The Changemaker blog series celebrates MCE’s 10 year anniversary by recognizing the extraordinary people who support us and further our mission.

Representing Unincorporated Solano County’s Voice

This April, MCE became the primary electricity provider for unincorporated Solano County. MCE is honored to welcome Supervisor John Vasquez to its Board of Directors as the representative for unincorporated Solano County customers. John Vasquez has been a Supervisor in Solano since 2003, and in his years serving Solano County, has worked to prioritize protection of the local environment and the well-being of all Solano County residents.

The move to enroll unincorporated Solano County began in August 2018 when over 7,500 local residents and businesses were notified of the proposal, and a public workshop hosted by the county garnered positive feedback. In September 2018 Supervisor Vasquez and the rest of Solano County’s Board of Supervisors voted to join MCE’s clean energy service. We invited Supervisor Vasquez to share a bit about his decision to enroll unincorporated Solano into MCE.

Why did Solano County choose to join MCE?
We looked at MCE about ten years ago and because it was so new we wanted to take the opportunity to watch the program grow and see how it turned out. MCE’s 10-year record indicates that it’s been very successful, so we thought it was an opportunity to allow our unincorporated constituents that chance to have a choice.

What do you like about being on MCE’s Board of Directors?
The opportunity to understand what my roles and responsibilities are, and being able to bring a perspective from Solano County. We had an opportunity to put someone on [MCE’s] Board, and I actually raised my hand and I said I want to do this, because I think it’s important; looking for that opportunity to provide a choice to our constituents is really important to me.

What are some of the benefits of being an MCE customer?
I’d say it provides affordable power, and it’s important to the movement of “greening of the grid.” It provides independence for us, not only as individuals, but as a state. I think we’re going to be a model for the rest of the nation.

MCE offers unincorporated Solano County residents, businesses, and the agricultural community a choice of electricity provider and service, and allows for community-based decision making. Starting this month, customers in Solano County will automatically receive MCE’s standard Light Green 60% renewable energy service, as well as the option to opt up to Deep Green 100% énergie renouvelable.

Customers can also take advantage of MCE’s programs, which offer residential, agricultural, and commercial customers opportunities to save money and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Unincorporated Solano County joins MCE’s 34 communities across four Bay Area Counties. Together, MCE’s 480,000 customer accounts have supported the development of 31 MW of new local renewable projects, and the elimination of over 340,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to removing over 70,000 cars from the road for one year, according to the EPA.