500 to 2,000 points | Applicable to eligible Cities, Towns and Villages
The purpose of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is to allow participating local governments to procure energy supply service and distributed energy resources (DER) for eligible energy customers in the community. These customers will have the opportunity to opt out of the procurement.
CCA allows local governments to work together through a shared purchasing model to put out for bid the total amount of electricity and/or natural gas being purchased by eligible customers within the jurisdictional boundaries of participating municipalities. Eligible customers will have the opportunity to have more control to lower their overall energy costs, to spur clean energy innovation and investment, to improve customer choice and value, and to protect the environment, thereby fulfilling an important public purpose.
NYSERDA has developed the toolkit below to assist local governments and CCA Administrators to develop CCA programs in New York State. Additional toolkit elements are still under development, and those elements will be added to the toolkit as they are completed. NYSERDA also anticipates that this toolkit will be a dynamic resource, reflecting additional developments in the continuing evolution of the energy markets as they affect CCA efforts.
It is not required that communities participate in NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program in order to pursue CCA.
CCA greater than or equal to 50% and less than 100% Renewable Default Supply Mix with 100% Opt-up Option
500 points
Submission requirements:
Submit a copy of the approval letter from the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) naming the applying jurisdiction as authorized to move forward with CCA, or submit a copy of adopted legislation authorizing the municipality’s participation in an opt-out CCA program.
Submit a copy of an executed and current electric service agreement between the applying jurisdiction and an Energy Services Company (ESCO) to supply electricity to participating CCA customers on an opt-out basis that is a default >50% renewable clean energy product mix, as well as an opt-up option for 100% renewable energy, or comparable information. The ESCO electric service agreement or comparable information should indicate that the ESCO will retire renewable energy certificates (RECs) on behalf of the municipality in a New York State Generation Attribute Tracking System (NYGATS) Account (with reports on such retirements to the municipality) in a manner that is compliant with the environmental attributes and delivery rules of the New York Public Service Commission Environmental Disclosure Program. The electrical energy associated with the renewable energy certificates must be consumed by retail customers in New York State.
Municipalities are eligible for this action if they signed a contract on or after January 1, 2023. Municipalities that were approved by NYSERDA for the CCA high-impact action prior to December 13, 2023 must resubmit to earn points for this action if the municipality signs a new contract. Date of completion is the date on which the electric service agreement or addendum was fully executed.
CCA 100% Renewable Default Supply Mix
1,500 points
Submission requirements:
Submit a copy of the approval letter from the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) naming the applying jurisdiction as authorized to move forward with CCA, or submit a copy of adopted legislation authorizing the municipality’s participation in an opt-out CCA program.
Submit a copy of an executed and current electric service agreement between the applying jurisdiction and an Energy Services Company (ESCO) to supply electricity to participating CCA customers on an opt-out basis that is a default 100% renewable clean energy product mix, or comparable information. The ESCO electric service agreement, or comparable information, should indicate that the ESCO will retire renewable energy certificates (RECs) on behalf of the municipality in a New York State Generation Attribute Tracking System (NYGATS) Account (with reports on such retirements to the municipality) in a manner that is compliant with the environmental attributes and delivery rules of the New York Public Service Commission Environmental Disclosure Program. The electrical energy associated with the renewable energy certificates must be consumed at retail in New York State.
Municipalities are eligible for this action if they signed a contract on or after January 1, 2023. Municipalities that were approved by NYSERDA for the CCA high-impact action prior to December 13, 2023 must resubmit to earn points for this action if the municipality signs a new contract. Date of completion is the date on which the electric service agreement or addendum was fully executed. (Please note that municipalities who have completed a 100% Renewable Default Supply Mix CCA are eligible to earn credit for both CCA greater than 50% but less than 100% Default Supply Mix with 100% Opt- up Option and CCA 100% Renewable Default Supply Mix. Please submit for each separately to earn 2,000 points total.)