Local CLEAN Program Guide “Evaluating Avoided Costs” Module - Clean Coalition

Local CLEAN Program Guide “Evaluating Avoided Costs” Module

This module provides approaches for assessing the avoided costs of CLEAN energy and will help local utilities design cost-effective CLEAN Programs.

Craig Lewis


The Clean Coalition just released a new module of its Local CLEAN Program Guide,a comprehensive how-to guide for communities and utilities across the nation to evaluate, design, and enact Clean Local Energy Accessible Now (CLEAN) Programs based on global best practices for increasing the amount of cost-effective renewables and allowing a community to benefit from the associated economic benefits.

TheEvaluating Avoided Costsmodule provides approaches for assessing the avoided costs of CLEAN energy and will help local utilities design cost-effective CLEAN Programs that take advantage of the avoided costs and the superior value of CLEAN local energy. The avoided cost evaluation is an important consideration when designing a CLEAN Program because it shows that the “sticker price” expressed by power purchase agreements does not include the many hidden costs that the utility pays for avoided generation or the “external” costs of energy generation that have a substantial impact on the community, but incur no cost to the utility.

Please visitwww.clean-coalition.org/local-action/to download a free copy of the Local CLEAN Program Guide. If you would like to become a local advocate for deploying a CLEAN Program in your community, please emailLocalGuide@Clean-Coalition.org. Sign-uphereon our mailing list to receive the Clean Coalition monthly newsletter and to be notified when the additional modules are ready for release.

Craig Lewis

Founder and Executive Director

Craig founded the Clean Coalition in 2009 and has over 30 years of experience in policy and technology innovation, including the proliferation of Solar Microgrids and Community Microgrids. Prior to founding the Clean Coalition, Craig held numerous positions in the wireless, semiconductor, banking, and renewable energy industries. Previously VP of Government Relations at GreenVolts, he was the first to successfully navigate a solar project through California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard solicitation process. Craig was energy policy lead on Steve Westly’s 2006 California gubernatorial campaign. His resume includes senior government relations, corporate development, and marketing positions at leading wireless, semiconductor, and banking companies such as Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Barclays Bank. Craig received an MBA and MSEE from the University of Southern California and a BSEE from the University of California, Berkeley.