AnushreeArticle Summary
This report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) explores a technical review of Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs) and their role in renewable energy procurement. CCAs have been instrumental in accelerating the adoption of renewables by offering a localized approach to energy sourcing. Despite this initial success, the authors highlight considerable challenges in scaling up this model, particularly in markets that are heavily regulated, such as California.
One example contrasting regulated and unregulated markets is how CCAs in California have to comply with strict local review, which often curtails flexibility in procuring new renewable energy projects. This is in contrast to states like Texas, where deregulation allows CCAs greater leeway.
Community-driven approaches are mentioned, but mostly in the context of microgrids and community-owned models. The report suggests that while these are valuable, they don't address the larger utility-scale projects that could significantly offset carbon emissions.
My Takeaways
I decided to read this report because I’m interested in the role that CCAs can play in promoting a more equitable process for utility-scale renewable energy projects, given their local context and more democratic pricing. Eric O'Shaughnessy (the first author on the report), who is a previous collaborator with our research team, had recommended this as a comprehensive and relatively recent overview of the CCA landscape in the U.S.
Unfortunately, the report didn't fully address my primary question concerning the role of CCAs in utility-scale renewable energy projects. It mainly focuses on community-owned models and microgrids, leaving me wondering if there has been any extensive research into how CCAs could potentially mediate local resistance to larger projects—given how new they are, it’s possible that these approaches and case studies have not been documented yet.
The interviews with the CCA representatives were helpful to better understand the challenges they face, including lack of adequate localized data and the difficulties in balancing local interests with broader state RPS goals and net-zero targets. One representative mentioned, "The limited data on renewable energy projects makes it hard to make informed decisions that satisfy both our community and environmental goals." This seems to reflect a common sentiment of wanting to use a more participatory process but not having the initial knowledge needed to begin proper community engagement.
Thus, while the report provides a helpful broad overview of the current landscape and challenges of CCAs and an initial assessment of stakeholder perspectives, it falls short in answering some of the more nuanced questions about their role in larger renewable energy projects and mediating conflict in achieving a just energy transition in the U.S. This gap in the literature could be an interesting area for future research, especially given that I’ve already interviewed two CCA representatives through my summer work.
Citation
OShaughnessy, Eric J., Jenny S. Heeter, Julien Gattaciecca, Jennifer Sauer, Kelly Trumbull, and Emily I. Chen. 2019. “Community Choice Aggregation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Impacts on Renewable Energy Markets.” NREL/TP-6A20-72195. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States). https://doi.org/10.2172/1494285.