Advanced Energy Perspectives

Workers lower an HVAC unit onto the roof of a school. Photo courtesy of McKinstry.

This week and last, the AEE Institute published first-ever surveys of advanced energy employment in California and Iowa. Both states are known as advanced energy standouts, each in its own way. California is an across-the-board leader in climate and energy policy, with a strong greenhouse gas law and a 33 percent renewable energy standard. Iowa gets more than a quarter of its electricity generated by wind and its farms contribute greatly to the nation’s renewable fuels capacity. But now we can state with certainty that those noteworthy characteristics translate into thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of advanced energy jobs – in California, hundreds of thousands.

Here are the top-line findings from the two reports.

“We will not grow our economy in spite of our climate goals, but because of our climate goals.” That was the message from Kish Rajan, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, to the nearly 300 business and government leaders gathered in Sacramento August 6 to discuss the “Pathway to 2050” for energy and climate in California.

With the subtitle “delivering on the promise,” the second annual Pathway to 2050 event featured speakers and panels addressing subjects ranging from financing options for disruptive technologies to utility business model and regulatory reform, all geared toward accelerating advanced energy business growth to meet California’s goal of 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

With the expected June 2 announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fast approaching, the media turned its attention this week to the impending draft carbon regulations for existing electric power plants – and to the political battles that will likely ensue. The journalistic term for articles previewing an upcoming event is “curtain raiser,” and for EPA’s draft guideline for greenhouse gas regulation, there were plenty of curtains raised this week.

Baby, it’s cold outside – still. We don’t hear much about “polar vortex” these days, but when Washington, DC, gets 11 inches of snow in March (so far – it could snow again next week) and the high temperature in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day is 27 degrees, you know it’s been a tough winter. The bone-chilling weather so far this year also brings a reminder that energy waste is money out the window – and out of the local economy.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released a discussion draft of energy tax reform on Dec. 18. This is the second discussion draft of elements of a comprehensive tax reform bill that could be put before Congress next year released by the chairman to date. Summary of the energy discussion draft can be found here; coverage here. There will be much analysis of this draft over the coming weeks.