Leading from the Middle

The report details how Illinois municipalities use Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) to pool electricity purchasing power, enabling them to negotiate lower rates and switch to cleaner energy sources. Since 2013, over 90 Illinois towns have transitioned to 100% renewable electricity via Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), increasing demand for wind and solar by over 6 terawatt hours. The document provides case studies from Oak Park and Chicago, analyzes CCA adoption in other states like California and Massachusetts, and offers strategic recommendations for municipalities to move beyond RECs toward local renewable energy investments.

• Since 2013, more than 90 Illinois towns, representing 1.7 million people, have transitioned to 100% renewable electricity by utilizing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). This shift increased the demand for solar and wind energy by more than 6 terawatt hours (TWh), which is equivalent to removing over 1 million cars from the road or 250,000 homes from the grid.
• The city of Chicago used CCA to remove coal from its electricity supply, resulting in a 16% drop in its carbon footprint. This was achieved by cutting energy use by 28% and shifting the energy mix to natural gas and in-state wind power, which covers 5% of its demand. The transition is estimated to avoid 550,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, 5,500 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, and 2,100 metric tons of nitrous oxide.
• Oak Park became the first American city to secure 100% renewable electricity for its residents through CCA, serving as a model for other cities, including Cincinnati.
• While Illinois has seen the fastest adoption of CCA, five other states—California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island—also allow municipal CCA. In California, Marin County's long-term Power Purchasing Agreements (PPA) have led to the development of nearly 60 megawatts of new solar, wind, and landfill gas.
• The report recommends that municipalities move beyond the purchase of RECs to invest in local renewable energy. Suggested strategies include requesting local clean energy carve-outs in bids, creating Community Clean Energy Funds to finance local solar or efficiency projects, bundling solar credits for rooftop systems, and converting brownfields into 'brightfields' for solar projects.
• To scale CCA nationally, the report suggests that the White House establish a CCA working group involving the DOE, EPA, FERC, and HUD, and that the Department of Energy (DOE) track the economic and environmental impacts of CCA across the U.S.

APA

WWF International (2014). Leading from the Middle. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/580/2yycos0147_Leading_from_the_Middle_IL_Report_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Leading from the Middle. 2014. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/580/2yycos0147_Leading_from_the_Middle_IL_Report_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Leading from the Middle |date=2014 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/580/2yycos0147_Leading_from_the_Middle_IL_Report_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2014leading, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Leading from the Middle}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/580/2yycos0147_Leading_from_the_Middle_IL_Report_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }