How Advanced Energy Companies and State Legislators are Partnering on Affordability
Across the country, state leaders are confronting a new reality: electricity demand is rising at an alarming rate, reliability concerns are growing, and cost pressures are hitting consumers from all angles. But despite federal headwinds, a growing number of states are putting advanced energy resources at the center of their strategy in cost-effectively tackling these challenges head-on.
This was the focus of our recent webinar hosted by Heatmap News. The discussion brought together state legislators and industry leaders, including Illinois Representative Marcus Evans, Virginia Delegate Phil Hernandez, Sunrun’s Amy Heart, and RWE’s Ed Brolin, as they discussed how state policymakers and advanced energy companies are partnering on energy affordability.
Legislative Roundtable
Illinois has made a deliberate decision to invest in a clean energy future that prioritizes both reliability and affordability. Playing a key role in the development of both the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and the recent Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act, Representative Evans, a long-standing champion for our industry, emphasized the importance of forward-thinking legislation and long-term investments in advanced energy infrastructure to realize the full benefits of these technologies, even amid setbacks at the federal level.
Equally important is the process behind the policy. Through sustained dialogue and education, Illinois has been able to move ahead on policies that expand renewable energy, support workforce development, and protect consumers. From a strategic standpoint, Illinois is creating market certainty, and in today’s energy landscape, certainty is one of the most powerful tools for accelerating private investment and future growth.
Virginia is advancing a complementary strategy—one focused on unlocking the full value of existing infrastructure. At the core of Delegate Hernandez remarks was his involvement championing the recently passed Facilitating Access to Surplus Transmission (FAST) Act, first-of-its-kind legislation designed to unlock unused capacity on the existing grid. Del. Hernandez also spoke to the premise behind the FAST Act. Meeting load growth solely through new generation would be too slow and too costly. Instead, Virginia is prioritizing policies that enable more efficient use of the grid coupled with solutions that can deliver capacity quickly.
Optimizing the use of existing grid infrastructure has been a point of emphasis for Del. Hernandez for several years now, having worked with Advanced Energy United in support of bipartisan legislation focused on the expansion of advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) in 2024, and sponsoring legislation in 2025 that will create Virginia’s first virtual power plant (VPP) pilot program, with plans to scale up the program over the next two years.
In his closing remarks, Del. Hernandez emphasized that energy affordability is a unifying concern across political lines. That shared urgency is creating space for new ideas, especially for emerging technologies that are not yet politically defined but are economically compelling.
No single solution will be sufficient to meet rising energy demand. Success will require “a thousand good ideas,” as Del. Hernandez put it, and broad cooperation among policymakers, utilities, the industry, and advocates.
Industry Roundtable
Following insights from state legislators, the conversation turned to Amy Heart, Senior Vice President, Public Policy of United member company Sunrun. A key theme in Heart’s remarks was the importance of speed-to-power. Heart pointed out that there is a fundamental shift underway in the energy system as consumers are no longer passive ratepayers, but active participants, collectively strengthening the grid as a whole.
Distributed energy resources (DERs)—like rooftop solar, battery storage, and electric vehicle (EV) chargers—are transforming how energy is generated, stored, and shared. Policies that enable DERs to participate in energy markets, especially when connected through VPP programs, empower consumers while unlocking new, affordable capacity that benefits both the grid and ratepayers, even those who choose not to participate in such a program.
This is what speed-to-power looks like in practice. Both Illinois and Virginia are putting these solutions to work now while building toward future development, and it’s a model that other states can implement as well.
We also heard from Ed Brolin, Vice President, Policy Development & Distributed Government Relations at United member company RWE. His insights focused on some of the most persistent challenges in energy deployment: interconnection delays, permitting constraints, and siting roadblocks that slow the pace of new energy coming online. But as Brolin noted, these are not insurmountable barriers.
One of the most promising strategies to overcome these challenges is shifting focus to the distribution system, where states have greater authority and can act quickly, Brolin pointed out. Solutions like flexible interconnection, which dynamically adjusts how and when energy resources connect to the grid based on real-time grid conditions, offer a pragmatic path forward.
Final Takeaway
Nationally, addressing the issue of energy affordability can feel out of reach, but the experiences shared during this webinar illustrate how collaboration between both policymakers and our industry can translate ambitious energy goals into real results for the grid, businesses, and consumers.
I think Ed Brolin said it best, “advanced energy technologies are not driving the affordability crisis; they are solving it.” The economics have shifted, and renewable energy is now among the lowest-cost and fastest-to-deploy options available. While legislative wins are critical, implementation is where the real work begins. Turning policy into practice requires detailed regulatory processes, coordination among stakeholders, and sustained effort.
As our grid faces unprecedented strain, our industry is a key partner to state leaders in tackling today’s energy challenges and keeping electricity costs low.
Missed the conversation? Download the recording.