 |
Clean Energy States Alliance membership is comprised of "Clean
Energy Funds" or "State
Funds", a growing number of public funds in the United States
whose objective
is
building
markets for renewable energy and clean energy resources.
CESA member programs will make available nearly $3.5 billion
to promote renewable and clean energy over the next decade.
A list of CESA's 18 members can be found by clicking here.
These funds are capitalized in a number of ways. Some funds
receive payments through a non-bypassable charge assessed
on each customer's electric bill, typically as a result of
restructuring legislation. These are typically referred
to
as "system benefit charges" (SBCs) or "public purpose charges."
Other funds receive their money in lump sums either as a
result of a settlement of a utility merger or sale of generation
assets.
CESA Project
In 2002, CEG established and now manages the only alliance
of U.S.-based, public clean energy funds, the Clean Energy
States Alliance. CESA is a national nonprofit organization
comprised of eighteen states with public clean energy funds/agencies
that have banded together to promote clean energy projects
and markets through joint efforts, including public education.
CESA members are actively supporting the deployment of clean
energy technologies such as solar PV, wind, biomass and fuel
cells; they are driving renewable energy markets in the U.S.
by investing hundreds of millions of public dollars each
year to stimulate the technology innovation process and moving
clean energy out of the laboratory and toward wider use and
application in business, residential, agricultural, community
and industrial settings.
CESA provides up-to-date knowledge
and analysis about clean energy programs from around the
country to it members and enhances this collaborative network
by coordinating state efforts, leveraging funding for projects
and research, identifying challenges and solutions, and
assisting members in program development and evaluation.
Through CESA,
the state renewable energy programs also are creating new
partnerships with federal agencies, regulators, and industry
to encourage multilateral efforts to accelerate clean energy
progress. CEG has established CESA as a respected, well-established
institution and leader on the national stage for innovative
funding and policy for clean energy development.
CESA collects and disseminates information and analysis,
conducts original research, and helps to coordinate activities
of the state funds. In the process of assisting the state
funds, we also hope to help other state officials, clean energy
developers, and environmentalists who share an interest in
developing cleaner energy markets.
In addition, CESA hosts a listserve for official representatives
of state funds, issues a periodic e-newsletter about state
funds, writes case studies on actual projects funded by the
states, and hosts conferences to help the state fund officials
develop their renewable energy programs.
Our main objective is to increase the quality and quantity
of clean energy deals to greatly expand the clean energy
market.
CESA is managed by Clean Energy Group, Inc. (CEG), a nonprofit
501(c)(3), publicly supported charitable organization. CEG
(www.cleanegroup.org)
was established in January 1998 to promote market-based actions
to replace the existing electricity generation system with
new, less polluting power generation technologies. CEG’s
mission is to work with all sectors of the economy, including
businesses and local citizens, to accelerate the commercialization
of clean energy. The organization works to overcome major
barriers, including lack of information and technology risk,
through carefully structured collaborations, as well as new
financing and market development measures.
Principal staff for the CESA project are:
- Mark Sinclair, Executive Director
Tel. - 802.223.2554, ext. 206; Email - MSinclair@cleanegroup.org
Mark joined the Clean Energy Group staff as Vice President
in May 2005. He is formerly a Vice President and senior
attorney
with
Conservation
Law Foundation. Mark also served as general counsel to
the State of Vermont's environmental agency and has practiced
environmental and energy law for twenty years. Mark received
his Bachelors in English and Economics from Williams College
and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
- Charlie Kubert, Project Director
Tel. - 802-272-1135; Email - CKubert@cleanegroup.org
Charlie serves as a Project Director for CESA. Prior
to joining Clean Energy Group, he worked for seven years
as Senior Environmental Business Specialist
at the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), the
Midwest's largest environmental and clean energy advocacy
group. At
ELPC, his work focused on financing solutions for community-based
renewable energy development, policies to promote agricultural-based
energy development and electric and natural gas energy
efficiency program development. Prior to ELPC, he spent
20 years in
the private sector working in management consulting and
as a manager of financial planning for two large corporations.
He has an M.B.A. in finance from The University of Chicago
and a B.A. from Williams College.
- Anne Margolis, Project Associate
Tel. - 802-223-2554; email: - Anne@cleanegroup.org Anne
serves as the liaison between CESA and the member
states, with a particular
focus on creating effective tools to serve the members
and other key CESA and CEG stakeholders. She will also
work on specific CESA/CEG joint initiatives and research
projects and will manage the organizations' outreach
and communication efforts .Prior
to joining CEG, Anne served as Director of the Vermont
Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF). During
her time at CEDF, Anne oversaw the infusion of $30
million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding
into this $5 million per year state fund, which supports
renewable electric and thermal generation projects
at both large and small sizes, through grants, loans,
and incentives. Prior to joining the State of Vermont,
Anne also worked as Marketing Manager for Atlantic
Orient Corporation, a wind turbine manufacturer, and
as Managing Editor of Northern Woodlands magazine.
Anne received her Bachelors in Environmental Studies
from Dartmouth College.
- Jessica Morey, Project Director
Tel. - 202.415.6299; Email - Jessica@cleanegroup.org
Before joining CESA, Jessica worked as a clean energy analyst
in the World Bank’s central energy unit. Her projects
included mainstreaming low carbon analysis into Bank energy
projects and improving coordination and knowledge sharing
across the Bank’s energy practice and international
development partners. Jessica has also consulted with the
Natural Resources Defense Council on the Carbon Neutral Costa
Rica campaign and worked as the International Fellow at the
Pew Center for Global Climate Change. She received her Bachelors
in Environmental Engineering from Dartmouth College, a Masters
in International Affairs from American University and a Masters
in Sustainable Development from the UN University for Peace
in Costa Rica.
- Maria Blais, Program and Grants Coordinator
Tel. - 802.223.2554, ext. 203; Email - maria@cleanegroup.org
Maria coordinates CESA projects, contracts and grant agreements,
communications, as well as the CESA website and email list
serves. She
also assists to coordinate
CESA ExCom meetings, events and conference calls.
Maria formerly worked
with Lew Milford and Mark Sinclair at the Conservation
Law Foundation Vermont office as its office manager. Maria
received her
Bachelors in
Political
Science from the University
of New Hampshire.
- Meghan LeBourveau, Office Manager
Tel. - 802.223.2554, ext. 201; Email - meghan@cleanegroup.org
Meghan assists in all aspects of CESA organizational activities,
including meetings and calls, staff schedules, and information
requests. Meghan received her Bachelors in Business Administration
from Champlain College.
You may contact us by email or write us at:
CESA
c/o Clean Energy Group
50 State Street, Suite 1
Montpelier, VT 05602
Financial Support
The initial meetings among fund representatives and the
work of establishing the CESA Project (including this web
site)
were generously funded by grants from the Energy
Foundation. Subsequently, additional grants have been
received from Rockefeller
Brothers Fund, Surdna
Foundation,
Oak Foundation, Turner
Foundation, Educational
Foundation of America, New
York Community Trust, and the John
Merck Fund to support the project.
|
