Program areas at Advanced Energy Institute
Driving technology adoption: U.S. energy policy is primarily determined at the state and local level and Advanced Energy Institute ("Institute") carries out its mission by providing a platform for the discussion of advanced energy issues and the development of policy frameworks for use by a range of state and regional stakeholders across various states. In articulating the public benefits of advanced energy, the Institute shares communications expertise and policy analyses of the advanced energy business sector with state and regional partner organizations, policy makers and other interested parties.
Decision maker education and engagement: The Institute works to help state regulators, state energy office officials, and candidates for governor and legislature better understand advanced energy products, services, and business models. Through engagement, business roundtables, and educational forums, the Institute educates candidates, commissioners, energy office officials, and staff members about the benefits advanced energy technologies and services can provide to customers and the electric power system and helps to solve the challenges in obtaining these benefits.
Expanding Wholesale Markets: This initiative seeks to eliminate barriers to the participation of advanced energy technologies in competitive wholesale markets. This work includes, but is not limited to, reforming legal independent system operator and regional transmission organization (ISO/RTO) market rules and operating practices that restrict or limit the ability of advanced energy technologies to participate in the markets, pursuing new market designs that better accomodate and take advantage of the unique physical and operational characteristics of advanced energy technologies, and opposing market rule proposals that would unfairly disadvantage advanced energy technologies or give undue preference to incumbent technologies.
Electrifying transportation: This initiative is designed to accelerate the electrification of transportation across the country. This program works to speed the adoption of electric vehicles (EVS), charging infrastructure, and supportive technologies/services through a targeted strategy focused on key states. The specific policies pursued include, but are not limited to, those that reduce the upfront price of the vehicle, accelerate charging infrastructure deployment, modernize utility regulations to integrate EVS, and address the specific challenges facing medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
Other programs include: Education and communications.