Advanced Energy Perspectives

Those of us who follow energy policy likely spent a good portion of December looking at year-in-review articles. That period of reflection on what went well and what’s left to be done is important. So too is the process, beginning in January, of looking out toward the horizon to see where the road goes from here. We know that much of the action on advanced energy will be driven by state governments across the nation. So here is a look at the five issues we think will drive state policy for – or against – advanced energy in the year ahead.

Indiana AEE hosted an ‘Energy 101’ legislative briefing and breakfast January 8 to introduce AEE and advanced energy policy issues to legislators. The audience was newly elected legislators and members of the House and Senate Utility committees. Legislators heard from Claudia Earls, Chief Counsel, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO), on the utility’s recent IRP and announcement of plans to close its last two coal plants in the next 10 years, replacing that capacity with solar, wind, storage, and demand management resources.

One week after the election, we can confidently say that Americans from all walks of the political spectrum were energized to vote. It was the largest turnout in a midterm election in 50 years, with over 110 million ballots cast across the country. As we look to what this means for the industry, it is clear that Americans want their elected leaders to prioritize advanced energy policy at both the state and federal level. New market and policy opportunities emerge at the state and federal level from the election results. Here are AEE’s top five takeaways on the election and what it means for advanced energy.

Massachusetts State House, photo by ctj71081, used under a Creative Commons license. 

This is a guest post from the Northeast Clean Energy Council, AEE’s regional partner. For more information on AEE’s State Coalition, click here.

It was a long and hard-fought two-year legislative session in Massachusetts, and the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC), AEE’s regional partner, was in the trenches on behalf of its members throughout. On the heels of landmark energy legislation in 2016, and with numerous other high-priority items on the agenda for legislators, clean energy faced a real risk of falling by the wayside before the session ended on July 31. However, a final push by a broad coalition of clean energy, environmental, healthcare, and business advocates helped legislative champions propel a strong, though incomplete, package of clean energy provisions over the finish line on the final day.

As California legislators raced to beat the proverbial “pumpkin” at midnight last Friday, the advanced energy community closed out a remarkable legislative session with a host of significant wins – but left one notable issue to be addressed in the next session. With bills spanning advanced transportation, energy efficiency, energy storage, resource adequacy, wildfire mitigation, direct access to renewable energy, and microgrids, the session seemed to have something for everyone. AEE was at the heart of action in Sacramento, with an active position on over 15 bills this year – and an impressive record of success.