State Policy

POLITICO reports on Governor Gavin Newsom vetoing AB 44, a bill that would have streamlined how utilities use distributed energy resources (DERs) and take advantage of existing VPP programs. The article quotes United’s Edson Perez, who said that this was a huge missed opportunity to advance common-sense policy that would have lowered costs, strengthened the grid, and unlocked the full potential of advanced energy.

On our blog, United’s Amisha Rai discusses United’s advocacy playbook, designed to show policymakers how they can leverage the full suite of advanced energy technologies and policy solutions as they tackle the three major energy trends today: rising demand, rising reliability threats, and rising costs. Our playbook gives political leaders a guide for meeting these challenges head-on with three big goals in mind: building more advanced energy infrastructure faster, deploying and maximizing grid-edge solutions, and directing state and utility investments towards advanced energy. In other words, we need to build it, make it flexible, and make it affordable.

On Friday, September 19, 2025, AB 825, also known as “Pathways” bill was signed into law. On our blog, United’s Leah Rubin Shen outlines how this bill paves the way for California to take part in an independently governed regional electricity market, marking a transformative moment for the entire Western grid.

Electricity bills in Pennsylvania are climbing faster than inflation, with costs increasing at more than twice the pace of other goods and services. On our blog, United’s Chris D’Agostino outlines how the Keystone State can modernize its grid by leveraging proven advanced energy technologies and maximizing existing energy infrastructure.

California lawmakers passed two virtual power plant (VPP) bills—AB 44 and AB 740—that now await Governor Newsom’s signature. United’s Edson Perez spoke with PV Magazine about the benefits of VPPs in reducing grid strain, lowering energy costs, and increasing grid reliability, urging Governor Newsom to sign the bills into law.

On September 5, 2025, Advanced Energy United and several of our member companies met with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and her office to discuss how advanced energy solutions can meet growing energy demand reliably and affordably. United’s Joey Paolino outlines how New Mexico can utilize existing energy infrastructure to meet rising load growth, highlighting the critical role governors play in unleashing advanced energy’s full potential, amidst federal rollbacks.

Canary Media reports that Assembly Bills 740 and 44 continue to advance with provisions to expand virtual power plant programs in California, while last-minute amendments stripped away key provisions from Senate Bill 541. United’s Edson Perez warned that California can’t afford to sideline tools that make the grid cleaner, more resilient, and more affordable.

Latitude Media reports that Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project, nearly complete but stalled by the Trump administration’s stop-work order, should serve as a warning for the entire advanced energy industry. United’s Kat Burnham spoke about the need for developers to engage at the state and regional levels, and for state leaders to step up to defend the industry and keep individual projects moving.

In an opinion piece for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, United’s Leah Rubin Shen urges the California legislature to pass Senate Bill 540, which would allow California to join a West-wide regional energy market this year. She warns that failing to act could leave California isolated from the rest of the West. The benefits of joining such a market would save ratepayers $1B annually, improve grid reliability during extreme weather, make better use of the clean energy resources we produce, and rely less on expensive, polluting peaker plants.

As California’s 2025 legislative session comes to a close, state lawmakers have several advanced energy bills to consider. United’s Edson Perez spoke with POLITICO about how, if passed, these bills could increase affordability, expand access to renewables, and modernize the state’s overall grid.

In an opinion piece for Colorado Politics, United’s Emilie Olson praises Governor Polis’ recent executive action as a strong step toward keeping energy reliable and affordable despite the rollback of clean energy tax credits from H.R. 1. Olson urges all corners of Colorado’s government to act swiftly on low-cost solutions, such as deploying advanced transmission technologies, building virtual power plants, and integrated infrastructure planning to meet growing energy demand without raising costs next legislative session to deliver on Colorado’s clean energy promises.

Much has been said about the risks to the gas utility industry in this era of market transition, wherein electric appliances are out-competing traditional furnaces and water heaters year over year. United’s Sarah Steinberg discusses a new set of metrics that can inform the next era of gas and electric heating regulation to lower customer bills and increase electric grid efficiency and flexibility in this first edition of our blog series, “Affordable Heat Powered by Policy.”