{"id":10506,"date":"2015-06-18T09:28:55","date_gmt":"2015-06-18T14:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=10506"},"modified":"2015-06-19T09:40:57","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T14:40:57","slug":"pennsylvania-gives-clean-energy-not-one-but-two-boosts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2015\/06\/18\/pennsylvania-gives-clean-energy-not-one-but-two-boosts\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Gives Clean Energy Not One, but Two Boosts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"penn<\/a>All industries use acronyms, but anyone who reads this blog can attest the electricity sector seems to have more than its fair share. One of these acronyms \u2013 TRC \u2013 stands for Total Resource Cost and represents the key means by which utilities measure the cost effectiveness of energy efficiency. Another \u2013 DR \u2013 is demand response<\/a>, or a voluntary energy conservation tool that rewards people who use less electricity during times of peak, or high, energy demand.<\/p>\n

Getting each of these acronyms \u2013 and their associated clean energy resources \u2013 right is critical if we are to run our electric grid as efficiently as possible. Fortunately for Pennsylvania\u2019s clean energy economy, the state\u2019s Public Utility Commission (PUC) last week took a commendable step toward more fairly valuing both energy efficiency and demand response.<\/p>\n

Why is the TRC important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When a utility is considering whether to invest in anything from new transmission lines to smart meters, it needs to assess the potential costs and benefits of each investment. For those specific to energy efficiency, the analysis is done according to terms set by the PUC \u2013 otherwise known as the TRC. Previously, doing so meant measuring only energy saved, essentially ignoring all of the non-energy benefits like savings from the reduced need for fuel, water, and operations and maintenance. By underestimating these benefits, as a result, utilities have been discouraged to adopt efficiency programs, particularly comprehensive ones that go beyond simply replacing incandescent lightbulbs.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Pennsylvania gives #cleanenergy not one, but two boosts @PA_PUC”]<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Pennsylvania Commissioners James Cawley and Pamela Witmer saw there was an opportunity to more accurately calculate all the benefits of energy efficiency, in addition to costs. The two proposed an amendment to allow non-energy benefits to be included in the TRC calculation \u2013 and it passed unanimously. The commissioners cited comments by Environmental Defense Fund and its coalition colleagues, including PennFuture, Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance, Clean Air Council, Sierra Club, and Natural Resources Defense Council.<\/p>\n

Demand response gets a leg up<\/strong><\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t the only recent win for clean energy at the Pennsylvania PUC. Commissioner Cawley and Chairman Gladys Brown introduced a separate amendment that allows demand response efforts to participate in both Pennsylvania\u2019s alternative energy initiative (which seeks to reduce energy consumption and demand through establishing efficiency programs for utilities) and PJM\u2019s Emergency Load Response Program (which provides a means to compensate people and businesses that reduce energy demand during emergencies).<\/p>\n

Essentially, the measure makes it easier for people and utilities to trim electricity use during periods of peak demand when costs and pollution are high \u2013 a win-win for peoples\u2019 pocketbooks and the environment. This amendment also passed unanimously, five to zero.<\/p>\n

By more accurately measuring energy efficiency\u2019s benefits and helping demand response get on a level playing field with other energy resources, these decisions advance Pennsylvania\u2019s clean energy economy and accelerate the use of each in the Commonwealth. Furthermore, they put the state in a better position to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s proposed Clean Power Plan<\/a>, scheduled for release this summer with the goal of cutting carbon pollution from existing power plants. As proposed, the plan will encourage the integration of more clean energy resources like energy efficiency and demand response, and states with forward-thinking approaches will be well-positioned to meet the requirements.<\/p>\n

While the electricity industry may still be muddled with diverse and confounding acronyms, it\u2019s clear Pennsylvania has a solid understanding of two of its most important ones: TRC and DR. And the unanimous PUC votes on each measure signal Pennsylvania recognizes the clean energy future and is working to ensure the state takes advantage of the opportunities at hand.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo source: Pennsylvania PUC<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All industries use acronyms, but anyone who reads this blog can attest the electricity sector seems to have more than its fair share. One of these acronyms \u2013 TRC \u2013 stands for Total Resource Cost and represents the key means by which utilities measure the cost effectiveness of energy efficiency. Another \u2013 DR \u2013 is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39893,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42996,38678,254],"tags":[34728],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-10506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-smart-power","category-demand-response","category-energy-efficiency","tag-pennsylvania"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPennsylvania Gives Clean Energy Not One, but Two Boosts - Energy Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2015\/06\/18\/pennsylvania-gives-clean-energy-not-one-but-two-boosts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pennsylvania Gives Clean Energy Not One, but Two Boosts - Energy Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"All industries use acronyms, but anyone who reads this blog can attest the electricity sector seems to have more than its fair share. 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