Powering a clean energy revolution

Advocating Public Policy

We need to accelerate the development and deployment of cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in order to achieve deep and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Public policies at the state, federal and international level will help ensure that clean energy technologies are developed and deployed as quickly as possible. These include:

Efficiency Standards: Efficiency makes the energy we use more productive, allowing us to do more with less. (It’s also the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.) Investments in efficiency are often win-win, sometimes paying for themselves in just months. Energy efficiency standards set minimum efficiency levels for energy use in equipment, appliances and vehicles. They help overcome obstacles to the widespread deployment of energy-efficient technologies, including market distortions, information gaps, and jurisdictional issues. Adopting these standards, as well as establishing incentives, will help move more efficient technologies to market.

Renewable Portfolio Standard: A national RPS would require that US utilitiles produce a specific percentage of electricity from renewable energy and build on similar measures already adopted at the state level. Expanding the market for renewable energy through an RPS – along with incentives such as tax credits - would help renewable energy technologies realize the economies of scale that will, over time, drive down their cost and make them competitive with coal-fired generation.

Public Funding for Research & Development: Increased public funding of clean energy R&D focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced transportation technologies will help spur the innovation necessary to meet today's critical environmental, economic and security challenges.