AEE’s Arvin Ganesan Testifies Before U.S. House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy

Testimony addresses the drivers of advanced energy growth – declining costs and customer preferences – and calls for removal of barriers to competition from advanced energy technologies in wholesale electricity markets.

Washington, D.C., September 26, 2017 — Today, Arvin Ganesan, vice president for federal policy at national business organization Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy Subcommittee hearing, Powering America: Technology’s Role in Empowering Customers. In his written testimony, summarized here, Ganesan made three primary points:

• Declining costs and consumer preferences – including those of Fortune 100 and 500 corporations – will continue to drive market growth and innovation in the advanced energy industry
• Advanced energy enhances the reliability and resilience of the grid by increasing fuel diversity, promoting a more flexible energy system, and responding to extreme weather events.
• Federal policy should pursue technology-neutral competition in wholesale markets to maximize benefits to consumers and enhance the reliability and resilience of the grid. 

“Over the last six years, advanced energy in the United States has grown by close to 30%, and now supports more than 3 million jobs,” Ganesan told the subcommittee in his oral testimony. “What is driving that growth? Two main factors: declining costs and consumer preferences.

“Renewable energy has increasingly become a significant provider of energy, and will continue to grow in the United States based on economic competitiveness,” Ganesan also said. “More consumers are increasingly exercising choice and control over their energy needs, whether that means purchasing solar panels for their rooftop, charging electric vehicles in their garages at night, or managing their household energy consumption from their phone that is connected to a smart thermostat. Customers are increasingly active participants in the grid, making it much more dynamic.”

On federal policy, Ganesan said, “Competition brings out the best in everyone, and the same is true for energy technology. By enabling true competition, consumers will be the beneficiaries. However, competitive markets continue to suffer from technology-specific barriers that prevent advanced energy from providing a full suite of benefits. In fact, some market rules prevent new and emerging technologies from selling their services on the open market, stifling innovation and keeping our electricity system from being modernized for higher performance.”

Subcommittee question and answer period addressed the role of advanced energy and diversity in preparing for and responding to weather emergencies, engagement of customers in managing energy use, how some of the latest technologies work and deliver value, and the role of FERC in determining market rules that properly credit contributions of various energy technologies. See link below for archived hearing coverage.

Additional Resources

• U.S. House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee hearing and archive link is here.
• Advanced Energy Now 2017 Market Report is here.
• This Is Advanced Energy, directory of technologies here.

About Advanced Energy Economy
Advanced Energy Economy is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. Advanced energy encompasses a broad range of products and services that constitute the best available technologies for meeting energy needs today and tomorrow. AEE’s mission is to transform public policy to enable rapid growth of advanced energy businesses. AEE and its State and Regional Partner organizations are active in 27 states across the country, representing more than 1,000 companies and organizations in the advanced energy industry. Visit AEE online at www.aee.net.