The California community choice aggregator has issued a Request for Offers for the installation of solar-plus-storage to provide backup power to 12 sites during emergencies.
Clean Power Alliance’s Power Ready Program is looking for developers who are qualified to build power resiliency in several Southern California communities.
Founded in 2017, Clean Power Alliance in 2017, is a community choice aggregator (CCA) that is reportedly the fourth largest electricity provider in California. CCAs are entities formed by local governments to take over procurement of energy in their jurisdictions. In California, CCAs were formed with the mandate to procure clean energy faster than the state’s mandate and has exploded across the state. The alliance reports that it provides 100% renewable energy to three million people via 1 million customer accounts in 32 member communities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as well as the unincorporated areas of both counties.
Power Ready is a community benefit program that the Alliance offers to its partner communities in order to make public buildings energy resilient by installing solar-plus-storage systems.
The backup power systems are needed for resilience against the rising numbers of power outages related to wildfires, public safety power shutoffs, aging infrastructure, and times of extreme heat.
To facilitate the program Clean Power Alliance has contracted with a developer-financier to build, own, and operate the systems for 20 years. Initially, the Power Ready program will provide critical backup power systems to 12 public facilities throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties at no cost to participating communities.
Dedicated to the use of 100% renewable energy, the Alliance signed a 33 MW 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) in October with Fervo Energy for the delivery of geothermal power from a facility in Beaver County, Utah, to CPA’s 32 member communities. In September 2021, the Alliance signed a PPA for the Desert Quartzite Solar-plus-Storage project with EDF Renewables North America. The project combines a 300 MW solar project with a 600 MW/h battery energy storage system, and is expected to begin delivering electricity to CPA customers in February 2024.
RFO details
Proposers will be required to demonstrate that they have the qualifications, resources, expertise, and experience sufficient to undertake the project on a timely and cost-efficient basis. The successful Proposer will be required to enter into a 20-year PPA for all 12 sites, with CPA and lease agreement with each site host.
Mandatory Offer Forms will be required to submit a proposal. Offers will be evaluated quantitative and qualitative factors further described in the Power Ready RFO Protocol document, which will be released via email upon completion of the Registration Form.
A webinar for the initial submission round will be held on Wednesday, February 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PST. The proposer must first register before attending the webinar, which will discuss the Power Ready Program and RFO process. Second round submission Virtual Proposers Conference is to be scheduled the week of April 24 to 28.
