One barrier against the growth of renewable energy across the country is a lack of access – cost, availability, and incentives – leaving people out of reach to gain the benefits of a cleaner and more diversified electric grid. In southeast Ohio, the most available and cost-effective renewable energy resource is solar.

What if I told you that you do not have to install solar panels on your home, or be a homeowner at all, to go green with your electricity usage? As the movement grows, many of us who are not able to access solar technology have been left wondering how we can do our part.

The answer?

Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs, paired with electric aggregation!

What is a REC?

Electricity is produced from a variety of different sources - all renewable power production - and all this power is mixed together in the grid (think: rivers flowing into the ocean). So, how do we know the electricity we’re using is green? It is supported by the purchase of RECs. One REC represents one megawatt-hour (or 1,000 kilowatt-hours) of electricity produced from a renewable source such as solar or wind. These certificates are sold from the generator to electricity suppliers, who can then pair the environmental benefits of the RECs with the electricity they are delivering to customers. So, any time someone claims to be using green electricity, RECs are usually involved!

Click here for more information on RECs.

What is aggregation?

When communities join together through an aggregation program (such as SOPEC’s), they achieve more buying power in securing their electricity supply. This aggregation can often result in lower supply prices, but aggregation programs are becoming unique in their design to support a variety of local sustainable energy initiatives.

Why you should choose aggregation:

While other competitive suppliers can also deliver green-sourced energy to customers, aggregation programs go above and beyond the purchasing of RECs. Local aggregation programs such as SOPEC’s work to keep energy dollars local and develop communities’ renewable energy infrastructure. Additionally, because aggregation programs leverage the buying power of the communities they serve, there’s power in numbers! The rate you get while participating in an aggregation program is often lower than the standard service offer (or SSO) from the electric utility.

Aggregation in Ohio:

As you can see on PUCO’s aggregation map below, aggregation is spreading throughout the state! The tan color represents county-wide aggregation, orange represents township aggregation programs, and blue represents individually aggregated cities and villages.

SOPEC began in Athens, Ohio, serving the communities of the Appalachian Ohio region as a locally-established, governmental electricity aggregator since 2014. What started as a simple governmental aggregation program, has become a multi-faceted collaboration among 31 Ohio community and political subdivision members. SOPEC is firmly dedicated to energy conservation and the development of sustainable energy programming in its communities.

Programs and Perks:

The City of Athens Community Solar Program was started in June 2020, directed by the 76%-voter-majority passage of the Athens Carbon Fee. This fee is 2/10 of a cent per kilowatt-hour, so most residential customers ultimately pay approximately 2 additional dollars per month on their electric bills. This money is collected in the Athens Public Solar Fund, which will fund future solar projects for public buildings in the City of Athens. This program enables Athens SOPEC customers to share in both the costs and benefits of solar energy.

Click here for more about the Athens Community Solar Program!

SOPEC’s Public Pricing Program (P3) is geared to serve non-profits, churches, and other public entities located in SOPEC member communities and subdivisions. This program helps these agencies get a better electric rate - often a 20 to 25% reduction from the default SOPEC Electric Aggregation Program rate - on the generation/supply portion of their electric bill. 

SOPEC also helps eligible customers access several grant programs:

From providing free solar assessments to small business and agricultural producers through the USDA REDA grant, to identifying and providing grant dollars to support regional priorities, SOPEC goes above and beyond to help community members take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Takeaway:

SOPEC is helping you and your eligible neighbors to reduce their carbon footprint, and it is only looking up from here. As SOPEC continues to grow with you and your community, the positive impact you have on the environment grows as well.