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Community
Choice Energy
Public comments Community Choice
Energy Resources Power Generation for Generations to
come Empower
Arizonans to choose renewable energy Arizona is
on the cusp of a decision that
could accelerate renewable energy adoption in our state. This is an invitation to learn more and
offer concrete support. The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) is
entertaining a restructuring
of energy market rules in our state to allow energy producers to sell
directly to consumers and effectively compete on the open market. Among the options they are considering is a model
called Community Choice Energy (CCE) or Community Choice Aggregation (CCA),
which currently benefits cities and utility customers in seven U.S. states.
It allows ratepayers to power their homes with increased levels of renewable
energy at the same or lower rates than they would pay monopoly utility
providers. Arizona cities and counties, individually or in
groups, could form nonprofit CCEs which would procure energy and become the
default energy provider to residents and businesses under their
jurisdiction. Energy transmission
& distribution, customer service and billing would still be handled by
the utility, and individual customers would be able to opt out of the CCE and
have the utility as their energy provider. Stakeholders including Arizona energy and
environmental groups and the Local Energy Aggregation Network ("LEAN
Energy US"), which assists in the development of CCEs where regulatory
doors have been opened, presented the CCE model at the retail market ACC
workshop in July 2019. Commission
members noted that CCEs produce better outcomes than other forms of generally
more broadly deregulated markets enacted in other states. On February 25 and 26 the ACC will hold its next
workshop to explore CCE and other retail energy models. Arizona residents are
invited to submit public
comments to the in support to the CCE model as Commissioners assess
policy options during the workshop. See additional resources. |
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