Advanced Energy Perspectives

As a nine-month budget impasse comes to an end this week, Pennsylvania is ready to start looking at new opportunities. The Commonwealth can look to advanced energy as one investment opportunity, which would allow Pennsylvania to take its place as a leader of the broader market transformation in energy now under way across the country. The city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County represent leading examples of localities reaping the benefits of advanced energy, including energy efficiency. Just last week, Advanced Energy Economy Institute (AEE Institute) and Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance, our state partner, joined with the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to convene a discussion with utility, advanced energy, and thought leaders on industrial energy efficiency in southwest Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, as part of CMU’s Energy Week. With industrial companies, as large energy users, prime targets for energy savings, the potential benefits of advanced energy loom large – in Pennsylvania and beyond.

The Virginia General Assembly concludes its 2016 session this week with few bills to support the advanced energy industry set to become law. Several bills emerged to consider expansion of energy markets, particularly for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, but most have been pushed to a summer panel for consideration. Also this week, the Department of Environmental Quality will hold its final stakeholder meeting on EPA’s Clean Power Plan – an effort that could be more effective in creating market opportunity for advanced energy companies – on Friday, March 11. As the legislature and stakeholder meetings wind down, here’s what you need to know about the Commonwealth.

Many of us spend New Year’s Eve watching football, especially ESPN’s rewind of the top 10 plays of the year. It may not be SportsCenter, but here is AEE’s top five list of state policy victories, setbacks, and stalemates for advanced energy in 2015 – many of them on issues that will carry over into the new year. As a highlight reel, it may leave something to be desired. But replaying this year’s skirmishes might just help the advanced energy industry and its allies prepare for the next round of battles in 2016.

This blog post is the second in a two-part series on states’ progress towards compliance under EPA's Clean Power Plan, and a follow-up to an earlier two-part series on states’ initial reactions. Check out Part 1 here, and the earlier series here and here.

The publication of the final Clean Power Plan (CPP) in the Federal Register on Oct. 23 prompted a suite of suits from states, both in opposition and in support of the rule. However, the vast majority of states have started some part of the process of convening stakeholders, soliciting public input, and talking with EPA - even if those states that are suing. “Officials in practically every state have been doing some amount of work,” Kyle Danish, partner at Van Ness Feldman, told InsideClimate News. Today’s post looks at the significant progress being made even in states that are suing EPA.

This blog post is the first in a two-part series on states’ progress towards compliance under EPA's Clean Power Plan, and a follow-up to an earlier two-part series on states’ initial reactions. Check out Part 2 here. Check out the earlier series here and here.

The publication of the final Clean Power Plan (CPP) in the Federal Register on Oct. 23 prompted a suite of suits from states, both in opposition and in support of the rule. This post provides a scorecard on the states currently involved in the legal action — 45 in all — and tracks the progress being made in states that support the CPP or are simply quietly moving ahead on compliance. Tomorrow’s post will look at the progress being made in states that are suing EPA, which is significant.