Source: CCA annual load data; Cal-CCA; Energy Information Administration Form EIA-861.
Analysis by Beacon Economics
Highlights
- Total estimated annual load in Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs) in California increased by 16.9 percent from 2021 to 2022, totaling 61,184 gigawatt-hours in 2022. The IOUs project that they will generate more renewable energy than required by the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) up to the year 2027. This surplus can potentially be used to fulfill RPS obligations in later years or sold to other retail sellers.134 California Community Choice Financing Authority (CCCFA) issued nearly $1 billion in bond debt to the Clean Power Alliance for their acquisition of clean energy generation—including geothermal and solar-plus-storage.135
- In 2022, two new CCAs came online. Orange County Power Authority added 2,003 annual load GWh in April 2022, while the City of Palmdale added 54 GWh in October 2022. Additionally, five CCAs expanded their annual load by an average of 1,081 GWh in 2022, with San Diego Community Power adding the largest amount of 3,485 GWh in May, followed by Pioneer Community Energy (added 982 GWh), Central Coast Community Energy (added 543 GWh), Peninsula Clean Energy (added 296 GWh), Marin Clean Energy (added 97 GWh). In 2023, the annual load is expected to increase by another 6,227 GWh according to the California Public Utilities Commission.136
134 California Public Utilities Commission.2020 California Renewables Portfolio Standard Annual Report. November 2022. Retrieved from: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/industries-and-topics/documents/energy/rps/2022-rps-annual-report-to-the-legislature.pdf
135 ImpactAlpha. $1 billion in green bonds to reduce the cost of clean energy in Southern California. Released June 27, 2023. Assessed Aug 23, 2023. Available at: https://impactalpha.com/impact-muni-bond-1-billion-in-green-bonds-to-reduce-the-cost-of-clean-energy-in-southern-california/
136 California Public Utilities Commission. Community Choice Aggregation and Energy Service Provider Formation status report. Released April 4, 2022. Assessed Aug 22, 2023.
Challenge
- California Community Choice Financing Authority (CCCFA) is urging California regulators to reassess a ruling that prohibits Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) from pursuing expansion in cases where they have experienced resource adequacy deficiencies within the previous two years.
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