22 February 2012

Local and state policymakers across the nation are rolling out Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) Programs to create local jobs and spur private investment. CLEAN Programs have been implemented in Florida, Hawaii, Vermont, Indiana, California, Rhode Island, and Maine; and new programs will be announced in the coming months in Colorado, New York, Tennessee Valley, and California.

CLEAN Programs feature standard offer contracts, predefined rates, and streamlined grid access for local renewable energy facilities.  CLEAN Programs work by reducing risks, transaction costs, and complexities involved in selling renewable energy from under-used spaces in our communities, such as rooftops, parking lots, and brownfields.  The simplicity of CLEAN Programs gives a broad range of community members, business owners, and farmers the opportunity to sell all of the power they produce to the local utility at a fixed price for a long period of time.  As a result, CLEAN Programs have delivered far more clean energy production than any other renewable energy policy worldwide.

CLEAN Programs cost-effectively ramp up renewable energy production without relying on government subsidies.  Since launching its CLEAN Program in 2009, Gainesville, Florida experienced a 2,600% increase in solar power capacity with less than a 1% increase in electricity rates, well below inflation.  Sacramento, California’s CLEAN Program will add enough solar energy by the end of this year to supply the peak power needs of about 100,000 homes, while having no impact at all on electric rates.  Further, CLEAN Programs lock in reasonable and stable electric rates for extended periods.  As fuel and infrastructure costs continue to rise, CLEAN energy prices remain the same for the term of the contract, usually 20 years. 

In addition, CLEAN Programs create local jobs and stimulate private investment.  Since clean local energy projects are shovel-ready,” they result in economic benefits immediately, rather than requiring new transmission lines or extensive environmental reviews. Deutsche Bank analyses have shown that CLEAN Programs bring private investment to communities because these programs create stable, long-term revenue streams for participants that make clean energy projects easy to finance.  The Tennessee Valley Authority estimates that their upcoming CLEAN Program, known as the Solar Solutions Initiative, could create more than $80 million of new capital investment in the region.

The Clean Coalition, a nonprofit organization, recently released the Local CLEAN Program Guide, a free how-to guide that facilitates the evaluation, design, and implementation of Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) Programs by local utility policymakers.  The Guide is based on global best practices for ramping cost-effective renewables and reaping the associated economic and sustainability benefits.  It draws upon lessons from successful CLEAN Programs in the United States, as well as soon-to-be operational CLEAN Programs that the Clean Coalition helped to design for Fort Collins, Colorado and Palo Alto, California.

The Local CLEAN Program Guide is available for free download at: http://www.Clean-Coalition.org/local_clean_program_guide/.

The Clean Coalition is a nonprofit organization with the mission to implement policies and programs that transition the world to cost-effective clean energy now while delivering unparalleled economic benefits.  Learn more about the Clean Coalition at www.Clean-Coalition.org.