The city's clean-energy aggregation program is meeting its two founding goals — being 100% renewable and saving money for participating households — but market dynamics and policy changes are making new in-state projects harder and slower to develop, Trebel Energy told the Public Utilities & Sustainability Committee.

"An average household is going to save about $120 a year," Erin Schmerschneider, managing director with Trebel Energy, told the committee. Schmerschneider said the program is currently 100% renewable and about 30% of its supply is supported by in-state projects; the program's in-state goal is 60%.

The consultant described a pricing environment that has pushed power-purchase agreement (PPA) prices higher than in 2021 (from roughly $40/MWh then to about $81.50/MWh now) and noted higher wholesale and capacity costs in the region. She attributed longer development timelines (about seven years now versus roughly four years in 2020) to longer build times, supply and labor constraints, and a backlog in approvals at the regional grid operator.

Schmerschneider also cited federal incentives and Ohio policy as influencing project economics and siting. She said federal tax incentives require projects to start by midnext year and complete by 2027 to qualify for certain credits, while Ohio House Bill 15 provides streamlined tax exemptions for some brownfield projects and House Bill 52 grants county veto authority over large solar and wind projects, increasing permitting uncertainty.

Council members asked whether the program continues to deliver savings and whether it is on track to meet in-state content goals. Schmerschneider said savings goals have been met each year after the first program year and that the department and consultant are constantly evaluating additions of in-state projects when they are price competitive.

Ending note: The city's aggregation program remains active and under evaluation; officials said they are working to increase local project content while protecting participant savings and will revisit pricing and project additions as market conditions evolve.