Clean Power Council
Driving a transition to clean energy resources by bringing U.S. electric utilities and large energy customers together.
The transformation of the electricity industry is driven in large part by changing customer preferences — specifically, increasingly ambitious greenhouse gas emissions targets — and the rising competition for their business. But customer clean energy targets are not always compatible with the ways their utilities operate. Innovation between utilities and customers is essential as customer preferences and goals change.
The Special Clean Power Council (CPC) was a two-year initiative which ran from 2018 to 2020. The council, comprised of leading U.S. electric utilities and major commercial and industrial customers representing an array of sectors, drove innovation to achieve an economic and efficient transition to clean energy resources. The council focused on large-scale clean energy solutions that reduce emissions, including renewable energy procurement innovations, electric vehicles and incorporating customer demand in utility asset planning. As a result of the initiative, mutually beneficial solutions are now available to regulators and policymakers across the United States.
CPC members included: Adobe, American Electric Power, American Honda Motor Co., Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Best Buy, Consumers Energy, General Motors, IBM, Levi Strauss & Co., Southern Company, Target, Tennessee Valley Authority, Walmart and Xcel Energy.
The Clean Power Council operated in three workstreams, focusing on emissions factors, utility strategies and customer renewable energy goals and electric vehicles. Through the CPC’s three subject matter working groups, the members drove innovation in the utility sector to achieve an efficient and economic transition to clean energy resources and to enable technologies that reduce GHG emissions — all while growing businesses across the United States.
Workstream 1: Aligning Utility & Customer Interests
Workstream 1 explored alignment between corporate renewable energy and emissions targets and utility emissions trajectories. The workgroup examined customer and utility values, reporting metrics and policy/regulatory considerations for achieving clean energy goals.
Our resources in this workstream include:
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Frequently Asked Questions
- Aligning Emissions Reporting Process and Data
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Case Study: Customer Solutions Supplier-Specific Emission Rates
- Utility Emissions Reporting Template (in collaboration with EEI)
Workstream 2: Leveraging Common Goals in IRPs & Asset Strategies
Workstream 2 explored ways companies could use utilities’ integrated resource plans and other strategies to meet their renewable energy and emissions goals. The workgroup looked at the intersections between utility and customer plans, and explored how customer goals can encourage and support more clean energy on the grid.
Our resources in this workstream include:
- Pathways to Integrating Customer Clean Energy Demand in Utility Planning
- Renewable Energy Options for Large Utility Customers
- Beyond Renewable Energy: New Strategies for Low-Carbon Impact
- Case Study: PacifiCorp-Facebook Partnership Support Least-Cost Solar for All
- Case Study: 2nd PacifiCorp-Facebook Partnership: Supports Future Solar Growth
- Xcel Energy Case Study: Certified Renewable Percentage Program: Enabling Customers to Count Renewables in the Utility Grid Mix Toward Their Renewable Energy Goals
Workstream 3: Leveraging Electric Vehicles to Drive Toward a Cleaner Grid
Workstream 3 explored the ways that electric vehicles can help meet clean energy requirements of large companies. The workgroup discussed the role customers can play to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, and examined the ways electric vehicles can reduce the costs of the clean energy transition.
Our resources in this workstream include:
- Electric Vehicle Partnerships: Aligning Incentives to Unlock Value
- Charging Electric Vehicles with Renewables, July 2019
Photo Credit: Hugh Kenny/Flickr