Value of clean local energy

Generating renewable energy in the communities where it is used avoids the expensive and inefficient long-distance transmission of power.

• Massive transmission infrastructure — which is needed to get energy from large, distant power plants to communities where it is consumed — is expensive to site, build, and maintain.
• In 2017 – 2018, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) cancelled $2.6 billion worth of approved transmission projects because faster-than-expected deployment of distributed energy resources (DER) and energy efficiency eliminated the need for this expensive transmission.
• Long-distance energy transmission is inefficient — about 11% of all the energy bought in California is lost during transmission.
• Emissions from electricity loss on long transmission lines are significant.

Clean local energy comes online more quickly than large, centrally located energy generation.

• The 550 MW Topaz Solar Array took seven years to develop and construct.
• During those same seven years, over 8,000 MW of distributed solar were installed in the U.S.
• A well-designed Feed-In Tariff (FIT), like the one the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) launched in 2010, can accelerate deployment of clean local energy. Within just one day of program launch, SMUD received nearly enough bids to fill its entire 100 MW FIT. Within two years, 98.5 MW had been successfully installed.

Updating our power system will boost America’s energy independence.

• A modern power grid incorporating clean local energy can fully support electric vehicles, reducing our reliance on foreign oil.
• An intelligent grid can support high levels of renewable energy, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels in favor of clean energy made in communities across America.