By Emmy Deignan, Policy Associate and Lizzie Stricklin, Communications Manager, BCSE

At this moment, North America’s energy system faces clear challenges, as building new infrastructure and onshoring manufacturing is a difficult process that takes time. Transitions are complicated. Today’s energy sector is tasked with developing increasingly resilient, accessible, and lower carbon emitting energy, all while simultaneously maintaining affordable energy prices.

Nevertheless, public-private partnerships are driving record levels of clean energy deployment across the continent – and a renewed focus on meaningful community engagement is creating a more inclusive new energy economy. But how is this happening? What projects are really underway, and how are businesses overcoming these obstacles to deliver new clean energy solutions?

To provide an on-the-ground progress report, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and Hydro Quebec partnered up at Climate Week NYC to host a panel discussion on the private sector response to these market signals.

Read on for the top four takeaways from our Build, Baby, Build event:

 

1. The Public Sector Is Strengthening Clean Energy Market Signals

Above: Steve Capanna, Director of Technology Policy, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Policy

According to the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, U.S. clean energy sectors have proved resilient in the past year as both mature and emerging decarbonization industries grew despite interest rate and supply chain difficulties. A suite of federal policies – namely the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – provided clear signals to the market, which responded with record-breaking levels of investment and deployment.

Implementing these groundbreaking pieces of legislation is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Steve Capanna, Director of Technology Policy for DOE’s Office of Policy, kicked off the event with an update on DOE’s work to quickly allocate 70% of IRA and IIJA funding before the White House changes administration at the end of the year. So far, DOE has announced over $80 billion in grants and loans for energy efficiency and clean energy projects – which have spurred 334,565 new clean energy jobs nationwide and nearly $130 billion in private sector investment.

These investments are mirrored at the subnational level in New York state. To meet its goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 85% from 1990 levels by 2050, New York has invested “more than $28 billion in 61 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, nearly $3 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments.”

 

2. The Private Sector Is Seizing the Moment to Build, Baby, Build! in New York

Above (L to R): Nate Teti, Vice President of U.S. Government Relations and Public Affairs, Equinor; Serge Abergel, Chief Operating Officer, Hydro Quebec; Patricia Lombardi, Senior Vice President for Project Delivery, New York Power Authority; Brian Gemmell, Chief Operating Officer of New York Electric, National Grid; and Peter Rose, Senior Director of Stakeholder Relations, Hydro Quebec

These public-private partnerships are driving private sector investment and innovation in clean energy across North America. While leaders convened in New York for Climate Week, exciting projects were already underway to deploy clean energy technologies throughout the state. Industry leaders joined BCSE’s event to share their New York success stories, including:

• Transmitting clean energy: Hydro Quebec and its project partner TDI are laying high-voltage direct current transmission lines from Quebec to Astoria, New York, bringing power to one million homes in
• Keeping airport lights on: BCSE member Schneider Electric is partnering with Port Authority of New York to electrify JFK International Airport’s new Terminal One with microgrid technology combining rooftop solar, fuel cells, and battery storage. The microgrid system will improve the airport’s resiliency during power outages and surges in energy demand while decarbonizing the terminal’s energy use.
• Powering New York City with offshore wind: BCSE member Equinor is revitalizing the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to help establish Equinor’s first U.S. offshore wind project. The Empire Wind 1 project will be the first offshore wind project to connect directly to New York City’s power grid and will provide enough renewable energy to power 500,000 homes starting in 2026.
• Building a resilient grid: BCSE member National Grid is upgrading 1,000 miles of New York’s grid to provide eight gigawatts of more resilient, clean, and secure energy across the state, including a new electric vehicle (EV) charging structure.

 

3. The Power of Connection: Making Community Engagement a Priority

Above (L to R): Jeannie Salo, Chief Public Policy Officer, Schneider Electric; Chris Benjamin, Director of Corporate Sustainability, PG&E; Utopia Hill, CEO, Reactivate; and Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE

Crucial to developing projects like these is building strong relationships between energy companies and local stakeholders. At the federal level, DOE is making community engagement a core aspect of energy projects by requiring Community Benefit Plans in all funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) and loan applications for IIJA and IRA programs. CBPs are drafted by energy companies looking to secure DOE funding and must outline how developers will collaborate with affected communities throughout a project’s lifecycle.

During the event, industry panelists spoke to the importance of ensuring meaningful community benefits, particularly to low-to-moderate income and energy transition communities. BCSE success stories include:

• Developing community solar: Reactivate is deploying community solar in a way that brings a new workforce into the energy economy. The company uses an “all hands on deck effort” to deliver equitable access to clean energy. From workforce training to streamlining permitting processes and reducing energy burden, the positive effects of this approach ripples through local economies.
• Empowering local communities: BCSE member Schneider Electric highlighted the importance of working with stakeholders and building more collaborative partnerships with existing energy communities.
• Saving money on energy: BCSE member PG&E is focusing on stewarding a just transition and working to ensure disadvantaged and vulnerable communities have equitable access to energy.

 

4. More Work Remains to Build Bridges and Alleviate Obstacles

Above: Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

Given the urgency to deploy, panelists agreed North America needs to accelerate the pace of the clean energy expansion. In order to make progress, clean energy businesses must commit to building strong relationships with community stakeholders and bring community engagement into each stage of the project development process.

Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association and a BCSE member, called attention to workforce needs for solar and other energy sectors. The clean energy industry is growing at a swift and exciting pace – and a skilled and stable workforce, prepared to handle the evolution of the clean energy industry, is crucial for businesses as they work to advance the energy transition.

Additionally, panelists agreed that to maintain national security and strengthen the domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology, the United States must build strong supply chains with key allies and develop domestic material mining and recycling. A circular economy will be central to the affordable production of these technologies.

 

It’s Time to Build

Challenges to the clean energy transition remain, but industry leaders are not waiting. The tough work is being done to deploy projects and ensure increased access to clean energy. Public and private sector funding is flowing, and projects are being built.

Thank you to Equinor, Hydro Quebec, National Grid, the New York Power Authority, PG&E, Reactivate, Schneider Electric, and the Solar Energy Industries Association for participating in this event and to Norton Rose Fulbright for hosting the discussion. Click here to learn more about BCSE’s presence at Climate Week NYC.