CESA Blog
In the fall of 2023, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on offshore wind procurement. The MOU allows project developers to submit bids to multiple states at once, which could attract larger projects and drive down energy costs. This past July, the Barr Foundation and Hart Research published Views…
Helping States Meet the Solar for All Challenge
The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has created the best ever opportunity to bring the advantages of solar to low-income households and disadvantaged communities. Up to now, residential and community solar installations have been financed and developed in ways that make it easy for households with above-average incomes to participate and benefit, but often leave…
State IRA Websites: A Valuable Tool for Public Education
For the Inflation Reduction Act to be successful, the public needs to know how to apply for, qualify for, and receive the many tax credits and rebates that will be offered. Between rebates from the Home Energy Rebate Programs and tax credits for consumers, businesses, and tax-exempt entities, consumers have the potential to save billions…
Three questions with the California Energy Commission
Clean Energy States Alliance Research Associate Sam Schacht spoke with three senior members of the California Energy Commission (CEC)—International Relations Senior Advisor Alana Sanchez, Chief of Staff for CEC Chair David Hochschild Katerina Robinson, and Director for Siting, Transmission, and Environmental Protection Division Elizabeth Huber—about how California has worked with international and sub-national partners to…
A conversation on building Maryland’s offshore wind workforce
In the fall of 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce Awarded $22.9 million to the Maryland Department of Labor from its Good Jobs Challenge grant program. The money is intended to catalyze the development of Maryland’s emerging offshore wind workforce and industry, including the existing Maryland Works for Wind (MWW) program. To learn more about…
EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program: Planning Grant Guidance
EPA recently released full guidance for states to apply for Phase I planning grants, which represent the first tranche of money available through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program. This blog post pulls out the most important information that states need to know ahead of the March 31st deadline to inform EPA of their…
EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program: Preliminary Information and Timeline for States
EPA has released some new details and an application and implementation timeline for their $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, which was created under section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While the program is designed to be inclusive of municipalities and tribes, the majority of funding for planning grants will be…
Expanding Solar+Storage in Oregon
The Oregon Solar+Storage Rebate Program offers rebates to residential customers and low-income service providers who install solar or solar paired with energy storage. Rebates are issued to customers through the Oregon Department of Energy’s (ODOE) approved contractors, who pass the full amount of the rebate on as savings to their customers. Homeowners are eligible for…
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…