This past week, the People’s Power & Light (PP&L) community celebrated 15 years at the annual spring meeting in Rhode Island. PP&L members, industry professional, and friends came together to enjoy an evening at the Omni Providence Hotel and to hear about the latest projects and advocacy efforts the PP&L team is leading the charge on.

Larry Chretien has been PP&L’s Executive Director since 2006. Under Larry’s leadership, the scope of PP&L’s work has expanded to better serve our mission to make energy more affordable and environmentally sustainable.  One highlight of the evening was PP&L’s efforts to accelerate the transition of Rhode Island’s transportation sector from gasoline and diesel fuel to electricity.  Attendees were able to peek at and climb inside an all-electric 2017 Nissan LEAF.

Nissan LEAF from Stateline Nissan

“You may be asking yourself: Can you afford an electric car? The question is: can you afford a gas-powered car?” our executive director Larry Chretien asked the audience during the program. He noted that with the federal incentives (up to $7500), state incentives (up to $2500) and the Drive Green with People’s Power & Light program deal (up to $8000), electric vehicles, like the LEAF, are more affordable than ever. Reducing our consumption of polluting fossil fuels is critical to mitigate the impacts of climate change.  “Corporate business models have to be subordinate to [the goal of] cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% under 1990 levels by 2050,” Larry added.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse provided video remarks to the celebration, emphasizing the importance of properly pricing carbon emissions and making polluters pay. You can view the clip of Senator Whitehouse here.

The panel of expert energy and climate change guests included Office of Energy Resources Commissioner Carol Grant, Brown professor J. Timmons Roberts, former EPA New England Administrator Curt Spalding, and Synapse Energy Economics Senior Associate Patrick Knight.

Under the Trump administration, there is significant uncertainty about the fate of national energy and environmental policies. Following his experience in the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Spalding offered a message of hope in his remarks to attendees. “A fundamental fact: these issues don’t start in Washington, they start in communities,” he explained. Rhode Island has the potential to be resilient regardless of what comes out of Washington D.C. Spalding went on, ““Do we need the Clean Power Plan in the long run? Not if states go out and do it by themselves.”

Professor Roberts explained the complexity and significance of coming to a compromise for the international Paris Agreement, the commitment of signed countries to keep global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius. Professor Roberts and his students were actively engaged in the U.N. agreement process and worked to ensure that vulnerable populations were protected from sea level rise. “Climate change is really an issue of justice,” said Roberts. Later in the speaking program, he echoed Senator Whitehouse’s sentiment to put a fair price on carbon emissions and praised the potential EnergizeRI Act as a local solution. The EnergizeRI Act is among the PP&L policy priorities and has an upcoming hearing on Thursday, May 11th.

Rhode Island is fortunate to have some strong state clean energy laws and compelling bills in the current legislative session that will further grow our clean energy economy. PP&L is actively advocating for the expansion of the Renewable Energy Growth (REG) program. Programs like the REG will help Commissioner Grant and the Office of Energy Resources team work towards Governor Gina Raimondo’s goal to reach 1,000 MW of clean energy in Rhode Island in 2020. “If anybody can pull this off, it’s Rhode Island,” said Grant. She also pointed out the great work the state has done to promote EVs, grid modernization, and green power. To encourage more clean power to come online, “We need a grid that’s smart and nimble.”

Finally, Pat Knight of Synapse Energy Economics provided an intriguing slide show demonstrating how year after year, estimates for electricity demand have been too high. Energy efficiency is consistently undervalued as a resource, a point that we at PP&L share.

If you weren’t able to be at our annual meeting there, check out the photos of the fun evening here.

PP&L is going to celebrate our 15 Year Anniversary all year long! You can support the critical advocacy work and the clean energy programs of People’s Power & Light by visiting www.ripower.org/15years.

Your donation will ensure that we can continue serving Rhode Island. People’s Power & Light is grateful for the dedication of our thousands of members. Our team is eager to continue our work to reduce emissions and grow local clean energy sources.

Thank you for joining us at our Annual Meeting and we hope to see you at another PP&L event soon! Check-out www.ripower.org/events and www.ripower.org/tours to see what we’re up to.

Cheers!