By Sam Lambert
As municipal leaders work to find solutions on climate and energy, they are often faced with several obstacles: limited space and siting obstacles for solar, potential for cost burdens to be left to those who can least afford it, and in many communities, state level approval that has stalled and caused delays. The latter is what many Massachusetts cities and towns that opted to implement Community Choice Aggregation have faced in the past several years.
What is Community Choice Aggregation (also referred to as municipal aggregation)? This program allows municipalities to purchase electricity in bulk on behalf of residents and businesses within their community. Many municipalities will take this opportunity to purchase a larger stake of renewable energy, thus decreasing their reliance on fossil fuel powered electricity and providing a stable price point for consumers. Communities can provide various tiers, with a default tier, an “opt-up” tier, for consumers that would like to purchase a larger percentage of renewable energy and have the financial means to do so, and a required “opt-out” option for residents that choose not to participate.
The process to implement a Community Choice Aggregation plan, as it stands today, is involved and has several steps with their own challenges along the way. The community has to vote to initiate the municipal aggregation program, draft the plan in consultation with the Department of Energy (DoE), allow a period for citizen review of the plan and then submit for review and approval from the Department of Public Utilities (DPU). That final step has a backlog approaching, and in some cases exceeding, two years. In response, the DPU has opened an investigation and will be accepting comments on a proposed expedited review process through October 6, 2023. Here, you can find instructions for submitting comments.
We are optimistic that with the attention of the Healey administration and the input of stakeholders, Community Choice Aggregation can be a way forward to offer price stability and a means to transition to greener energy consumption for our Massachusetts communities. Interested in starting the process in your city or town? Get in touch with us today to learn how you can initiate a municipal aggregation plan in your community!