Advanced Energy United Reports

Publish Date: May 1, 2024

Buildings account for about a fifth of the state’s emissions and the vast majority of buildings in Illinois burn fossil fuels for various appliances. Over 60% of natural gas burned in Illinois happens in buildings, primarily for heating. Therefore, building electrification is a crucial component of Illinois’ clean energy and climate strategy.  

Publish Date: February 26, 2024; Updated: March 7, 2024

Currently, over one million megawatts of generator and storage projects are actively seeking to connect to the U.S. transmission grid. The various grid interconnection processes across the nation have been slow and received criticism from a wide range of stakeholders for being dysfunctional. The 2024 Advanced Energy United Generator Interconnection Scorecard evaluates the outcomes and processes of the generator interconnection process across the seven U.S. regional grid operators (the RTOs/ISOs), finding some bright spots and room for significant improvement.

Publish Date: February 5, 2024

Dive into Advanced Energy United’s easy-to-use explainer, a guide to how advanced energy technologies can improve resilience and reliability on the distribution grid.

From hurricanes to wildfires and heat waves to cold snaps, more frequent and pervasive extreme weather is testing the resilience and reliability of America’s electric grid, impacting critical infrastructure, and imperiling lives. At the same time, rising demand for electricity, from fast growing segments of the economy and the electrification of buildings and transportation, is placing new demands upon the grid. 

Publish Date: February 1, 2024

Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) require electricity suppliers to include specified percentages of renewable energy and several alternative energy production technologies in their supply mix, creating a market mechanism to increase demand for those energy resources—but the law’s requirements plateaued in 2021.

A new report written by Gabel Associates and released by Advanced Energy United, MAREC Action, and the American Clean Power Association found that more than $13.1 billion could be invested in Pennsylvania over the next seven years and 129,000 jobs could be created if policymakers increase the AEPS to require 30% renewable generation by 2030. 

Publish Date: December 19, 2023

With electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more widely available on the market, state governments across the country are taking steps to incorporate more electric vehicles into their state fleets. This analysis demonstrates the potential long-term savings EVs could deliver for Indiana, finding that replacing Indiana’s light duty vehicle fleet with comparable EVs could save roughly $62.4 million over a 15-year span.

Publish Date: December 13, 2023

The energy sector is in the midst of a profound transition as it shifts away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and a decarbonized economy. As such, natural gas utilities are at risk of stagnating customer growth and declining demand per customer due to competition from cost-effective electrification solutions and decarbonization efforts.

Publish Date: November 8, 2023

This report, commissioned by Advanced Energy United and written by Strategen Consulting, assesses the proposed resource plan set forth by Public Service Company of Colorado (known by customers as Xcel Energy) in Phase II of their 2021 Electric Resource Plan (“ERP”), commonly referred to as the 120-Day Report. 

Publish Date: November 1, 2023

The New England grid must rapidly replace retiring resources with new generation to meet future load. However, uncertainty regarding the cost of accessing the grid and delays in interconnection hinder these efforts. The costs imposed on ratepayers by inefficiencies in the interconnection process are so significant that they threaten to prevent New England states from achieving their policy requirements. 

Publish Date: October 5, 2023

Across the country, over 2,000 gigawatts of resources representing 10,000 projects are waiting for the green light to connect to the grid so they can commence construction and start operating—mostly clean resources like wind, solar, battery storage, and hybrid renewable-plus-storage projects. These projects are stuck in interconnection queues, undergoing an evaluation of reliability impacts and transmission system upgrades that must be made before they can start to deliver electricity to the grid.

Advanced Energy United & Rewiring America’s Guide to Lowering Energy Bills, Increasing Comfort, and Transforming Markets through Smart Program Design

Publish Date: September 21, 2023

Among its numerous provisions and incentives, the Inflation Reduction Act created two programs to help finance residential energy efficiency and electrification: the Home Efficiency Rebate and Home Electrification & Appliance Rebate Programs. With $8.6 billion in funds, to be allocated across all 50 states and tribes, these programs represent some of the most ambitious efforts to help American families reduce their electric bills and electrify their homes. The programs also represent an opportunity for states and industry to catalyze a broader market for distributed energy resources.