“With a collective voice we’ll be more informative, more impactful. We need to take counsel from Gen Z (19 and under) out there marching, filing law suits – desperately trying to tell us to act, to think boldly."
Larry Shirley, chair, IREC Board of Directors
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IREC Vision Summit
Next Step: National Principles Toward Energy Transformation for All
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Larry Sherwood, IREC President/CEO
The collective power of experience and passion assembled in one room was by any measure extraordinary. This set the stage for the vitally important outcomes we set out to deliver from the first IREC Vision Summit, focused on how to make bold clean energy goals a reality, for all.
We’re busy using the questions, answers and themes of the day to develop foundational principles to guide the U.S. path to a 100 percent clean energy future. We’ll work with our prestigious Summit National Advisory Committee to draft and publish this in the next few months,
Energy Transformation for All: National Principles to 100% Clean Energy.
Then, we’ll encourage other organizations to sign on and endorse.
More
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“If you resist change you fail. You must evolve or dissolve. Innovate or evaporate. We’re standing up to the urgent need we face . . .
an urgency to press on with passion."
Rose McKinney-James, keynote speaker
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Preparing a Clean Energy Economy and Workforce
panel on training and educational pathways needed to ensure a quality, inclusive workforce. L-R: Laure-Jeanne Davignon, facilitator, IREC.; Polly Shaw, Stem, Inc.; Lenese Vergara, New York City Housing Authority; Adam Romano, Association for Energy Affordability, Inc.; Erika Symmonds, GRID Alternatives; Robert Hattier, IBEW Local 134.
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Developing National Principles: Energy Transformation for All
The IREC Vision Summit convened a broadly representative group of 120 prominent national and state clean energy influencers, industry, advocates and educators for a visionary exploration of the pillar policies, practices and workforce training necessary to enable millions more Americans to benefit from clean energy, while supporting broad climate and equity goals.
Panels addressed specific questions about:
- How to optimize clean energy technologies on a modern grid prepared for significant increases in distributed energy resources, including energy storage and increased electrification within transportation and other industries.
- How to ensure equitable clean energy access and economic benefits.
- How to prepare a workforce for immediate and long-term transitions across multiple industries.
- The role of utilities and how their business models might change.
- What the next steps are toward policies and cultural changes necessary to achieve 100% clean energy and aggressive milestone goals.
The ultimate outcome of the event is the development of a set of
Energy Transformation for All
national principles to guide the path to a 100% clean energy future. Summit participants will continue to collaborate to refine next steps toward achieving bold clean energy goals by 2050, and the 2030 milestones to reaching a shared clean energy vision.
MORE DETAILS
on the Summit program
here
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One of 16 afternoon breakout sessions on how to reach 2050 clean energy goals and 2030 milestones. L-R: Jennifer Gardner, facilitator, Western Resource Advocates; Andrew Levitt, PJM Interconnection; Taylor McNair, Grid Lab; Scott Elias, SEIA; Brian Lydic, IREC.
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Twitter Length Outcomes
Breakout session groups were asked to report out Twitter length summaries of their discussions. A few include:
- Reduce information asymmetries to enable customer choices at all levels to drive markets/product evolution and regulatory change.
- Align policy efforts by clean energy sector advocacy groups across large and small renewables, storage, electric transport, and energy efficiency.
- We need an inclusive cradle-to-grave credentialing ecosystem that addresses old and new skills gaps urgently!
- The world and utility business models are changing. Need clear shared goals to move forward determining best roles for utilities, customers and 3rd party market participants.
- Benefits of clean energy should go beyond access. Resiliency of environment, workforce, climate and wealth — all should be in collective goals and collective outcomes.
- Make clean energy accessible, possible. Be intentional. Make it affordable. Make it easy.
- Take a long-term view toward clean energy employment and plan to invest and capture across the economy.
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"
Energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit. We don't use it up.
Low hanging fruit grows back."
Dan Reicher, member, IREC Board of Directors
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About IREC
IREC is an independent national not-for-profit shaping a clean energy future since 1982, increasing access to sustainable energy and energy efficiency through fact-based policy leadership, quality workforce development and consumer empowerment. Through engagement in state regulatory proceedings, technical support to decision makers, advocates and industry, IREC drives scalable, foundational policy solutions and best practices integral to achieving 100 percent clean energy goals, including a workforce trained to support a clean energy economy.
https://irecusa.org
Disclaimers
Our sponsors understand that IREC's important work is in no way influenced by the generosity of their tax-deductible donation. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) does not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process that is linked to in this newsletter.
Read
the full Disclaimer.
Summit images: EPNAC.com
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Interstate Renewable Energy Council | 518.621.7379 | info@irecusa.org | www.irecusa.org
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