Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE)

Clean Energy sace published an updated version of our solar in the southeast report in 2023. We also published a new installment in 2023 of transportation electrification in the southeast in partnership with atlas public policy to track and contextualize the southeasts ev market and examine six key indicators across the region. Our annually-published reports track market, utility, and public policy trends across the region impacting the advancement (or stalls in progress, when appropriate) of Clean Energy. Through these annual reports, sace ranks the performance of our region's utilities in comparison with their regional and national peers. These key annual reports prove to be immensely valuable tools when we appear before utilities and regulators, as well as in our advocacy for smart public policy. To help ensure that federal money is invested efficiently and equitably to secure the best outcomes for our regions communities, particularly the underserved and disadvantaged, sace has created the electrify the south collaborative. In 2023, with funding from a generous movement infrastructure grant from mosaic, we hosted the inaugural electrify the south collaborative, a two-day meeting of southeastern local governments in savannah, Georgia. The event, which was co-hosted by the southeast sustainability directors network (ssdn), provided 53 participants from 36 local governments an opportunity to discuss the barriers local governments face pursuing and implementing federal electric transportation dollars from ira and bil and ways to overcome them. Each panel, small-group discussion, and reflective exercise was designed to inform participants, stimulate deepening dialog, and invite peer-to-peer collaboration.

Energy efficiency sace published an updated version of our Energy efficiency in the southeast report in 2023. This annually-published report tracks market, utility, and public policy trends across the region impacting the advancement (or stalls in progress, when appropriate) of Energy efficiency. Through our annual reports, sace ranks the performance of our region's utilities in comparison with their regional and national peers. These key annual reports prove to be immensely valuable tools when we appear before utilities and regulators, as well as in our advocacy for smart public policy. Feeling public and oversight pressure from sace and other advocates, tva made a significant about-face on Energy efficiency in 2023. From public pressure in the media to congressional oversight citing our reports, tva felt the pressure and reacted by bringing back Energy efficiency programs and ramping up spending. It has set a goal to meet most of its load growth with Energy efficiency, and is now budgeting to spend 1.5 billion on Energy efficiency over the next four fiscal years. Tvas next irp will be released in 2024. While we do not know details of Energy efficiency assumptions, tva has again used the ee as a resource method to evaluate Energy efficiency in this upcoming irp. This success would not have been achieved if it were not for many years of advocacy from sace.

Climate sace published an updated version of our "tracking decarbonization in the southeast" report in 2023. This annually-published report tracks market, utility, and public policy trends across the region impacting the advancement (or stalls in progress, when appropriate) of Clean Energy. Through our annual reports, sace ranks the performance of our region's utilities in comparison with their regional and national peers. These key annual reports prove to be immensely valuable tools when we appear before utilities and regulators, as well as in our advocacy for smart public policy. During summer of 2023, sace launched the Clean Energy generation, our grassroots engagement campaign that brings people of all ages together to address the climate crisis and create a healthy future where our families, communities, and planet will thrive. Since the Clean Energy generation launched on june 28th, 2023, we have had over 700 members sign up to get involved. We are continuing to recruit new members through quarterly webinars and helping our existing members get involved and stay up to date on Clean Energy news through monthly member calls, blogs, and a monthly newsletter. We are also developing toolkits for members to use for community outreach about important developments and opportunities for Clean Energy and climate.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy promotes responsible Energy choices to ensure Clean, safe and healthy communities throughout the southeast.