Advanced Energy Perspectives

AEE members and staff hold virtual meeting with Indiana state Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington), now a candidate for re-election.

Indiana has quietly become a major market for advanced energy. Two utilities, the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) and Vectren, have announced plans to shift their resource mix from predominantly coal to mostly advanced energy resources, including wind, solar, storage, and demand side management. This shift is largely driven by economics, as the two utilities have estimated that ratepayers will save over $4.3 billion from these investments. But in the past two sessions, the Indiana legislature has been consumed with legislation aimed at delaying the retirement of uneconomic coal plants. While AEE has been actively engaged in opposing such legislation, which would prevent investment in advanced energy resources, and had some success in making the law passed last year less harmful, this engagement has also made us recognize that policymakers need to learn more about the benefits advanced energy can bring to Indiana – and the best time to teach them is when they’re running for office. 

The Indiana General Assembly finished its legislative work in the late hours of April 24, capping a significant session for advanced energy. Although constitutionally obligated to adjourn sine die by April 29, lawmakers wrapped things up a few days early. With the National Rifle Association hosting its national meeting in Indianapolis, hotel rooms were hard to come by, so lawmakers had extra incentive to finish up. But the shortened session didn’t keep the advanced energy industry from claiming several successes, as legislation to provide additional market opportunities were passed while proposals to significantly impede the industry by protecting coal plants from replacement by advanced energy technologies were stopped. Here is Indiana AEE’s scorecard on this year’s session.

The Indiana General Assembly has officially hit the halfway mark for the 2019 legislative session. With a part-time legislature, odd-numbered years are considered “long sessions,” ending no later than April 29 and with passing a biennial budget the only statutory duty. So far, AEE has worked to support legislation to move the market forward for advanced energy while trying to stop legislation that would go the other way. While advanced energy has historically faced barriers to deployment in the Hoosier State, momentum is building, with Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) announcing its intent to close all existing coal operations by 2028 and invest in wind, solar, storage, and demand-side resources to save ratepayers $4 billion. Will Indiana legislators get on board the advanced energy bandwagon? Here is our halftime report on where key issues and policies stand.