A National Geographic article highlighted the main points of a report by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation about accelerating the transition to clean energy. Many Americans support clean energy but can’t necessarily afford to install solar panels or change where their power is coming from. In California, community choice aggregators (CCAs), which buy energy on behalf of residents, have become increasingly popular. Unlike utilities, CCAs are nonprofits and are governed locally, which makes them familiar with a community’s needs and desires. The Center for Innovation report found that almost all California CCAs exceeded the interim goal of 33% carbon-free power by 2020 — and they also indirectly nudged traditional utilities into a more renewables-heavy energy mix. The report concluded that CCAs are accelerating the transition to green energy that many Americans are demanding. “Especially as the climate crisis gets worse, people are looking for ways to help move the transition forward,” said Center for Innovation project manager Kelly Trumbull.
