As we kick off the new year, we are also reflecting on 2023, which vastly expanded the field of work on inclusive and equitable financial solutions. At Clean Energy Works, we celebrated commission decisions on inclusive utility investments in three states, hailed $70 billion in new clean energy project proposals from rural electric cooperatives, and welcomed new team members. As we continue to center equity in our work, we are deepening our engagement with partners and allies in the field, and we’re excited for pivotal decisions ahead in pursuit of inclusive and equitable financial solutions that open the clean energy economy to all.
Next steps for more utility commissions and investor owned utilities
In North Carolina, after nearly two years of stakeholder engagement between inclusive utility investment champions and Duke Energy, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) gave final approval to Duke’s inclusive utility investment tariff for residential energy efficiency upgrades. As part of our partnership with SEPA on the Inclusive Utility Investment Task Force, Duke Energy presented a webinar on their new program: “how it works, how it will benefit customers, how it supports decarbonization, and the broad stakeholder process that led to its development and approval.” Duke is now seeking approval to also offer the same inclusive utility investments in its South Carolina territory.
In California, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a decision setting a deadline for a joint inclusive utility investment proposal from all four investor owned utilities (IOUs) the commission regulates. The CPUC directed them to collaborate in a Tariff On-Bill Working Group to produce a Joint Proposal for submission in the spring of 2024. Clean Energy Works provided input in the stakeholder engagement process conducted as part of this rulemaking and has worked closely with the Building Decarbonization Coalition to increase awareness of inclusive utility investments in California.
In Kansas, we supported our allies at The Climate + Energy Project, represented by Renew Missouri, in their efforts to secure the first agreement for inclusive utility investments for an IOU. They also negotiated a plan for all IOUs in Missouri to offer inclusive utility investments on consistent terms.
Equitable electrification of school buses
Exelon and CALSTART, in collaboration with Clean Energy Works and other partners, released the white paper The Electric School Bus Transition: Accelerating Equitable Deployments through Understanding Grid Impacts and Policy Solutions which outlines the benefits of electric school buses and the pivotal role utilities play in driving this transition. Clean Energy Works’ portion of this paper focused on how equity frameworks can ensure that everyone benefits from the transition. Clean Energy Works is providing technical assistance to the Alliance for Electric School Buses and others on this transition and is working to leverage historic levels of federal funding through the EPA’s $5B Clean School Bus Program (CSBP) and the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program through the Department of Transportation.
Centering equity in our work
In 2023, we welcomed Carol Davey to our team as the Director of Just Energy Transition. Bethzaida Olivera joined the team as well, and together they are collaborating on our work on financial solutions for decarbonizing buildings and transportation. The new Just Energy Transition team brings with them a synergy and deep expertise working with communities facing disproportionate divestment impacts. In the last six months the team has provided structure for collaboration between local community based organizations and the industry expertise and technical assistance of Clean Energy Works’ Buildings and Transportation Decarbonization Teams.
Through a series of internal workshops culminating in a team visit to the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Just Energy Transition team facilitated discussions that made more clear and explicit the vital connections of our work with historical and current unjust systems. This highlighted the continuing imperative to lead with equity through our strategies, policies, data analysis, communication, engagements, and beyond.
Historic surge of clean power investments sought by rural energy democracies
We celebrated this year with members of the Rural Power Coalition who have moved mountains since 2020 to end a federal policy that excluded all nonprofit organizations from receiving tax credits for clean energy investments. More than 50 million people are served by nonprofit utilities in the United States, including the electric cooperatives that serve the most economically distressed regions. The rules for direct payment of the value of those tax credits were completed in 2023, effectively doubling the value of federal financial support offered to electric cooperatives through the New Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. By October 2023, more than 150 electric cooperatives had expressed intent to pursue grants for clean energy projects, oversubscribing the available funding with a pool of proposed projects that exceeded $70 billion.
Honoring Stephen Bickel
In 2023, we mourned the passing of Stephen Bickel, a close collaborator for five years who had led our Building Decarbonization Team. As an avid analyst and an advisor to many in the field, Stephen achieved new depths of understanding about field experience that have illuminated emergent innovations in implementation. Stephen’s legacy lives on through all who learned from his expertise and generous assistance, including everyone at Clean Energy Works and so many colleagues beyond.
Looking ahead in 2024:
We are excited about our growing team’s strengths, insights, and ideas for navigating what lies ahead in partnership with our friends and allies in the field. Thank you for your support of Clean Energy Works and the clean energy future we want to make a reality. To stay up to date on the latest on inclusive and equitable financial solutions for the clean energy transition –
- Follow us on LinkedIn
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Partner with us
Together, we can make clean energy work for all!
