CRI is providing ongoing support to the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), evaluating options for cost effective renewable electricity purchases in the District. CRI’s feasibility study, “Increasing the Renewable Energy Content of Standard Offer Service” has been submitted and filed by the DOEE in an ongoing proceeding before the District’s Public Service Commission. CRI’s Harry Warren was the study’s author.
Standard Offer Service (SOS) is the default service provided to customers not served by a competitive supplier in the City’s restructured electricity market. The City’s climate action plan recommends that procuring the majority of the needed supply through long-term PPAs with renewable energy projects should be evaluated as a possible step toward meeting the City’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.
The study found that new wind and solar projects under development across PJM states provide an ample selection of projects to meet SOS purchasing objectives, and that fixed-price PPAs are available today at prices competitive with, and in some cases lower than, conventional power. The study recommended changes to SOS procurement practices needed to accommodate PPAs into an overall electricity procurement program. To provide a thorough basis for considering the concept, the study surveyed municipal procurement practices across the country, reviewed renewable sourcing alternatives, and modeled future SOS costs under both current procurement practices and under a new PPA-based strategy.
To view the study, visit the EDocket tab of the D.C. Public Service Commission webpage. Select the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General filing of November 9, 2018 from Case Number FC1017.