Families in America with the least means pay disproportionately more for their electricity, sometimes lacking basic access to service altogether. It’s a fundamental inequity of our current energy landscape, and one that can lead to dangerous repercussions. It’s also a challenge we can absolutely address, and the sweeping changes transforming the power sector today are providing unprecedented opportunities to do just that.
As technology, economics, public appetite and policy steadily drive the transition to clean energy, there are frequent decisions to be made at utilities commissions and other venues about how to implement, facilitate and accelerate the needed change. Every year, in more and more places, we see more consideration of solar and electric vehicle programs and infrastructure, proposals for new grid and advanced metering infrastructure, new plans for electricity rates, and new approaches related to storage, energy efficiency, demand response and fuel switching to shift off oil or gas.