On June 1, 2023, a 90-day project application window opened for Community-Driven Community Solar (“CDCS”) for the 2023-2024 Program Year, allowing Approved Vendors (“AVs”) to submit CDCS applications until 11:59 p.m. CPT on August 30, 2023. Capacity available for the CDCS category was 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. 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. In accordance with the CDCS scoring guidelines previously published in both the 2022 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan (pg. 166) and the Program Guidebook (pg. 123), the Program Administrator has scored all CDCS projects submitted during the 90-day application window. These scores will be used to determine which projects will be selected for a REC contract or placed on a waitlist once random selection takes place (if necessary). The scores have been posted on the Program website at the Community-Driven Community Solar page within the Project Category Hub.
Next Steps
While the Program Administrator has carefully reviewed project applications to determine scores and applied scoring criteria consistently across all project applications, an Approved Vendor may appeal decisions made by the Program Administrator on the scoring of their projects. Any appeal of CDCS scores will need to be in accordance with the appeal process outlined in the Program Guidebook (pg. 29). An Approved Vendor has two weeks from October 30, 2023 to file an appeal. Submitted appeals must be received by the Program Administrator at [email protected], by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on November 13, 2023. As the determination of appeals may influence a project’s final score, and thus possibly the final selection of projects, all appeals must be reviewed by the Agency within a distinct timeframe. The Agency intends to have all submitted appeals determined by November 29, 2023, subject to the quantity and substance of appeals submitted.
Following the resolution of scoring appeals, if any, final scores will be posted. At that time, the Agency will announce if a random selection process is necessary to break ties between projects that received the same scores and where those scores would impact project selection, or waitlist placement. The Agency expects that random selection of projects within tied score brackets will be necessary based on the current scoring, but this process cannot occur until the appeal process is complete and all scores are confirmed. The Agency intends to hold the random selection reordering event in early December 2023, again dependent on appeal determinations and final scores. Projects that have a minimum score of 10 points which have not been awarded capacity in the current cycle will be placed on a waitlist for the 2024-2025 Program Year.
Projects that received a score less than the required 10 minimum points to be placed on the waitlist may reapply during the 2024-25 90-day application period, expected to open June 2024. The Approved Vendor will need to submit a new application, thus new application fees will be applied.
Please see the Community-Driven Community Solar page within the Project Category Hub for more information about the CDCS category.
Schedule of Next Steps
- Appeals due to Program by November 13, 2023
- Determinations on appeals from Agency to Approved Vendors expected to be closed out by November 29, 2023
- Random selection event early December, dependent on conclusion of scheduled appeal process
