Guest Blog by Justin Schott, Energy Equity Project – Measuring the impact of clean energy investment is important. But measurement alone is only part of the journey. And in isolation, it may even be dangerous. In a post last year, Meredith Fowlie wrote “What gets measured will get managed. And possibly manipulated.” So, the Energy Equity Project set out to create a national framework for measuring and advancing equity in clean energy programs and investments. Here’s a preview.
A Year After Winter Storm Uri, a Look at Smart Solutions to Strengthen the Grid
By Cavan Merski, data analyst, Pecan Street Inc. – Microgrids get name-dropped a lot. And for good reason. The promise of a smarter, more resilient, and cleaner grid is enough to make any energy geek swoon. But given all the buzz, there’s a short supply of guidance on how we can deploy microgrid technology at scale. Pecan Street’s new analysis puts our energy data expertise to work to answer part of the microgrid riddle – how can big data enable widespread microgrid deployment?
We need energy data to combat climate change, and we need a data utility to make that happen.
Heading into COP26, how can leaders ensure energy data meets its full climate potential? Our experience with energy data has led us to the answer: support the development of a data utility staffed with data scientists, computers scientists, cybersecurity experts and domain experts that would prioritize customer privacy and protection, limit profiteering, require transparency, and advance the integration of data and computer science into our nation’s grid system.
Federal Clean Energy Stimulus Can Make or Break U.S. Clean Power Goals
There is no silver bullet in the fight to address climate change – we must consider all the tools at our disposal. Extending clean energy tax credits and passing a federal CES put us on the path to achieving our goal of 100 percent clean power by 2035. In concert, these policies would result in the most ambitious approach to reaching 100 percent clean power. However, without legislation enacting a CES, extending the PTC and ITC are still meaningful policies that would result in more clean energy deployment, better health and equity outcomes, and increased job growth and economic activity.
Addressing an Electrification Roadblock: Residential Electric Panel Capacity
Pecan Street’s new analysis explores the opportunities for policymakers and utilities to remove a significant barrier to residential electrification. By incentivizing electric service panel upgrades for existing homes and requiring larger capacity panels for new construction, we can clear the path for full residential electrification.
