BOSTON - Today, 28 member companies of the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) met with representatives from Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee’s Administration, Rhode Island legislators, and energy officials for NECEC’s virtual Rhode Island Clean Energy Day, an event bringing together clean energy business leaders and policymakers to discuss the most pressing energy and climate policy issues facing Rhode Island.

This annual event featured a day of meetings between policymakers and business leaders from the solar, energy storage, wind, EV, smart grid and other clean energy sectors.

“As the Northeast continues to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, Rhode Island has an opportunity to ensure the state’s economy builds back better and people from all backgrounds benefit from clean energy and climate investments,” said NECEC President Peter Rothstein. “NECEC remains committed to working with the Legislature and the McKee Administration to achieve a cleaner, more affordable, and more equitable energy future for Rhode Island.”

As part of the event, NECEC also released its 2021 Rhode Island Clean Energy Policy Priorities, which demonstrate NECEC’s dedication to growing the clean energy economy in Rhode Island and across the Northeast. NECEC will focus on policies that ensure a green recovery for Rhode Island in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic crisis, including:

• Expanding our clean energy targets to achieve and then maintain a 100% renewable electric supply beyond 2030.
• Finalizing strengthened climate commitments and committing the state to net-zero emissions by 2050 by signing The Act on Climate into law.
• Supporting local clean energy development by addressing emerging challenges to the system including transmission and distribution upgrades and interconnection costs.
• Supporting the advancement of clean transportation by affirming the regional Transportation Climate Initiative in the Legislature.
• Redoubling efforts on energy efficiency as the most cost-effective clean energy solution for Rhode Island and a path to create thousands of good local jobs.

NECEC’s full 2021 Rhode Island Clean Energy Policy Priorities are available here.

About NECEC

NECEC is the premier voice of businesses building a world-class clean energy hub in the Northeast, helping clean energy companies start, scale, and succeed with our unique business, innovation, and policy leadership. The organization includes the Northeast Clean Energy Council, a nonprofit business member organization, and NECEC Institute, a nonprofit focused on industry research, innovation, policy development, and strategic communications. The organization’s innovation program includes Cleantech Open Northeast, the Northeast affiliate of the national cleantech accelerator Cleantech Open, and Cleantech Navigate, which provides cleantech startups with curated connections to mentors, test sites, customers, corporate partners, and investors. NECEC brings together business leaders and key stakeholders to engage in influential policy discussions and business initiatives while building connections that propel the clean energy industry forward.

Media Contact: Meggie Quackenbush, mquackenbush@necec.org

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