Sun & Energy: A Hudson Valley CCA

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In April 2016, New York's Public Service Commission approved Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) statewide, a framework that allows municipalities the ability to opt out of the default energy supply and and procure their own supply service. Sun & Energy was established to support this transition. As a CCA program coordinator, the company works as an intermediary between municipalities and energy suppliers, bundling local demand to negotiate advantageous contracts. "When we pool demand, we have a very big mouth to feed," explains cofounder Joel Santisteban. "When we approach energy suppliers, they have no acquisition cost. They are chomping at the bit to give us the best price, which we then pass on to our customers. It's collective bargaining." This pooled demand also creates leverage of incentivizing for local renewable power facilities. "If we have demand that merits the development of a local solar facility, as we do in Wappingers Falls, we will work with third-party developers to make that happen," Santisteban says. With a background in green energy, he and his partners are well-poised to stimulate the renewable energy industry statewide, lowering power bills along the way.