How States Can Address Load Growth While Decarbonizing

Data center development, expanded manufacturing, and the electrification of transportation and buildings are causing a rapid increase in electricity demand. But will this be met primarily by additional fossil fuel power plants or can clean energy solutions play a major role? A recent report by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), How States Can Address Load Growth While Decarbonizing, aims to help state officials, as well as other stakeholders, understand how policymakers can respond to electric load growth in ways that continue to advance decarbonization of the electricity system.

In this CESA webinar, report co-author Todd Olinsky-Paul will cover strategies such as prioritizing energy efficiency, addressing peak load through demand response and virtual power plant programs, implementing energy storage technologies, incentivizing clean energy generation, and more. As an example of the ways in which states can reduce peak load to make it easier and less expensive to accommodate rising electricity demand, Commissioner Philip L. Bartlett II of the Maine Public Service Commission will discuss that state’s efforts to advance time-of-use electricity rates. CESA Executive Director Warren Leon will moderate.