Advanced Energy Perspectives

Earlier this summer, thanks in large part to the leadership of Senator Dawn Euer and Representative Arthur Handy, Rhode Island took a significant stride towards meeting its clean energy goals by passing the 2024 Energy Storage Systems Act, which Governor Dan McKee signed into law on June 26th. In doing so, Rhode Island joined many of its neighbors in making energy storage a key part of its energy transition strategy. 

Batteries and other energy storage resources are increasingly touted as a critical piece of the clean energy transition – but, as a relatively new and dynamic resource, evaluating and integrating storage projects requires a fresh approach. On October 18, the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission (PUC) released a much-anticipated final report regarding the value of and need for energy storage resources in the state. Although there are insights from both the process and final document that are instructive to policymakers in Rhode Island and beyond, the report lacks the necessary urgency and ambition to accelerate storage adoption and create a vibrant energy storage market in the Ocean State. 

Across the country, clean energy developers are facing increasingly long and costly waits to connect their projects to the grid. The core problem they face is the lack of grid infrastructure to get clean electricity from where it’s made to where it is used.  

2022 has been a banner year for clean energy, with several important policy, market, and geopolitical drivers shifting the conversation. Electric building heating technologies are no exception and as the use of natural gas declines in response to these trendlines, a lot remains “TBD” on how to transition away from the fossil fuel. Because the decisions we make today will lock in infrastructure and costs for decades, state policymakers are beginning to reexamine the way we plan and pay for the use of gas in buildings today. They need new tools, and AEE is here to help. 

A new trend is emerging as a growing number of governors and state legislatures are taking action to electrify their state-owned motor vehicles. By accelerating their own transition to clean transportation fleets, states are leading by example while saving taxpayer money, lowering maintenance requirements, reducing emissions, and contributing to energy independence.