News

Introduced today in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill would support the buildout of much-needed electric transmission infrastructure

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, national business association Advanced Energy United endorsed the Building Integrated Grids With Inter-Regional Energy Supply (BIG WIRES) Act, introduced today by Senator Hickenlooper and Representative Peters. The bill would address the need for more reliable transmission infrastructure to reduce power outages and upgrade power sector infrastructure.

Legislation paves the way for more rapid clean energy deployment to California households

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Today, Advanced Energy United celebrated the bipartisan passage of SB 410, The Powering Up Californians Act, the first bill of its kind aimed at tackling delays in connecting customers’ clean energy technologies to the state’s power grid. Californians want clean energy solutions like residential solar and storage, heat pumps, and electric vehicles (EVs), but interconnection delays are a major obstacle in customer adoption of these technologies, slowing progress toward California’s decarbonization goals and customer energy savings.  

SB 410, introduced by Senator Josh Becker (District 13), requires an ongoing assessment of every investor-owned electric utility’s electrical service and interconnection performance, workforce staffing levels, and grid capacity. This bill also facilitates clear and reasonable timeframes for connecting clean energy systems to hold utilities accountable, benefit customers, and prevent future bottlenecks.  

A bill to establish a statewide goal for zero-emission school buses will soon head to the Governor’s desk  

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Today, the California Senate passed AB 579 to accelerate the adoption of electric school buses and bring the benefits of clean air and cost-savings to communities statewide. The bill, sponsored by Advanced Energy United and CALSTART, represents the latest significant action from the California Legislature to accelerate the transition to clean and safe school transportation. The bill will soon head to Governor Newsom’s desk for signing.  

Brought forward by Assemblymember Phil Ting (District 19), AB 579sets a statewide deadline requiring all new school buses purchased or leased after 2035 to be zero-emission. The bill extends the lease terms for contracted zero-emission school buses to maximize longer-term savings for schools. Expanding electric school bus adoption over the next decade will substantially reduce maintenance and fuel costs by thousands of dollars annually, freeing up funding to put back into the classroom. 

TRENTON, NJ – National business association Advanced Energy United shares its condolences today for the family, friends and colleagues of Joseph Fiordaliso, president of New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU), a longtime public servant who was a positive force behind the state’s ambitious push towards a clean energy future.

Advanced Energy United applauds Governor Whitmer’s vision for achieving 100% clean energy by 2035

LANSING, MICHIGAN – In her “What’s Next Address,” Governor Whitmer named her clean energy priorities for the remainder of the legislative session, among them: reforms to permitting of large-scale renewable energy, a 100% clean energy standard, improvements to utility energy waste reduction programs, and authorization of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to consider equity and climate in its regulation of utilities.

“From her implementation of the MI Healthy Climate Plan, to the huge investments in clean energy in the most recent state budget, and the onshoring of battery manufacturing, Governor Whitmer’s leadership on clean energy is undeniable,” said Samarth Medakkar, Policy Principal with Advanced Energy United. “We appreciate this comprehensive approach which not only sets ambitious targets for renewable power and energy efficiency, but also lays out practical reforms for permitting processes and regulatory oversight that will make those goals possible.”

America’s $374 billion advanced energy industry poised for accelerated growth thanks in part to the Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON, DC, August 16, 2023 – A year after its signing, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is working as intended, fueling a new era of investment in domestic advanced energy manufacturing and empowering the growth of the technologies and services America needs to secure a 100% clean energy future. 

The recently published Market Reportby Advanced Energy United found that the advanced energy industry – made up of several sectors including building efficiency, advanced transportation, electricity distribution and generation, and advanced fuel production – grew by 14% in market size from 2021 to 2022, up to $374 billion. Those figures have the potential to be dwarfed by the growth stemming from the investments fueled by the IRA. Combined with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, the IRA is expected to lead to roughly $444 billion in federal investment and $1.2 trillion in private investment, resulting in $2.8 trillion in total GDP, 23 million jobs, and $60 billion in annual consumer savings – all told, a six-fold return in investment in federal dollars in advanced energy growth. 

To celebrate the moment, Advanced Energy United President and CEO Heather O’Neill released the following statement, anticipating the next era of policies needed to reach our clean energy goals: 

Poll finds bipartisan support for added incentives behind state standard for clean energy zoning and permitting

INDIANAPOLIS, August 15, 2023 – A new statewide poll of likely Indiana voters found widespread support for clean energy resources and for rules that would make it easier to build clean energy in the state.

Cygnal, an international polling and public opinion firm, surveyed 800 likely voters from July 17-18, finding widespread support for renewable energy across the state. A majority of respondents supported  wind (60%) and solar (70%) in the state’s energy production mix, and a majority of respondents from all regions of the state said they would be more likely to vote for candidates in 2024 who supported Indiana’s renewable energy development.

The poll also found 67% of Hoosiers, including a majority of Republicans, would favor legislation to require a uniform standard for the zoning, permitting, and location of renewable energy projects in the state, while four-fifths agreed Indiana should strive to provide consistent and clear regulations to help attract businesses and boost the economy. Over half of all respondents said they would support using state funds to create a financial incentive for local governments that voluntarily adhered to the state standard.

New rule would establish the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits Program

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Advanced Energy United, a national association of businesses united in their mission to achieve 100% clean energy and electrified transportation in America, applauded a newly proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Energy that would create a program to streamline federal permitting processes.

In particular, the new program would put the Department of Energy in charge of coordinating all agencies involved in the environmental review process, and cap the process at two years.

“Transmission developers are facing inefficient and lengthy review processes to getting projects permitted and approved, leading to increased costs and delayed timelines,” said Caitlin Marquis, Managing Director at Advanced Energy United. “Electric transmission lines are the essential backbones of our power grid, and building more transmission leads to lower energy costs and improved grid reliability. A more efficient permitting program that maintains essential review processes will provide more certainty for developers and support a stronger, more resilient power grid.

FERC directs Transmission Providers to implement cluster studies, among other reforms

WASHINGTON, DC, July 27, 2023- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted today to finalize rules regarding how interconnection queues across the nation should be governed. The ruling establishes requirements that must be met by all public utility transmission providers, such asRegional Transmission Operators (RTOs), Independent System Operators (ISOs), and utilities in non-RTO/ISO regions. The long-awaited final rule follows up on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the Commission last July, in which the Commission recognized that interconnection backlogs threaten reliability and just and reasonable rates. Requirements in the final order include a transition to cluster studies, replacement of the “reasonable efforts standard” with study deadlines and penalties for transmission providers, and provisions to better accommodate new technologies such as storage and hybrid resources and to ensure consideration of grid-enhancing technologies.  

“Advanced Energy United and our members applaud the Commission for identifying the urgent need for interconnection reform and for working diligently to put forward a final Order that will start to improve the broken interconnection process,” said Caitlin Marquis, Managing Director at Advanced Energy United. “In light of the scope of the interconnection challenge, we also appreciate Acting Chair Phillips’s recognition that there is ‘so much more to do,’ and hope to see this momentum maintained with follow-up efforts by the Commission to address additional interconnection reform needs." 

Stakeholders in Michigan worked with DTE Electric to accelerate retirement of coal-fired power plants to align with the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan's emissions reduction goals.

DETROIT, MI – Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC), Institute for Energy Innovation (IEI), Advanced Energy United, and Clean Grid Alliance, in addition to other parties, reached a settlement with DTE Electric (DTE) regarding its Integrated Resource Plan last week, leading to significant gains toward reducing emissions, expanding opportunities for advanced energy businesses and technologies, and fulfilling the goals of the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan. The settlement terms accelerate the retirement of the coal-fired Monroe Power Plant, as well as require DTE to pursue federal funding to offset and retire even more coal facilities. After the plan is approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission, the utility will be making major investments in new large-scale renewable energy projects within the next 20 years and developing battery storage capacity.