Capitol Weekly published this opinion piece written by Amisha Rai, Senior Director of California Policy at AEE, recommending how California’s next governor can harness the power of advanced energy. Link to the full article here and AEE’s California Gov. Candidates’ policy scorecard here.

Excerpts of the Capitol Weekly story are below:

California’s next governor has a tremendous opportunity to build on the state’s impressive record of leadership in pioneering advanced energy policy, innovative technology, and economic growth.

As Election Day approaches, we at Advanced Energy Economy are working with business leaders across the state to make sure the next governor understands that leadership in energy policy is essential to our economic future…

Our research shows that California leads the nation with 542,000 advanced energy jobs. By the end of this year, the state’s advanced energy industry expects to have boosted those employment numbers by 10 percent.  Along with those jobs has come investment…

 Investment is driving technology innovation and implementation. Almost 40 percent of California’s electricity is produced from renewable sources. These renewable energy options are increasingly cost-competitive and in high demand throughout the West. California is ranked second in the nation in energy efficiency programs and policies, and we lead the nation in electric vehicle sales, with over 470,000 clean passenger vehicles on the road…

The next governor will lead California during a critical time for implementation of the state’s energy and climate policies. There is also increased interest from the western states to take action and adopt advanced energy policies in the absence of federal leadership…

 Even as innovation and economics push us toward advanced energy, what happens in Sacramento still matters. California has set targets for 100 percent emission-free electricity and a carbon-neutral economy by 2045. To meet these goals, state leaders will have to work their way through a packed agenda—from zero-emission vehicles to energy efficiency to creating a smarter, more dynamic grid…

Clean energy leadership is good for business, good for our state’s economy, good for the people of California, and good for the world. Our next governor must make sure that when it comes to building an advanced energy economy, California stays in the lead.

See the complete Capitol Weekly story here.