Community Choice Aggregation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Impacts on Renewable Energy Markets

Community choice aggregations (CCAs) are local governmental entities that procure electricity on behalf of retail electricity customers within some geographic area. CCAs are expanding in seven states that allow CCAs through enabling legislation. In 2017, we estimate that about 750 CCAs procured about 42 million MWh of electricity on behalf of about 5 million customers in 2017. In this report, we seek to summarize the current status of CCAs in the United States. We quantify CCA sales and customer bases in terms of both renewable and non-renewable energy. We summarize trends in CCA renewable energy power procurement. Based on 12 interviews with CCAs and other stakeholders, we identify key factors that could improve or reduce the potential of CCAs to support renewable energy markets. Last, we identify the challenges created and faced by the expansion of CCAs.