Advanced Energy Perspectives

The 2025 New Mexico legislative session ended with both meaningful progress and frustrating setbacks for clean energy advocates. Advanced Energy United and our partners helped move forward legislation that will upgrade the state’s transmission system and support long-term affordability. But other transformative measures—including a bill to promote proactive distribution system planning and expanded electrification—fell short. 

This year’s session was defined by an intense focus on public safety and behavioral health, sparked by recent violent incidents and political pressure on lawmakers to respond decisively. As a result, other policy areas—including energy—faced heightened hurdles in gaining traction. Despite early movement of public safety legislation, much of the session was consumed by debate over this topic, leading to fewer opportunities for forward-looking clean energy measures to advance.

America is at a crossroads. For the first time in decades, we’re experiencing a sharp rise in load growth driven by data center expansion, a resurgence in domestic manufacturing, and increased electrification. Without effective policies, consumer costs could rise, businesses may face investment uncertainty, and grid reliability may be at risk. But that doesn’t have to be the case. 

The clean energy landscape in the United States changes frequently, and Advanced Energy United is always evaluating opportunities for new projects that will benefit consumers financially, help businesses succeed, and give states tools to bolster their electricity grids and meet rising demand. After evaluating the potential for advanced energy projects and working with our members, United recently expanded our presence in Wisconsin. The Badger State finds itself at an inflection point, and policymakers must choose how they want to harness the economic promise of the clean energy transition.

Advanced Energy United is pleased to announce that Amy Heart, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at Sunrun, has been elected Chair of Advanced Energy United’s Board of Directors. 

Sunrun is an energy industry leader with a proven track record as a policy and business model innovator, and shares United’s commitment to building a future powered by clean energy. As Chair of the Board of Directors, Heart will support United’s mission of growing the advanced energy industry in the U.S., which employs over 4 million American workers, and accelerating America’s transition to a 100% clean energy future. 

In Nevada, the need to significantly expand power generation, transmission capacity, and regional resource sharing is urgent as the state’s energy grid struggles to keep up with rapid economic and industrial growth. Northern Nevada’s energy grid, for example, could quadruple in size as the data-storage industry continues to grow and expand in the Reno-Sparks area and beyond. Strengthening and expanding transmission lines will be especially critical to ensure that the growing demand for energy can be met as new advanced energy resources come online.

In response to this need, nearly four years ago, Senate Bill 448 created a Regional Transmission Coordination Task Force to help shape Nevada’s energy future. The Task Force is responsible for studying issues and policies related to transmission development and regional electricity markets, both of which are key solutions to deal with load growth.