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CPCNH’s Annual Solicitation Program to Increase Renewable Energy (ASPIRE)

About ASPIRE

ASPIRE is an initiative of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire to help its member communities achieve their renewable energy goals.

Many CPCNH members have prioritized transitioning to cleaner, more-local sources of electricity. ASPIRE is designed to support this shift by issuing an open, competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) each year to procure energy and/or Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from new renewable energy projects through long-term contracts.

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Join our ASPIRE 2025 RFP Webinar

CPCNH’s Director of Projects & Programs, Mark Bolinger, will host a Q&A webinar for developers on Sept 10 at 11 AM. Come prepared with questions — the session will be mostly open Q&A, with a brief, high-level overview of the RFP.

What We're Looking For

ASPIRE welcomes proposals from a diverse range of renewable energy technologies, project sizes (with a focus on projects under 5 MW), and structures.


To be eligible, projects must be “new”—not yet operational at the time of submission.

 

To maximize value to our members, we aim to eventually apply generation purchased from “load reducers” (i.e., sub-5 MW projects not registered with ISO-NE) against CPCNH’s wholesale load obligations. New Hampshire law (RSA 362-A:9, II) permits this offset, but current utility load settlement practices prevent implementation. Until regulatory enforcement and load settlement practices come into alignment with New Hampshire law, we anticipate that most projects proposed through this inaugural ASPIRE solicitation will follow one of two established structures:

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  • Group Net Metering arrangements (for projects <5 MW)

  • ISO-NE registered generators (for projects of 5 MW or more)

 

That said, we remain open to creative, non-standard proposals that may better reflect evolving market conditions and project innovation.

Why Participate?

Low barriers to entry: To encourage broad participation and reduce legal and administrative overhead, ASPIRE offers a streamlined application process and standardized contracts.


Enhanced revenue certainty: While net metering credits change every six months and can be volatile, ASPIRE offers fixed-price revenue certainty.


20-year runway: ASPIRE’s 20-year contract exceeds the ~15 year runway for net metering in New Hampshire, which is only available in its current form through 2040.


Administrative support: CPCNH stands ready to partner with and support dedicated developers in a variety of ways to ensure that compelling projects succeed.


In these and other ways, ASPIRE provides a valuable entry point into long-term renewable energy contracting with a community-centered organization.

How to Get Started

Review the ASPIRE 2025 RFP documents and submit your proposal by the deadline noted in the RFP. If you have questions during the process, we encourage you to email aspire@communitypowernh.gov. All material questions submitted before the deadline will be answered in our regularly updated Q&A Log, available below.

Be Part of the Energy Future!

We’re excited to review your proposal and partner in building a more resilient, renewable, and locally powered New Hampshire. Thank you for your interest in ASPIRE.

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