The ways in which electricity is being generated, distributed, transmitted, and stored are undergoing unprecedented change. Movements for energy democracy, and proponents of a Just Transition -a transformation of the current fossil fuel-based system into place-based, sustainable, equitable, and democratically controlled economies-have attempted to capture the potential of these changes to realize a low-carbon electricity system through new and more equitable electricity generation and procurement models. Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is one such utility-scale electricity service provision model in California that explicitly aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the provision of locally produced and democratically controlled renewable energy that simultaneously catalyzes localized economic development. Although community choice aggregation is a twenty-year-old electricity procurement and provision model, the growth of CCAs have been slow; they have only been legalized in seven states since its inception in 1997. To date, limited academic research has been conducted to examine the barriers to the growth of community choice aggregation Furthermore, this research does not connect CCA to larger strategies to enable such a Just Transition, nor does it identify policy levers to bolster community choice aggregators' ability to deliver on their stated goals. This thesis therefore examines the barriers to realizing community choice aggregation To do so, I conducted semi-structured interviews with individuals essential to the creation of six existing and two emerging community choice aggregators in California. I find that while exit fees, customer opt-outs, and financing remain persistent challenges to CCA formation, new CCA networks, and grassroots coalitions for a Just Transition have allowed CCAs to overcome these barriers. Additionally, I observed that for community choice aggregators, maintaining business functions and ensuring ratepayer-based revenue take precedence over catalyzing economic development. Ultimately, I find that while the CCA market has experienced significant development, allowing them to provide ratepayers cost competitive renewable energy, community choice aggregators have not matured to a point where they are able to meaningfully catalyze local economic development or deepen civic engagement in energy-related decisions at a local level. In order to transform those challenges into opportunities for deepening civic engagement and community wealth for (low-income) communities (of color) and further realize a vision of a just transition, this thesis concludes with proposed state regulatory changes to catalyze mutually beneficial "public-public" relationships between CCAs, electricity co-operatives, and unions to further advance a Just Transition, and help community choice aggregators deliver on their goals.

The near-unanimous consensus among climate scientists is that the massive burning of gas, oil, and coal is having cataclysmic impacts on our atmosphere and climate. These climate and environmental impacts are particularly magnified and debilitating for low-income communities and communities of color. Energy democracy tenders a response and joins the environmental and climate movement with broader movements for social and economic change in this country and around the world. Energy Democracy brings together racial, cultural, and generational perspectives to show what an alternative, democratized energy future can look like. The book will inspire others to take up the struggle to build the energy democracy movement.

Globally, decentralized energy systems are gaining popularity due to their potential for energy accessibility, energy resilience, and sustainability benefits. Existing research on an energy system decentralization approach, community choice aggregation (CCA), shows its ability to lower energy costs and increase renewable electricity consumption for U.S. communities. Nevertheless, research on the relationship between CCA and distributed electricity generation development is lacking. This paper fills this gap by investigating if the CCA approach associates with distributed generation capacity interconnection in California municipalities. The finding shows that although the average capacity has increased for all municipalities throughout the study period, contrary to proponents' arguments, the CCA approach has insignificantly decreased the capacity interconnected for municipalities. It is unclear if the result is due to a lack of higher-level support for the full CCA implementation or substitution by community-owned distributed generation. Future research is necessary to determine the CCA effect comprehensively in California. With this understanding, the research could be expanded to explore how community energy approaches work towards distributed generation across the U.S. and the globe.