News

Greentech Media covered MI Power Grid, Michigan's new grid mod approach to prepare for a distributed energy future, quoting AEE's Ryan Katofsky and AEE state partner MiEIBC's Laura Sherman. Read excerpts below and the entire GTM piece here (sub req.).

Michigan is not the most aggressive state in terms of clean energy mandates, grid modernization initiatives, or distributed energy resource integration. But over the past few years, the Wolverine state’s energy future has begun to shift dramatically — and now, state leaders have launched a comprehensive effort to tie it all together. It’s called MI Power Grid, and according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Public Service Commission, it’s going to be the central source for Michigan residents and businesses seeking to take part in the state’s broader energy transformation.

SB 596 encourages deployment of electric vehicles, sets up processes for charging infrastructure development and utility EV programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 30, 2019 – Today, national business organization Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) applauded the State Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee's unanimous passage of SB 596, the Pennsylvania Clean Transportation Infrastructure Act*.

Virginia Mercury covered concerns about Dominion's new green energy package, including those raised by AEE's Caitlin Marquis and AEE member Walmart. Read excerpts below and the entire Virginia Mercury piece here. 

Dominion Energy’s newest plan for a renewable energy package that environmentally conscious customers can buy is causing some big businesses, including Walmart, to push back against what they call “an unattractive offering.” Why? Companies and an industry group that represents some of Virginia’s and the nation’s largest employers have two complaints. First, the portfolio of renewable energy resources assembled by Dominion includes numerous carbon-emitting facilities, some decades old, including one in Southwest Virginia that derives 93 percent of its energy from coal and is listed by Dominion on its website as a coal asset.

Richmond Times-Dispatch published a co-authored opinion piece by Virginia AEE's Harrison Godfrey and The Greenlink Group's Matthew Cox detailing how the Commonwealth could meet Gov. Northam's 100% clean energy goal while saving customers money and creating positive economic impact. Read excerpts below and the entire Richmond Times-Dispatch piece here. 

Energy New Network covered Michigan's MI Power Grid initiative, a significant electric grid modernization effort to prepare for more distributed energy resources and other priorities for the state, quoting AEE's Ryan Katofsky. Read excerpts below and the entire Energy News Network piece here.

A new Michigan energy initiative aims to translate two years of planning into action that can transform the state’s electricity system... The MI Power Grid initiative, jointly launched by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Public Service Commission, was met with broad support from clean energy and consumer advocates as well as the state’s largest energy company...

The Denver Post covered the expansion of Sunrun's Colorado operations at an event with Governor Polis, including excerpts of AEE's 2019 Colorado Jobs Fact Sheet. Read excerpts below and the entire Denver Post piece here. (Sub. req.)

A national leader in residential solar and storage services is expanding its Denver-based operations, officially opening its larger downtown office space Monday. Sunrun Inc. hosted Gov. Jared Polis and others at the grand opening of the 120,000-square-foot office at the Johns Manville Plaza on 17th Avenue. The San Francisco-primarily based firm, founded in 2007, determined in 2015 to start its second company headquarters in Denver, acknowledged Ed Fenster, Sunrun’s co-founder and govt chairman.

WASHINGTON, D.C., and LANSING, Mich., October 17, 2019 – Advanced energy business groups today applauded the announcement from Governor Gretchen Whitmer that the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) would launch a multi-year initiative to modernize Michigan’s electric power system to maximize the benefits of clean, distributed energy resources for Michigan residents and businesses. National business organization Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) and the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC), a state partner of AEE, see the benefits from the MI Power Grid initiative as including: 

Politico's Morning Energy covered FERC's meeting agenda including PJM and Southwest Power Pool's proposals to integrate storage into their wholesale market operations, with commentary by AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire Politico Morning Energy piece here. 

FERC will issue orders today regarding two natural gas pipelines, compliance with its landmark energy storage order and a political spending complaint against grid operator PJM Interconnection, according to the monthly open meeting agenda...

Energy Central reposted AEE's recent blog detailing how barriers to advanced energy should be removed. Read excerpts below and the entire Energy Central piece here. 

Two-thirds of the nation’s wholesale electricity sales occur in a competitive market managed by a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) or Independent System Operator (ISO), with over 200 million customers in these areas and over $120 billion in annual energy transactions taking place. Under the Federal Power Act, these markets are overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which ultimately determines the rules for how wholesale electricity is bought and sold in the marketplace.

Energy News Network highlighted AEE's DER Report and included quotes by AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire Energy News Network piece here. 

Rooftop solar panels and home battery systems could play a significant role in balancing the nation’s electric grid, but federal regulators need to adopt policies to help make that happen, according to a clean energy group’s recent report.

So-called distributed energy resources — customer-managed generation and storage systems spread across the grid — are often too small to participate in the regional wholesale markets where utilities buy most of the electricity they sell to customers...

Utility Dive reported Minnesota regulators pushed back on petroleum groups' attempt to reverse approval of Xcel Energy's $25 million electric vehicle pilot program, quoting  AEE's Matt Stanberry and AEE member Greenlots. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

Minnesota regulators on Monday stamped out manufacturing and petroleum groups' attempt to reverse approval of Xcel Energy's $25 million electric vehicle pilot program. The state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved the program in July, and five large industrial groups, including oil groups Marathon Petroleum and Flint Hills Resources, filed a petition with the commission on Aug. 6 asking regulators to reconsider the decision...

First two in series provide overviews on how wholesale markets work and the barriers that keep advanced energy technologies from competing

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 9, 2019 – Today, national business group Advanced Energy Economy released the first two policy briefs in a new series on how advanced energy technologies can and should be allowed to participate in wholesale electricity markets, for the benefit of customers and the grid itself. These two briefs, along with additional wholesale market briefs as they are developed, can be downloaded here. 

Washington Examiner's 'Daily on Energy' covered Trump's Republican nominee for FERC, quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire Washington Examiner piece here.

Clean energy groups worry that President Trump’s new Republican nominee for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, James Danly, would take a hands-off approach to the role, meaning he could be reluctant to push through changes to modernize the electric grid.

Not much is known in utility industry circles about Danly, the FERC general counsel since 2017 and a former lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, but he did hint at his view of the role of FERC members in a speech in April at Skadden's Energy Regulation and Litigation Group's 14th Annual Energy Conference in which he espoused a “humble regulator approach.”

The Virginia Mercury published an opinion piece by Devin Welch, of AEE member Sun Tribe Solar, calling on the Virginia Assembly to support clean energy for economic reasons, including jobs. Welch referenced and linked to AEE's recent Virginia jobs report, and called for expanding the successful Power Purchase Agreement Pilot program. Read excerpts below and the entire Virginia Mercury piece here. 

Last month, Gov. Ralph Northam made an exciting announcement: that Virginia would aim to get 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. It’s an ambitious — but essential — target, and much of the reporting post-announcement has focused on a major impetus behind this kind of goal setting: climate change and the very real impact it will continue to have on communities throughout the commonwealth. 

The Washington Post's Energy 202 reported on Trump naming a Republican nominee for FERC Commissioner without pairing with a Democrat, quoting AEE's General Counsel and Managing Director Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire Washington Post piece here, a version of which also appeared in the print edition on Oct. 3.

President Trump finally chose a new Republican commissioner for a key panel of federal energy regulators. But he did so without naming a Democrat to go with him, setting off a potential battle with Senate Democrats over the future of renewable energy and gas pipeline projects across the country. On Monday, the White House announced the president intends to nominate James Danly to be a commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Danly, a Republican, currently serves as the panel’s general counsel and would fill a vacancy left by the death in January of former FERC chairman Kevin J. McIntyre. If confirmed by the Senate, Danly would serve until 2023.

Utility Dive reported on six state utility commissioners who are pressing FERC to prioritize its resilience docket, including perspective of AEE's Managing Director and General Counsel Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire Utility Dive piece here. 

Six state regulators are pressing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to prioritize its resilience docket, citing concerns over rapid coal plant retirements, Bloomberg first reported Monday. Utility commissioners from Wyoming, Montana, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky wrote separate letters to FERC, asking the commission to take action on the resilience docket opened in response to its unanimous rejection of the Department of Energy's bid to subsidize coal and nuclear resources.

Transmission and Distribution World published this final column in a four-part series by AEE's Bob Keough summarizing AEE's 2019 Market Report findings. Read excerpts below and the entire T&D World piece here.

According to the Advanced Energy Now 2019 Market Report, advanced transportation was the largest advanced energy segment worldwide in 2018 for the second year in a row, with an estimated US$494.8 billion in revenue, up 2% from 2017 and 8% the year before. Since 2011, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of advanced transportation globally was 6%. At the end of 2018, over five million plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were on the roads worldwide.

Transmission and Distribution World published this third column in a four-part series by AEE's Bob Keough summarizing AEE's 2019 Market Report findings. Read excerpts below and the entire T&D World piece here. 

According to the Advanced Energy Now 2019 Market Report, within the electricity delivery and management segment of advanced energy, it is noteworthy that advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) had two big revenue years in the United States recently, jumping 65% in 2017, to US$1.4 billion, and holding roughly steady in 2018. Smart meters and related infrastructure are foundational for much innovation in the electric power sector, including reforms like time-of-use rates.

Sunshine State now boasts more than 174,000 advanced energy jobs, a significant sector that grew 5% last year, more than double Florida’s overall jobs growth

TALLAHASSEE, October 1, 2019 — Today, national business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released a fact sheet showing that Florida has 174,100 people working in advanced energy across the state. This represents more workers than those in Real Estate Sales, Leasing & Management (143,068), and more than triple those working in Agriculture (56,711) across the state.