News

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.  

National business association thanks policymakers for bipartisanship and for embracing economic benefits of advanced energy.

PHOENIX, AZ, May 12, 2023 — National business group Advanced Energy United commends Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature for their bipartisan efforts in passing a state budget that works to prioritize the immediate needs of Arizonans while continuing to invest in the state's advanced energy infrastructure. 

The report analyzed battery storage compared to natural gas “peakers” currently proposed by Indiana utilities

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 3, 2023 – Some of the largest utilities in Indiana could save their customers a combined $73.1 million by switching to advanced energy technologies instead of moving forward with plans to build new gas-fired power plants. The finding comes in a new study by Strategen Consulting, which analyzed several scenarios that considered a range of fuel and technology costs and deployment strategies and found that the utilities could achieve equivalent reliability and save their customers millions of dollars by building battery storage instead of new natural gas combustion turbines.

New IRP not a “good faith decarbonization plan,” says national business group Advanced Energy United

[editor's note: this press release originally stated this was Dominion's first IRP since the VCEA was signed into law. It is Dominion's first IRP since the law went into effect.]

RICHMOND, VA, May 2, 2023 – This week, Dominion Energy Virginia filed its first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) since the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), Virginia’s landmark energy law, went into effect in July of 2020. Today, Advanced Energy United, the business association that supported passage of the VCEA, criticized Dominion’s new approach for meeting the law’s requirements.

“We have seen this play from Dominion before. Its latest resource plan is yet another example of this utility picking a forecast that suits its business interests,” said Kim Jemaine, director at Advanced Energy United (formerly AEE). “Dominion chooses a questionable energy load forecast as justification for cherry-picking preferred technologies, preserving existing fossil-fuel facilities, and calling for new investment in gas fired resources. In our view, Dominion has not developed a good faith decarbonization plan that fully aligns with the Virginia Clean Economy Act, Virginia’s landmark energy law.”

The legislation requires updated procurement standards that could save Florida taxpayers up to $277 million 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. April 11, 2023 – Today, national business group Advanced Energy United applauded the Florida Senate’s passage of CS/CS/SB 284: Energy. The bill would require the Department of Management Services (DMS) to consider not just the initial purchase price but the total cost of ownership for new additions to the state’s vehicle fleet, including operations, fuel, and maintenance costs. It also asks DMS to make recommendations to state agencies, local governments, and state colleges and universities using the same standards. 

Research from Advanced Energy United and the Electrification Coalition showed the bill has the potential to save Florida an average of $18,000 per vehicle by considering the total cost of ownership in vehicle procurement decisions. A full transition to electric vehicles for the state fleet could save Florida up to $277 million over that same period. 

The POWER Act will accelerate the clean energy transition, ensure the construction of transmission lines, and create quality jobs in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 10, 2023 – Today, national business association Advanced Energy United celebrated the Maryland General Assembly’s passage of the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources Act (SB781/HB793), known as the POWER Act. Advanced Energy United represents the full range of technologies and services needed for 100% clean energy in Maryland and nationally, ranging from solar installers and EV manufacturers to energy efficiency companies and transmission developers, and more. The legislation, which is expected to be signed by Governor Wes Moore, lays a foundation for offshore wind and transmission line development in Maryland.

Assembly Bill 538 "jumpstarts" conversation around regional grid collaboration, with the potential to save hundreds of millions in energy costs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Introduced by Assemblymember Chris Holden (AD41), Assembly Bill 538 would create a structure that would allow the California Independent System Operation (CAISO) to integrate into a broader, independent regional transmission operator (RTO). A 2022 economic development study commissioned by Advanced Energy United and conducted by Energy Strategies found that a transition like the one proposed in AB 538 could create over 138,000 jobs and save ratepayers $538 million per year in energy costs.