ITHACA, N.Y. – Residents will have a chance this week to learn more about the City of Ithaca’s plan to expand access to cleaner energy.
A forthcoming community program will allow the city to purchase electricity and natural gas on behalf of local customers. It’s called a Community Choice Aggregation program, also known as Tompkins Green Energy Network (T-GEN), and is expected to roll out in fall 2026.
A virtual informational meeting hosted by the program administrator, Local Power LLC, will be held Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. to provide a program overview and answer community questions.
According to the city’s new Community Choice Aggregation webpage, the goal of the program is to “achieve competitive prices for renewable energy” and to “meet or beat” the default rate set by New York State Electric & Gas. The program will use an opt-out enrollment system, meaning most utility users will automatically be enrolled unless they choose not to participate.
Residents can register for the March 19 meeting through a Zoom link on the city’s website. The meeting is part of a public education effort ahead of the launch that includes additional sessions this spring. Those meetings are scheduled for April 16 and May 14.
An informational session about the program’s sister initiative, “Own Your Power,” will also be held immediately following the March 19 presentation at 7 p.m. Residents must register separately for the session through a second Zoom link.
The voluntary “Own Your Power” program is available to all residents and businesses, and is designed to help people participate in or invest in local renewable energy projects, such as community solar installations or shared energy infrastructure.
These programs are part of the city’s broader climate strategy under the Ithaca Green New Deal, adopted in 2019, which includes a goal of reaching community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030.
This article appeared first at The Ithaca Voice.