Riverside previews options for electric aggregation renewal ahead of June 4 vote

Riverside staff and Illinois Aggregation Consultants previewed options on May 21 for renewing the village's municipal electric aggregation, ahead of a required decision at the June 4 board meeting.

Clerk Stenzel summarized two broad choices: (1) continue with a fixed-rate contract with term options (12, 24, 36 months) and varying percentages of green energy (50% or 100%), or (2) select Midwest-generated renewable energy that includes a 10-15% premium in exchange for a civic grant the village can direct to local sustainability projects such as municipal lighting improvements aligned with Dark Sky goals, native plantings, or expanded economic incentive program eligibility.

Staff noted that last June the board approved a 12-month, 100% green aggregation with MC Squared Energy Services at 10.9 cents per kilowatt-hour and that current participation stands at about 87% of eligible accounts. Staff warned that annual market "true-ups" often produce May spikes and recommended multi-year contracts when feasible to reduce resident confusion and administrative burden.

Sharon Derling, president and CEO of Illinois Aggregation Consultants, was present to answer procedural and market questions; staff will solicit bids, and the board must act quickly after bids are received to finalize supplier agreements.

Why it matters: The aggregation decision will determine residents' supply rates, the percentage of renewables in the contracted product, and whether a civic grant will be available to fund local green projects.

Next steps: Staff will present bids at the June 4 meeting and the board will vote that evening.