On June 1, 2023, the block of capacity for the Community-Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) category for the 2023-2024 Program Year opened, allocating 10 MW for Group A and 23 MW for Group B. After capacity was allocated to the projects on the 2022-2023 waitlist, there was 1.5 MW of capacity available for Group A and 17.7 MW available for Group B, as indicated in the table below. A total of 63 applications were received during the application window, including 11 project applications totaling 25.7 MW AC for Group A, and 52 project applications totaling 64.95 MW AC for Group B.
| Group A | Group B | |
| Original 2023-24 Program Year Block Capacity | 10.00 MW | 23.00 MW |
| Capacity applied to waitlisted 2022-2023 projects | 8.5 MW | 5.3 MW |
| Remaining 2023-24 Program Year Block Capacity | 1.5 MW | 17.7 MW |
In accordance with the Community-Driven Community Solar (CDCS) scoring guidelines, previously published in both the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan and the Program Guidebook, the Program Administrator scored all projects submitted during the 90-day application window . The scores and a full announcement regarding the scoring process were posted on the Program website’s Project Category hub on the Community-Driven Community Solar page on October 30, 2023. The Program outlined that following the finalization of the score appeal process, the Agency would utilize a random selection process to break ties between projects submitted during the 90-day application window that received tied scores.
On December 6, 2023, a random selection event, open to stakeholder attendance, was conducted. A recording of the event, the presentation slides, and the resulting spreadsheet detailing Group A and Group B project awards and waitlists for each group (projects receiving scores of at least 10.0) have been added to the Program’s website at the Community-Driven Community Solar page.
Group A Community-Driven Community Solar
For Group A, multiple projects submitted during the 90-day application window received the same score, which necessitated a random selection process for these projects. A command- line script was used to generate random numbers to break tied scores for submitted projects, and projects were selected until the Group A capacity was reached. The Group A selected projects for the 2023-24 Program Year, and the current waitlist are published on the results spreadsheet. Group A CDCS had a Total Allocation Capacity for Program Year 2023-2024 of 1.5 MW,. Following the project scoring process and selection, two projects have been selected to fill the block of available capacity. A total of nine projects achieving the minimum score of 10.0 points were placed on the Group A waitlist.
Group B Community-Driven Community Solar
For Group B, multiple projects submitted during the 90-day application window received the same score, which necessitated a random selection event. During this event, a command- line script was used to generate random numbers to break tied scores for submitted projects, and projects were selected until the Group B capacity was reached. The Group B selected projects for the 2023-24 Program Year and the current waitlist are published on the results spreadsheet. Group B TCS had a Total Allocation Capacity for Program Year 2023-2024 of 17.7 MW, Following the project scoring process and selection, 24 projects have been selected to fill the block of available capacity. A total of 28 projects achieving the minimum score of 10.0 points were placed on the Group B waitlist.
Please see the recording of the live event for a full demonstration of the selection process.
Next Steps
Projects selected in the random selection event for the 2023-2024 Program Year will be submitted to the next eligible ICC meetings for approval for REC contracts. The first eligible ICC meeting for this project selection is January 3, 2023. Projects that did not get selected and did not make it on to the waitlist (minimum 10.0 points required for waitlist) can reapply to the Program during the next 90-day application window (opening June 1, 2024). The Approved Vendor will need to submit a new application, and thus a new application fee will be required. Waitlisted projects will be eligible for new capacity released for the 2024- 2025 Program Year beginning June 1, 2024
