Advanced Energy Perspectives

California has long been thought of as a pioneer in the clean energy movement, often first among states to seize new opportunities and try bold ideas to ensure a sustainable future for its residents—both environmentally and economically.  

Across the United States, we are seeing a surge of electrified and zero-emission transportation initiatives. A growing number of states are setting ambitious targets to electrify their transportation sectors through incentives and policies to address the new technology. But for many states this transition also includes its own operations. Thirty-three states have set policies to transition their state-owned fleets to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) through both legislative mandates and executive orders (EO’s). In spearheading the shift to cleaner transportation options, states are setting an example for their residents while also capitalizing on benefits and savings taxpayers' dollars via reduced fuel and maintenance needs, lower emissions, and improved air quality. 

A collective event summary by Heather O’Neill, Laura Bartsch, Jeremiah Holston, Kate Johnson, Meron Lemmi, Jeremy McDiarmid, Cheryl Pretlow, and Janeen Said.  

Last week, our team had the privilege of attending the 2024 AABE (American Association of Blacks in Energy) National Conference, representing Advanced Energy United and our member companies, specifically a coalition of our members who joined us in a shared sponsorship in support of the event: Caelux, CTC Global, DNV, LS Power, Microsoft, Pattern Energy, Sunrun, and Utilidata.

On Earth Day, the Biden Administration marked an important step toward accessible, affordable, and equitable residential and community solar as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the program awardees. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, Solar for All is part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion set aside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, deliver the benefits of greenhouse gas- and air pollution-reducing projects to American communities, and mobilize financing and private capital to stimulate additional deployment of greenhouse gas and air pollution reducing projects.

With the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) much-awaited final rule on Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation imminent, New England’s grid operator, ISO-NE, quietly prepared to file at FERC its own hugely consequential, self-initiated Longer-Term Transmission Planning (LTTP) reforms. The problem it seeks to address? With peak demand for electricity set to double to 51 – 57 GW in the region by 2050, planners recognize the current grid’s transmission capabilities are ill-equipped to ensure reliability while handling the transition to an emissions-free electricity sector. ISO’s LTTP filing establishes a framework for procuring, building, and funding transmission projects and follows the inception of a new paradigm for long-term electric system planning. Combined, these solutions promise to propel us towards the much-needed build-out of the future grid and help us reach urgent state energy and climate policy requirements. In recognition, Advanced Energy United, along with a number of other allied organizations, wrote to ISO-NE and the New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE), commending their efforts while urging them to leverage this process as soon as it is effective.