Press release: Transitioning to Clean Local Energy – UC Berkeley Provides a Roadmap for California - Clean Coalition
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Press release: Transitioning to Clean Local Energy – UC Berkeley Provides a Roadmap for California

UC Berkeley Report provides California policymakers with a straightforward pathway for attaining Governor Brown’s goal of 12,000 megawatts of local renewable energy by 2020.

Craig Lewis


June 7, 2012

For Immediate Release:

News Release: Transitioning to Clean Local Energy – UC Berkeley Provides a Roadmap for California

UC Berkeley Report provides California policymakers with a straightforward pathway for attaining Governor Brown’s goal of 12,000 megawatts of local renewable energy by 2020

BERKELEY, CA – On June 7, UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment released California’s Transition to Local Renewable Energy: 12,000 Megawatts by 2020, a comprehensive report that proposes policy solutions for meeting Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of deploying 12,000 MW of local renewable energy by 2020. The report consists of key takeaways from the July 2011 Governor’s Conference on Local Renewable Energy at UC Los Angeles, including several core concepts presented by the Clean Coalition.

Steven Weissman, co-author of the report and Director of the Energy Program at University of California Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, stated, “In producing the Governor’s conference and compiling this report, we relied on the expert help of many individuals and organizations. We appreciate the Clean Coalition’s insightful contributions to both the event and the report.”

The report highlights many Clean Coalition recommendations for state decision makers, including the need to:

  • Clarify and prioritize the policy objectives underlying the 12,000 MW goal to guide the development of statewide programs and policies that affect local renewable development.
  • Improve and expand utility procurement programs for local renewable projects, acknowledging that current programs, left as is, will not put California on a path to success by 2020.
  • Catalyze a paradigm shift towards statewide policy and process integration, so that distributed renewable resources and intelligent grid technologies can work together to support timely, cost-effective growth of clean local energy.
  • Fundamentally reform distribution grid interconnection processes, with a focus on increasing transparency to reduce unreasonable timelines and costs, resolve jurisdictional ambiguities, and improve cost allocation policies.

“The Clean Coalition is honored to have been a primary source of many vital policy recommendations reflected in this must-read report,” said Craig Lewis, Executive Director of the Clean Coalition. “We are excited to continue assisting policymakers in designing and implementing renewable energy and intelligent grid solutions for California and beyond.”

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Contact:
John Bernhardt
john@clean-coalition.org
(703) 963-8750

About the Clean Coalition

The Clean Coalition is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to implement policies and programs that transition the world to cost-effective clean energy now while delivering unparalleled economic benefits. For further information on the Clean Coalition, please visit www.Clean-Coalition.org.

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.