{"id":84290,"date":"2026-06-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mcecleanenergy.org\/?p=84290"},"modified":"2026-06-11T11:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T18:52:16","slug":"how-mce-supports-a-cleaner-grid-insights-from-power-procurement-manager-andy-twilling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mcecleanenergy.org\/fr\/how-mce-supports-a-cleaner-grid-insights-from-power-procurement-manager-andy-twilling\/","title":{"rendered":"Comment MCE soutient un r\u00e9seau plus propre\u00a0: r\u00e9flexions du responsable des achats d\u2019\u00e9lectricit\u00e9 Andy Twilling\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At the heart of MCE\u2019s work is our Power Resources team, which buys renewable energy on behalf of the 1.8 million residents and businesses the agency serves across four Bay Area counties. Each year, the team seeks new long-term opportunities from the market of renewable energy projects to secure contracts at stable costs while advancing California\u2019s goal of 100% d'\u00e9lectricit\u00e9 sans carbone d'ici 2045<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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As MCE\u2019s Power Procurement Manager, Andy Twilling plays a critical role in establishing the agency\u2019s power mix and contracting for clean energy projects that will power local homes and businesses for decades to come. As a Marin County local and an experienced energy professional who previously led power procurement and EV deployment in the private sector, she brings unique experience to the agency.<\/p>\n

As MCE prepares to launch its annual \u201cOpen Season\u201d solicitation for renewable energy projects, Andy shares insights on what\u2019s guiding the team\u2019s approach and the trends they\u2019re watching in today\u2019s rapidly evolving energy market.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What\u2019s top of mind for MCE\u2019s Power Resources team as we launch this year\u2019s Open Season?\u202f What types of resources are we prioritizing?\u202f\u202f<\/h4>\n

It is\u202falways top of mind for MCE\u2019s procurement team\u202fto\u202freduce greenhouse gas emissions and serve our communities with renewable energy at stable rates.\u202fOur mission drives all of MCE\u2019s procurement decisions.\u202fThis year, we\u2019re especially looking forward to reviewing offers for wind and clean baseload generation, such as geothermal and biomass.<\/p>\n

MCE already has a robust portfolio of solar projects and we\u2019re looking for additional resources that will\u202fcomplement\u202fsolar with electricity production during hours when the sun isn\u2019t shining. Wind energy would be a great addition to MCE\u2019s portfolio because it often produces energy at opposite times of the day compared to solar.<\/p>\n

Over the past several years, MCE has contracted with over 700 megawatts of energy storage projects, and we\u2019re excited to continue to evaluate how energy storage will contribute to our portfolio through this year\u2019s Open Season. We plan on evaluating long\u2011duration storage (8+ hours) to meet our compliance obligations under the California Public Utilities Commission\u2019s 2026 procurement order<\/a>, as well as solar\u2011plus\u2011storage contracts that allow us to store energy during solar hours and discharge it to serve customers in the evening.<\/p>\n

As part of our forward-looking procurement and our commitment to supporting new renewable projects,\u202fwe\u2019re soliciting bids\u202ffrom projects entering the California ISO\u2019s Queue Cluster (\u201cQC\u201d) 16 process seeking Commercial Interest Points (\u201cCIPs\u201d).\u202fMCE will review bids we receive to identify projects to allocate our CIPs.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n

Queue Clusters and Commercial Interest Points may sound like energy jargon, but they directly shape what kinds of renewable projects get built. Through this process, we\u2019re helping ensure that new renewable projects can move forward in the CAISO\u2019s interconnection queue.<\/p>\n

Supporting projects early in their development accelerates the transition to a cleaner energy future, and that transition has very real impacts on people\u2019s daily lives, from healthier air quality to more resilient local economies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What market trends are we watching?\u202f<\/h4>\n

We\u2019re closely watching how batteries are reshaping energy markets.\u202fCalifornia has added extensive battery storage capacity<\/a> in recent years, and that trend is only accelerating. Storage helps shift supply into the evening hours when demand peaks, and the extent to which these batteries flatten electricity prices throughout the day will have a direct impact on MCE.<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see how quickly emerging technologies, such as long\u2011duration storage and new approaches to geothermal development, can scale. We\u2019re especially interested in innovations that can help bring down the cost of these promising resources.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What do you wish more people understood about how power procurement works?\u202f<\/h4>\n

How complicated it is! There are many risks involved in purchasing power, and the procurement team\u2019s goal is to put together a portfolio that balances the different types of risks we see from each kind of contract.\u202fTo give you some examples,\u202fjust\u202fa few\u202fof the risks we consider are:\u202f<\/p>\n