Advanced Energy Perspectives

In our lives, we try to optimize everything. The days aren’t getting longer, but we’re trying to fit more activities into each hour. Sometimes it’s eking out just one more email, fitting in an extra errand during the day, or crossing one more chore off the to-do list. We’re striving to improve productivity, and in the process, burning ourselves out. But instead of working harder, we should be working smarter. We need to do a better job focusing on what really matters, and when possible, delegate work to both new and tried-and-true technologies that can help us avoid distractions and automate tasks. It makes sense to take the same approach with energy.

As the popularity of electric transportation has risen throughout the nation, many different actors are now coming together to better coordinate on how to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Florida has taken steps recently to be better prepared for EV adoption and charging infrastructure. We are seeing changes at the municipal, county, and state level to get ready for – and accelerate – electric transportation growth. Now we are seeing action on a region-wide basis as well – and AEE is at the center of it.

The U.S. House of Representatives has spent the last three weeks marking up a series of legislative proposals that form the basis of the Build Back Better Act, the budget reconciliation bill put forward by the Democrats. Taken together, these proposals put into legislative text the elements of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan that were not included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed earlier this year. While, as in all legislation, there are elements that disappoint, AEE is impressed by the overall scope and scale of investments in advanced energy proposed. If enacted, the Build Back Better Act would put the U.S. on course to leading the world in advanced energy manufacturing, transportation electrification, and carbon emissions reductions, all while creating millions of jobs and investing in economic opportunity for American workers and families.

On Monday, the Illinois General Assembly passed a landmark clean energy bill, which Governor JB Pritzker promptly signed into law, fulfilling a cornerstone promise from his 2018 campaign: deliver strong climate action by transitioning Illinois to 100% clean energy by 2050. It also means potential market opportunity worth an estimated $37 billion for advanced energy companies as they help Illinois meet two great challenges: decarbonizing the electric grid and lifting up every corner of the state with good jobs in the new energy economy. Read on for what the bill does, how it came about, and why it’s a huge win for the advanced energy industry.

In most parts of the country, how utilities plan their distribution systems – the network of poles, wires and other equipment designed to support electricity delivery at the local level – is something of a “black box.” But now, with the continued proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs) – ranging from rooftop solar to onsite battery storage and demand response – available to help manage electric supply and demand at the distribution level, that black box needs to be opened. Colorado is doing just that by joining a growing number of states that are implementing distribution system planning (DSP) rules for the first time.