A handful of influential companies, nonprofits and advocacy organizations on Wednesday announced a new coalition dedicated to promoting distributed energy resources to modernize the U.S. power grid.
Common Charge’s founding members include Advanced Energy United, Charge Ahead Partnership, Coalition for Community Solar Access, Eco Capital, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Pivot Energy, Solar United Neighbors, Sunrun and Vote Solar, the coalition said in a news release.
Its goal, under the leadership of acting Executive Director Katherine Hamilton, is to “drive consumers and policymakers to unlock the full potential of distributed assets” to support the grid and benefit ratepayers. To this end, it will seek to advance policy reform and unite stakeholders to “replace the outdated energy system with a more flexible, resilient, consumer-focused system.”
The organization, a registered 501c3, pointed to the growing role of distributed resources such as batteries, electric vehicles, rooftop solar and smart thermostats in stabilizing the grid during times of stress, such as during heat waves that hit the Midwest and Northeast this summer.
“The tools to lower bills and protect our shared grid are already plugged in around our communities as local solutions,” Hamilton said in the release. “The clock is ticking to enable them through smart policy and regulation that puts consumers first. Maximizing distributed assets is crucial to protect our grid and energy consumers in the age of data centers, rising energy costs, and severe weather.”
