CESA Blog
As the year comes to a close, CESA would like to thank all of our partners involved in our Offshore Wind Accelerator. CESA’s offshore wind projects are truly collaborative endeavors, and we are grateful to the talented staff in state and national governments, our colleagues at community-based environmental justice organizations and nonprofit organizations, and our…
Battery Storage – What’s it Worth?
When considering whether to invest in a new technology, the first thing anyone wants to know is will the benefits outweigh the costs? This is no less true of state energy agencies and utility regulators who are generally tasked with ensuring that taxpayers and ratepayers get a good return on their dollar. For this reason,…
Expanding Resilient Power in Maryland
The Maryland Energy Administration resilient power initiatives are helping Maryland organizations support their operations, protect communities, enhance sustainability, and achieve energy affordability. The Resilient Maryland Program provides funds to help pay for feasibility analyses, preconstruction analysis, and capital funds for the development and installation of microgrids, resilient facility power systems, and resiliency hubs for Maryland…
Washington State’s Roadmap to 100% Clean Energy – Leading with Equity and Public Participation
The State of Washington’s 2021 State Energy Strategy (SES) provides a roadmap for Washington to meet its critical and ambitious energy and climate goals: transitioning to 100 percent clean electricity by 2045 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with climate science. The SES was notable for the State Energy Office’s efforts to combine extensive…
Connecticut’s Green Liberty Bonds: Finance Innovation and Public Participation in Clean Energy
The Connecticut Green Bank has created Green Liberty Bonds, a new type of green bond from which the proceeds are invested in projects that confront climate change in Connecticut. Modelled after the Series-E War Bonds of the 1940s, the bonds are structured to be purchased by retail investors, through lower-dollar denominations, enabling ordinary people to…
Decarbonizing Multifamily Affordable Housing Developments in New York State
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) partnered to accelerate the decarbonization of multifamily affordable housing developments in New York State. The Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) provides a replicable and scalable model to accelerate the decarbonization of affordable housing. The combined budgets and…
California’s 2022 Energy Code: Leading the Country in Decarbonizing the Building Sector
The California 2022 Energy Code for newly constructed and renovated buildings blazes a trail for states and local governments seeking to decarbonize the building sector aggressively, feasibly, and cost-effectively. The updated code, adopted by the California Energy Commission (CEC) in August 2022, encourages electric heat pumps, establishes electric-ready requirements for new homes, and strengthens ventilation…
CESA Submits Comments to FERC on the State Role in Transmission Planning
A transition to a future low-carbon electricity system will require much more transmission to connect new solar and wind generation to markets. That future can only be achieved efficiently and cost-effectively with more coordinated advanced planning and greater involvement from states, including energy policy agencies of state government that develop and implement state clean energy…
Federal Support on Capacity Can Boost Regional Wind Goals
In December 2019, FERC, the federal regulatory body overseeing wholesale transmission and regulating regional transmission system/independent system operators, expanded the Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR), effectively prohibiting offshore wind and other state-supported resources from participating in capacity-market auctions. The rule made it difficult for offshore wind providers to participate in capacity market auctions. Now, to…
The Offshore Wind and Green Hydrogen Nexus: Exploring Europe’s Approach
The Clean Energy States Alliance recently released a new report that looks at the development of green hydrogen (H2) from offshore wind. Georgena Terry chatted with report author Val Stori to glean some of the highlights from the report. GT: How might green H2 fit into the energy system? VS: Traditionally, hydrogen has been industrially…
With Forward Capacity Auction Success, Batteries are Winning in New England
Clean energy advocates are celebrating a major energy storage milestone in New England: Plus Power, a San Francisco-based developer of grid-scale batteries, is building the two largest battery projects to date in the region — a 150-MW/300-MWh lithium-ion battery system at Carver, Mass., south of Boston, called Cranberry Point Energy Storage, and a 175-MW/350-MWh lithium-ion…