As chair of MCE, I am providing more exciting MCE developments as MCE Unveils Plans for Virtual Power Plant to Benefit Disadvantaged Richmond Residents and Businesses.

MCE Unveils Plans for Virtual Power Plant to Benefit Disadvantaged Richmond Residents and Businesses
Richmond Advanced Energy Community includes virtual power plant and zero net carbon homes for underserved residents

SAN RAFAEL and CONCORD, Calif. — MCE’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, slated to launch in 2025, will provide bill savings and increase local grid reliability, safety, and efficiency for low-income residents as part of Richmond’s Advanced Energy Community project. The project includes $3 million in funding from the California Energy Commission, and will rehabilitate abandoned homes with energy efficiency retrofits and establish a VPP.  The Advanced Energy Community brings together a variety of partners including the project developer, ZNE Alliance, and ALCO Building Solutions, Ecoshift Consulting, Energy Solutions, mPrest, Richmond Community Foundation, THG Energy Solutions, TRC, and ZGlobal.

“The Richmond Advanced Energy Community project is a great example of community building for a clean energy future,” said David Hochschild, Chair of the California Energy Commission. “This is a first-of-its kind project that will combine clean energy technologies with tangible community benefits through integration with the California grid.”

MCE’s Virtual Power Plant will include smart, clean energy technologies including energy storage, smart thermostats, rooftop solar, heat pump space and water heating, and EV charging. The VPP will initially be connected to up to 100 Zero Net Carbon Homes (ZNC Homes) and larger commercial and industrial sites. The ZNC Homes program will finance the acquisition, complete rehabilitation, and re-sale of homes as affordable properties. These ZNC homes will be built to be energy efficient and resilient, and each home will have a full complement of smart appliances and cost-saving equipment, including rooftop solar, battery energy storage, and heat pumps. Local businesses will also have an opportunity to install batteries that provide resilience to grid outages, bill savings, and revenue generation potential.

Read the full release online or attached for your convenience.