CSRwire Talkback

Most people will tell you they support the development of clean energy. Most people will also tell you that while they support clean energy, they just can’t afford it; that clean energy is too expensive right now. But, what if there were a market-based policy that could drive the development of clean local energy while simultaneously creating jobs and increasing investment in the community? And what if implementing that policy cost less than a fancy cup of coffee? There already is such a policy that has been proven in communities across the world!

A Clean Local Energy Accessible Now policy – or CLEAN Program – is the key to empowering communities to produce power locally and take advantage of the associated economic benefits that come with kick starting and encouraging a fledgling industry.

CLEAN Programs allow anyone – community members, business owners, renewable energy project developers, etc. – to gain automatic access to the electricity grid by selling the power they produce (instead of using the energy onsite) to the local utility at a fixed price for a long period of time (generally 20 years). The stable, long-term pricing that CLEAN Programs provide brings private investment into the communities that implement such programs and ensures program participants will be able to secure financing.

CLEAN Programs work by spurring the development of what is known as Wholesale Distributed Generation (WDG) defined as 20 megawatt-and-smaller clean energy projects located on the distribution grid close to load centers where energy is needed most. A 20-megawatt project can fit on a relatively small area while delivering a considerable amount of power: a solar project of this size fits on about 100 acres while meeting the peak load of about 20,000 homes.

The small size of CLEAN projects and their location within communities means they can be built with relative ease. Projects on rooftops, parking lots, highway medians, brownfields and farmland can be permitted with less red tape and government oversight than large renewable projects. In comparison, large projects can take years to get under way because of the need for new transmission lines and associated community opposition.

Because WDG projects can happen almost immediately, local jobs to install, build and maintain clean energy systems are created quickly. CLEAN Programs are likely to attract new businesses to the area, and the growth of a clean local energy economy will increase earnings for existing local businesses, such as roofing companies and material supply stores.

The CLEAN Program enacted in Gainesville, Florida in 2009 has experienced phenomenal success. In the past two and a half years, the city of Gainesville has increased its solar capacity by 2,000% and created a substantial number of local jobs.

Critics might argue that CLEAN Programs will cause significant increases in energy costs to customers, but this is simply not true. Gainesville has achieved its tremendous results with ratepayer impacts that are negligible. In fact, the Gainesville CLEAN Program has resulted in a rate impact of less than 1% in its first few years. Over time, the move to local clean energy will save ratepayers money as the cost of deploying renewable energy is driven down, and the avoided cost of needing to build new, extremely expensive high-voltage transmissions lines to massive power plants is no longer necessary (nor building them).

Many communities have recognized the importance of transitioning to clean, renewable sources of energy, but have been deterred by the high costs and red tape involved. With CLEAN Programs, communities can adopt tested policies that will accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and bring the associated benefits to local consumers and businesses.

About Craig Lewis

Craig Lewis is the Executive Director of the Clean Coalition, an organization advocating for clean local energy accessible now.

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