A note from the founder - Clean Coalition
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A note from the founder

Thank you for supporting the Clean Coalition and its pursuit of making clean local energy accessible now.

Craig Lewis


Dear Friends,

Distributed energy resources are transforming the power system. As utilities and policymakers determine how to best integrate these technologies, the Clean Coalition’s technical, policy, and project development expertise is more important than ever.

Details matter, and we are working to develop comprehensive, functional policies that successfully drive the deployment of distributed energy resources. In Los Angeles, for example, the Clean Coalition leveraged its unique knowledge to help identify and remove a critical barrier in the CLEAN L.A. Solar Program. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) had been requiring developers to install expensive “Vista Switches” – devices that enable telemetry and remote shutoff capability – for all projects over 1 megawatt. LADWP, however, was using an incorrect method to calculate the one MW capacity that triggers the Vista Switch requirement, which unnecessarily increased the cost of solar projects. With this barrier removed, greater amounts of cost-effective, local solar can now come online in Los Angeles.

Similarly, the Clean Coalition used its expertise to design an innovative request for proposal (RFP) to help Palo Alto bring solar projects to City-owned properties. This RFP will provide a new model for cities and utilities around the country to deploy renewables on built-environments.

The design stageof the policymaking process is the best place to ensure successful outcomes. The Resource Hub contains key information to effectively design energy policy, and a diverse audience ofpolicymakers, utility staff, community advocates, and other energy industry stakeholders attended ourlatest webinartitledPowering Change: Tools to Draft and Track Advanced Energy Legislation. In the coming months, the Clean Coalition will continue to conduct informative webinars about effective policy design.

This quarterly newsletter is full of additional details on the following highlights:

As always, thank you for supporting the Clean Coalition and its pursuit of making clean local energy accessible now.

Sincerely,
Craig Lewis

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.

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