Many cities across North America are in a unique position to support local renewable energy development and recover the costs from energy consumption. Utility franchise fees can be used to enable cities to develop local feed-in tariff (CLEAN) contracts, the world’s most successful renewable energy policies. . .

In the absence of provincial or state laws, municipal governments have the opportunity to spur renewable energy development within their region. One of the ways they can do this is through feed-in tariffs. Feed-in tariffs (FITs) provide payment for each unit of electricity generated from a renewable source such as wind or solar. They are now widely regarded as the most successful policy in facilitating low-impact renewable energy. . .