Growth and Impacts of California Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Programs: Case Study of MCE, Marin Clean Energy

Abstract

As federal support for renewable energy development sits tenuously, many state and local governments have taken greater roles to drive more aggressive clean energy adoption. In California, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) in particular has gained strong momentum in recent years. CCA, permitted by state law, is an energy supply model that allows local governments and special joint districts to procure and develop power generation while the existing utility continue to manage power delivery, grid maintenance, billing and customer services. CCAs promise customers a higher clean energy mix at rate parity to the local utility as well as local renewable energy and related job development. However, it’s not transparent how much local economic benefits and new renewable generation CCAs have actually provided. This study examines Marin Clean Energy, California’s first CCA launched in 2010, as a case study of the power purchase agreements and developments that it has undertaken and indications for upcoming of other CCAs.