Press release: Clean Energy Luminaries Join FIT Coalition Board of Advisors

November 17, 2010
For Immediate Release:

Clean Energy Luminaries Join FIT Coalition
Board of Advisors

Palo Alto – Today, the FIT Coalition names five new members to its Board of Advisors. With the addition of these individuals, the FIT Coalition now has sixteen stellar Board of Advisors members to support its efforts in implementing global best practices for scaling cost-effective renewable energy throughout the United States; at the local, state, and federal levels. These additions demonstrate the FIT Coalition’s increasing prominence as a leading voice for smart, clean energy policy. The following clean energy leaders join the FIT Coalition Board of Advisors:

Jeffrey Byron, Commissioner, California Energy Commission

Rick DeGolia, Executive Chairman, InVisM, Inc.

Mark Fulton, a Managing Director, Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research, DB Climate Change Advisors, a member of the Deutsche Bank Group

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President, Waterkeeper Alliance

Felix Kramer, Founder, California Cars Initiative

For a complete list of Clean Coalition Advisors and to read their bios, please visit:
https://clean-coalition.org/board-of-advisors/

Executive Director Craig Lewis explained the importance of these new members, “In 2011, the FIT Coalition will be working to advance state-wide Feed-In Tariff legislation in California, as well as in several other states. These five new Board of Advisors members help to increase the FIT Coalition’s effectiveness throughout the country and provide diverse representation for our important work of advancing the new clean energy economy. I am honored to be collaborating with nationally recognized leaders from extremely diverse realms: from the largest of investment banks to environmental legends, from venture capital mainstream to grass roots success stories; and including one of the nation’s most innovative and courageous leaders in the realm of energy policymaking today.”

Bobby Kennedy, Jr. explains why supporting the FIT Coalition is natural for him, “I decided to join the FIT Coalition Board of Advisors, because I wholeheartedly agree with the FIT Coalition’s mission to implement policies that will accelerate the deployment of cost-effective clean energy throughout the United States. If our country is going to be competitive over the coming decades, we must embrace clean energy. We must transition our nation away from fossil fuels and quickly implement policies that support the growth of clean energy sources. The time is now, and the FIT Coalition is a leading organization in achieving these urgent goals through badly needed policy innovation.”

Mark Fulton, a Managing Director and Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research at DB Climate Change Advisors (DBCCA), a member of the Deutsche Bank Group, remarked on why he accepted the invitation to join the FIT Coalition Board of Advisors, “Public policy plays a huge factor in DBCCA’s investment strategy. Around the globe, we have seen policies that work and those that fail, and it is only policies that demonstrate what we term TLC – Transparency, Longevity and Certainty, that can truly stimulate private investment. The FIT Coalition promotes policies with strong ‘TLC’ known for advancing the clean energy sector and spurring job creation.

“At the California Energy Commission one of our top priorities is to consider our state’s long-term energy needs and how we are going to meet growing demand. For renewable energy to succeed in competing with traditional sources, government must implement the right policies to encourage market growth and competition. Since its inception, the FIT Coalition has been able to identify strong policies that support these goals. I am happy to add my voice and expertise to the FIT Coalition mission, ” remarked Jeff Byron, California Energy Commissioner.

Felix Kramer, Founder of the California Cars Initiative enthusiastically accepted the appointment to the FIT Coalition Board of Advisors and explained, “Plug-in vehicles have enormous value on their own, and the sooner we deliver electricity from renewable sources, the greater the benefits. And as we move vehicles away from petroleum, their batteries when parked can become available to the grid. This can help scale intermittent renewable energy sources, speeding our move away from the grid’s dependence on other fossil fuels. I support the FIT Coalition’s farsighted advocacy for the best policies to quickly scale clean energy development.”

Rick DeGolia, a well-known Silicon Valley venture capitalist, had the following to say, “As an investor, I see many start-ups whose clean energy technology should be successful in the marketplace. But the barriers to entry are so great to get a solar, wind, or similar project built, that these technologies are being held back. I like what the FIT Coalition is doing to work toward removing barriers by implementing the right policies to accelerate the renewable energy marketplace. Lending my expertise to their effort is a no-brainer.”

Feed-In Tariffs are the most effective, proven policy for bringing massive amounts of clean, renewable energy online. By unleashing the Wholesale Distributed Generation market segment, Feed-In Tariffs have driven the majority of all renewable energy that has been deployed in the world and are responsible for almost 90% of the solar capacity brought online in 2009. The FIT Coalition is focused on implementing Feed-In Tariffs and other global best practices to propel clean energy production in the United States. We are a non-partisan organization whose mission is to implement policies that will accelerate the deployment of cost-effective clean energy. The FIT Coalition believes the right policies will result in a timely transition to clean energy while yielding tremendous economic benefits, including new job creation, increased tax revenue, and the establishment of an economic foundation that will drive growth for decades. The FIT Coalition is active at the national, state, and local levels.