate California Environmental Quality Act and local air district permits, use the best available control technology, and support sustainable forest management and wildfire reduction strategies. Facilities must have appropriate California Environmental Quality Act and local air district permits, use the best available control technology, and support sustainable forest management and wildfire reduction strategies.

We also prioritize contracts that:

• Verwendung einer Quelle für organisches Material, das nicht auf Deponien gelagert wird
• Unterstützung einer nachhaltigen Waldbewirtschaftung und Reduzierung von Waldbränden
• Kohlenstoffneutrale Ressourcen und Anpassungen anbieten
• Proaktive Minimierung der Auswirkungen auf die lokale Luftqualität, sowohl durch die Anlage als auch durch den Transport des Brennstoffs von der Quelle zur Anlage

Eigenkapital-Metriken

MCE’s Open Season provides a competitive opportunity for qualified suppliers of energy and energy storage products to help further MCE’s clean power purchasing and community reinvestment goals. As of 2021, MCE’s Open Season solicitation encourages suppliers to consider reporting community benefits and equity metrics when submitting offers. Some of the equity metrics include:

• Unterstützung von Bildungsprogrammen, Initiativen für Umweltgerechtigkeit sowie Initiativen zur Entwicklung und Ausbildung von Arbeitskräften,
• Beteiligung von Auftragnehmern, Unterauftragnehmern oder Unternehmen, die sich im Besitz von behinderten Veteranen befinden, die sich in einer ausgewiesenen benachteiligten Gemeinde befinden oder die Arbeitnehmer beschäftigen, die in einer ausgewiesenen benachteiligten Gemeinde leben, und
• Verwendung von Komponenten und Materialien, die in den Vereinigten Staaten hergestellt oder montiert wurden.

Local Hire and Union Labor

To date, MCE has helped build 48 megawatts of new renewable projects in our service area. All local projects over 1 megawatt were built with union labor. MCE’s Einspeisetarif Plus (FIT Plus) Program includes requirements for union labor, prevailing wage, and 50% local hire for project workers. These policies, coupled with MCE project labor agreements increase access to jobs directly in the community, supporting the just transition and the growth of a local clean energy economy.