Powering just energy transitions: A review of the justice implications of community choice aggregation

Abstract

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is an alternative energy supply model that enables municipalities to procure electricity on behalf of their residents. By expanding access to affordable clean energy and enhancing energy decision-making at the local level, CCA has emerged as a promising policy instrument to pursue just energy transitions. CCA programs are already serving more than 5 million customers across the U.S., and they are expected to expand in the following years. Here, we review existing literature on CCA through an energy justice lens, synthesize existing evidence on the justice implications of CCA programs, and present a framework for scholars to empirically evaluate the justice impacts of CCA in future research. We find that while many CCA programs across the U.S. may be successful at providing affordable energy rates to customers, regulatory barriers in most states limit the ability of these programs to address other justice and equity issues that could contribute to a broader transformation of our energy systems. Legislative reforms are necessary to enable a transition towards more just CCA programs.