High Stakes for Energy Transition Visible at ACORE Grid Forum 2021

Particularly, the clean energy tax platform in the Build Back Better Act will offer the required certainty to accelerate the investment we require to decarbonize the power sector, while the backstop siting authority and brand-new transmission financial investments in the bipartisan facilities structure will assist ensure our countrys large sustainable resources are more effectively provided to the grid. Furthermore, Christie acknowledged that interconnection bottlenecks for eco-friendly resources were inappropriately delaying the tidy energy transition and that dealing with the “mayhem” of over 700 gigawatts of renewables waiting to adjoin with the grid is a concern issue. The concern of how best to assign expenses in order to efficiently construct a 21st century tidy energy grid will remain a crucial concern at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Rather of a grid built piecemeal, a clean energy grid will need to be planned and constructed rapidly at less customer cost. An emissions-free grid is within reach as panelists asserted that greater deployment of tidy company innovations such as long-duration energy storage, green hydrogen and geothermal energy are all possible with appropriate regulative, financial and legislative support.

By Maheen Ahmad, Blake McCarren and Tyler StoffNovember 16, 2021
Coming at an inflection point for the Build Back Better agenda and nations shift to an eco-friendly energy economy, the ACORE Grid Forum featured essential idea leaders on the policy, service and innovations needed to build a clean energy grid.
Policy Priorities to Accelerate Renewable Deployment in the Sustainable Infrastructure Plan
The Grid Forum kicked off with a timely keynote interview with U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL), who chairs the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Castor referenced the urgency of the recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in underscoring the ongoing negotiations to finalize and pass the Build Back Better Act, which would represent historic environment and tidy energy legislation. Castor likewise talked about regulative and legislative efforts to construct the 21st century grid we require to attain a clean energy future. Her Efficient Grid Interconnection Act would bring renewables online faster by getting rid of lengthy interconnection lines, and extra legislation can help build the across the country Macro Grid we require to fully decarbonize. Congresswoman Castor enthusiastically stated, “If you appreciate increasing costs, you will do whatever in your power to buy clean energy.”
U.S. Representative Kathy Castor and Greg Wetstone, ACORE President & & CEO
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Eco-friendly energy developers, operators, financiers and buyers followed Castor on a panel to go over the sustainable sectors facilities top priorities. Specifically, the tidy energy tax platform in the Build Back Better Act will provide the needed certainty to accelerate the investment we need to decarbonize the power sector, while the backstop siting authority and brand-new transmission financial investments in the bipartisan infrastructure structure will assist guarantee our countrys huge eco-friendly resources are more effectively delivered to the grid.
From delegated right: Alex Daberko, Starwood Energy; Bill Parsons, ACORE; Steve Chriss, Walmart; Kevin Gresham, RWE Renewables Americas; Christina Hayes, Berkshire Hathaway Energy
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Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, signed up with the Grid Forum for a keynote conversation on her Departments groundbreaking concentrate on accomplishing a carbon-free power grid by 2035 and a carbon-free economy by 2050
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To reach those ambitious tidy energy goals, the Department is prioritizing programs that accelerate the implementation of existing sustainable energy innovations, along with a set of “Energy Earthshots” to catalyze more recent innovations like long-duration storage and hydrogen. Speakes-Backman likewise explained how the historical clean energy tax rewards and unprecedented investments in research study and advancement included in the Build Back Better legislation will assist decarbonize every sector of the economy.
Kelly Speakes-Backman, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Greg Wetstone, ACORE President & & CEO
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Making Sure a Just Transition to Renewable Energy.
Recognizing the importance of centering ecological justice in the clean energy shift, an expert panel dove deep into the value and ramifications of this concern. Panelists explored how the Biden administrations Justice40 effort, ensuring that disadvantaged neighborhoods receive at least 40 percent of the total benefits from federal climate and clean energy financial investments, will begin to reverse historic injustices developed by contaminating sources of power generation.
From delegated right: Yvonne McIntyre, Natural Resources Defense Council; Samantha Weaver, East Bay Community Energy; Carlos Garcia, Bloom Energy; Jahi Wise, White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy; Yuri Horwitz, Sol Systems
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U.S. Representative Donald McEachin (D-VA), who serves on both the House Committee on Energy & & Commerce and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, dealt with Grid Forum guests on legislative propositions to make sure that environmental justice remains a priority throughout the energy transition. Congressman McEachin highlighted his Environmental Justice for All Act, which would empower neighborhood leaders to be involved in decision-making procedures that look for to deal with injustices in their neighborhoods

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Transmission Policy Speeds Ahead While Power Market Debate Continues.
” Sometimes the regulative structures are behind; sometimes theyre ahead,” stated Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Mark Christie, who described his task as keeping FERC on the right side of the regulatory timeline. Acknowledging fast change in the countrys energy resource mix, Christie stated that keeping reliability and protecting customers are crucial during the transition. Furthermore, Christie acknowledged that affiliation traffic jams for eco-friendly resources were wrongly delaying the tidy energy shift which dealing with the “chaos” of over 700 gigawatts of renewables waiting to adjoin with the grid is a concern concern. Commissioner Christie was also forward-leaning on the significance of transmission, keeping in mind how much it helped maintain reliability and lower costs throughout Winter Storm Uri. When continued propositions to spend for dealing with affiliation concerns by better designating costs throughout the full variety of beneficiaries, including customers who would delight in lower electrical power expenses, Christie demurred. ” [Affiliation expenses] ought to be spread among all the designers that are gaining from it. When you begin talking about assigning expenses to consumers, my antennae go up due to the fact that I desire to see what expenses youre placing on consumers. The devils in the details. One of my two concerns is … safeguarding consumers from costs I dont believe they ought to be stuck to.” The question of how best to assign costs in order to efficiently construct a 21st century tidy energy grid will stay an essential issue at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
FERC Commissioner Mark Christie
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A panel of transmission designers, environmental supporters and FERC staff took an extensive look at FERCs year of transmission action. With the Commission beginning a rulemaking process to reform transmission policy and introducing a collaboration with states to explore areas of mutual interest, the electrical lines that can move tidy electrons from generators to consumers were the clear star of energy policy in 2021. FERC began its transmission policy reforms exactly because it recognized the implications of the quickly altering resource mix and need to make it possible for ongoing development, as tidy resources have different requirements than tradition fossil generation. Rather of a grid constructed piecemeal, a clean energy grid will need to be prepared and constructed quickly at less customer cost. Panelists kept in mind that FERC reform of transmission planning was insufficient however necessary to achieve the bandwidth growth needed for a clean energy grid. Newer, larger HVDC transmission lines arent generated income from under the current policy device, nor are inexpensive, grid-enhancing innovations that can boost bandwidth without the need to develop brand-new lines.
From left to right: Elizabeth Salerno, FERC; Danielle Fidler, Earthjustice; Shashank Sane, Invenergy; Rob Gramlich, Grid Strategies LLC
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Nearly three-quarters of the nations electrical power relocations through wholesale power markets, where electricity is purchased and sold on a least-cost basis amongst generators, utilities and traders before reaching end-use clients. Speakers on the “Expanding Wholesale Markets: Whats Next in the West and Southeast?” panel discussed how the Southeast has just recently seen an expansion of energies trading excess electrical energy, however without the attributes of markets that have decreased customer expenses and increased sustainable implementation in other areas of the nation. The panel noted that Nevada and Colorado just recently both passed laws to sign up with power markets as a method to assist satisfy decarbonization objectives, while North and South Carolina are beginning to study such a model. Policies differ in the Southeast and West, customer interests are shared. Big eco-friendly purchasers are seeking an increased function as they shop more tidy energy while keeping prices in check. Markets benefit from their capability to scale, as bigger geographic areas require less general generator redundancy to keep dependability, lower costs, and avoid unneeded construction and related emissions.
From left to right: Jennifer Chen, ReGrid; Eric Blank, Colorado Public Utilities Commission; Peter Freed, Facebook; Rebecca Wagner, Wagner Strategies; Maggie Shober, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
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Present, Emerging Technologies Both Key to Realizing an Emissions-Free Grid.
With the execution of FERC Orders 841 and 2222 now underway, speakers on the “Integrating DERs, Hybrids and Storage Across Power Markets” panel required state utility commissions to accurately value DERs and storage resources, keeping in mind that power market operators have already begun this important work. Appropriate valuation of these innovations would both increase their deployment and make sure that the advantages they offer flow through to consumers. Panelists backed a technology-neutral method to prices dispersed sources and storage innovations, where the pricing is based mainly on the services provided to the grid instead of the specifics of the creating technology.
From left to right: Renuka Chatterjee, MISO; Jamie Link, EDF Renewables; Suzanne Leta, SunPower; Heather Curlee, Wilson Sonsini
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The Grid Forum likewise consisted of a robust discussion on deployment of more recent or otherwise underutilized “tidy company” energy technologies required to reach the final stages of decarbonization. An emissions-free grid is within reach as panelists asserted that greater implementation of clean firm technologies such as long-duration energy storage, green hydrogen and geothermal energy are all possible with appropriate regulative, legal and monetary support.
From left to right: Debra Lew, Energy Systems Integration Group; Lee Peterson, CohnReznick; Adria Wilson, Breakthrough Energy; Ed Zaelke, McDermott Will & & Emery; Tom Jarvi, Lockheed Martin Advanced Energy Storage; Tommy Gerrity, Orsted
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On behalf of the entire ACORE group, thank you to all who had the ability to attend the 2021 ACORE Grid Forum. Registered attendees can watch the program on our conference center till December 8, 2021. Others who wish to access Grid Forum material can connect to events@acore.org to ask about post-event pass choices
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