Advanced Energy Perspectives

In what feels like a never-ending showing of the movie Groundhog Day, the Trump Administration is yet again trying to bail out uneconomic power plants that are slated for retirement. This time, it looks like the Administration is using a national security approach to justify its attempt to help major campaign donor Bob Murray’s failing coal business. But once again, within the broader energy industry, the reaction against this latest scheme has been strong, with AEE fully engaged. 

This is a guest post from Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance, AEE’s state partner in Pennsylvania. For more information on AEE’s State Coalition, click here.

Pennsylvania is known for coal and natural gas, but increasingly the state is becoming a leader in energy efficiency. Our efficiency industry now accounts for over 62,000 local jobs. Act 129, our landmark energy efficiency law, has played a big role in the industry’s growth, delivering $6.4 billion in customer benefits in the law’s first seven years. Still, much of our energy efficiency resource remains untapped. Massachusetts has about half the population of Pennsylvania, but almost twice the energy efficiency jobs. Removing barriers to energy efficiency investments, such as payback time and access to capital, can go a long way to helping the Keystone State realize significantly more of its energy efficiency potential. That’s why the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) applauded as Gov. Wolf signed Act 30, new legislation to enable Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) in Pennsylvania. The bill, which passed the House 163-28 after clearing the Senate 42-8 earlier this year, adds Pennsylvania to the 33 states and District of Columbia that offer C-PACE as a way for commercial property owners to finance energy upgrades that save them money.

Photo by ttarasiuk, used under a Creative Commons license. 

In Virginia, several voluntary renewable energy tariffs have been introduced by the state’s two largest investor-owned utilities, Dominion Energy (Dominion) and Appalachian Power Co. (APCo). Customers also have the option to purchase renewable energy from competitive service providers, with certain restrictions. Are the options now available sufficient to meet the needs of Virginia’s diverse businesses that want renewable energy to power their operations?

The purpose of renewable energy tariffs, in Virginia and elsewhere, is to give customers (generally commercial and industrial, or C&I, customers) of vertically integrated utilities a way to choose renewable energy to meet their electricity needs. For some customers, the programs in Virginia have done the trick. But others are still waiting for a plan that’s right for them. AEE and Virginia AEE have teamed up to provide a guide to renewable energy in the Commonwealth – how to get it, and what needs to change to get all customers the renewable energy they want.

On May 23, Advanced Energy Economy Institute convened a full house of advanced energy technologies (with representatives of 10 AEE member companies) to meet with Joey Freeman, policy director for Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s gubernatorial campaign. Joey was joined by Jared Blumenfeld, who is advising the campaign on energy and environment issues. Joey and Jared reinforced the candidate’s support for advanced energy growth, and emphasized a commitment to working with our industry to push the envelope on the state’s economic growth and aggressive decarbonization goals.  

Even as Ohioans get ready to elect a new governor, the Ohio legislature is once again struggling to determine whether it will move forward, or backward, on energy policy. More than a year has passed since the Ohio House voted to approve House Bill 114, a bill that would effectively eliminate the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards. Since then, Senate Leaders have worked to develop a compromise that preserves the state’s requirements but reduces them enough to satisfy the House without running afoul of Gov. Kasich, who vetoed lawmakers’ last attempt to gut the state’s RPS and EERS outright. The bill also needs to address the state’s burdensome wind setback requirement, which the Senate tried to fix in the 2017 budget bill. With time running out before the legislature breaks for summer recess, many are wondering – do Ohio lawmakers have the will to reach a constructive deal that finally puts Ohio’s energy policy on a stable course this year? Or will Ohio’s energy future be left to the legislature’s next session – and next governor?