Large Non-Profit Aggregator To Offer Members Ability To Contract for Renewable PPA

PowerOptions, the Massachusetts aggregation serving government entities and nonprofits, is seeking developers to supply wholesale renewable energy to individual members of its 500-member consortium, particularly larger institutions such as area hospitals, universities and municipalities.

The new energy supply program will provide PowerOptions members with a pre-negotiated power purchase agreement (PPA) to receive electricity directly from a renewable energy project located within the ISO-NE region or deliverable into the region. The total procurement level sought is a minimum 10 MWs of capacity which can be supplied from one or more projects.

Following the model of PowerOptions' electricity, natural gas and solar energy supply programs, the new Renewable Energy PPA program will have standardized terms and conditions and a negotiated price. It is contemplated that the PowerOptions electricity supplier will act as the conduit for the receipt of the electricity and firm it up to fill in the gaps in supply from an intermittent resource like wind or solar.

PowerOptions intends to select one or more project development firms with whom its larger members would contract for provision of renewable energy via a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). All or a portion of Renewable Energy Credits associated with the quantities of delivered energy will be owned by the buyers who can either sell them or retire them.

Responses to the RFP are due October 30, 2015. It is anticipated the Renewable Energy PPA contract will be offered to interested, qualified members beginning as soon as 2016.