Community Renewables Task Force Advisory Network

The Problem 

California has some of the most ambitious clean energy goals in the country, yet its regulatory framework actively discourages community-based renewable energy projects. The result is a growing gap: residents, businesses, and local governments want to participate in the energy transition, but the path to developing distributed, community-owned energy resources remains blocked by utility resistance, outdated interconnection rules, and regulatory complexity. 

Meanwhile, communities across the state face rising electricity costs, grid reliability concerns, and the consequences of wildfire risk and planned outages. The tools to address these challenges at the local level exist. What has been missing is an organized effort to identify the strategies, regulatory pathways, and practical support needed to put them to work. 

About the Task Force 

The Community Renewables Task Force is a working group within the California Alliance for Community Energy (CACE), an organization dedicated to advancing distributed energy resources (DER) and community renewable projects in California. CACE is a statewide coalition of community choice agencies, local government administrators, environmental organizations, and energy professionals working to expand community control over energy decisions. 

The task force operates as CACE’s action arm for distributed energy, focused on moving projects from concept to reality. It brings together practitioners, advocates, and technical experts with deep experience in distributed energy technology, policy and regulation, project development, finance, legal frameworks, community organizing, and utility systems. 

This is not a policy discussion group. The task force exists to identify real opportunities within the current regulatory landscape and to provide the expertise and coordination needed to act on them. Here is your opportunity to contribute to achieving California’s clean energy goals, identifying ways to design, develop, and implement community renewables in the face of regulatory and IOU restrictions and experiment with both technology and politics. 

What We Do 

The task force works to expand distributed energy and community renewable development by: 

• Identifying the specific regulatory, financial, and technical barriers limiting community energy projects in California 
• Mapping actionable pathways within the existing regulatory framework, including underutilized provisions that could enable projects to move forward now 
• Providing direct support to communities, organizations, and project developers working to implement innovative distributed energy approaches
• Connecting projects with the technical, legal, financial, and strategic expertise they need at each stage of development 
• Documenting and sharing successful models and strategies so that progress in one community can accelerate progress in others 

How the Task Force Supports Projects 

The task force serves as a collaborative support network for distributed energy efforts across the state. Through its members and their professional networks, the task force provides: 

• Technical expertise on distributed energy systems, microgrid design, and emerging technologies 
• Guidance on navigating California’s regulatory and utility interconnection processes
• Strategic input on project design, phasing, and implementation 
• Financial analysis and guidance on funding mechanisms, including grants, community financing, and public-private partnerships 
• Connections to additional experts, organizations, and networks across the California energy landscape 
• Hands-on support for community-based energy initiatives from early concept through execution 

The task force also evaluates and supports promising technologies and project models that could expand distributed energy opportunities statewide. 

Current Focus Areas 

The task force is currently engaged in several active efforts, including: 

• Supporting pilot projects that test community-scale renewable and storage models within California’s regulatory framework 
• Analyzing legislative and regulatory developments that affect community energy, including emerging proposals and rulemaking proceedings 
• Building partnerships with local governments, community organizations, and technical providers to create replicable project templates 
• Developing practical resources and toolkits for communities exploring distributed energy options 

How You Can Join Us 

The task force meets regularly to share information, identify emerging opportunities, and coordinate support for active and prospective projects. Participation is voluntary, and the group’s structure evolves as new opportunities and needs emerge. Members contribute their time and expertise on a pro bono basis, motivated by a shared commitment to expanding community energy in California. 

We welcome participation from individuals and organizations with relevant experience, expertise, or networks. Whether you are working on a project that could benefit from support, or you bring capabilities that could strengthen the task force’s efforts, we want to hear from you.