What is the Aspen Accord?

The Energy Coalition learned long ago that connecting ideas and people is the key to generating energy innovation.  One way The Energy Coalition accomplishes this is through the Aspen Accord, an energy policy forum of local governments, utilities, and regulators created in l994.  Through the Aspen Accord, members collaborate to identify problems and propose solutions to our most pressing energy issues.
 

The efficient use of energy is vital to the long term prosperity of our communities, our respective nations and the world.

- TEC Founder John Phillips

Members

Early members of the Accord included the California cities of Santa Monica and Irvine and the Swedish cities of Nacka and Göteborg. Over the years, the Aspen Accord has added more local governments from California and elsewhere as well as representatives from utilities, regulatory bodies, and non-governmental organizations to advance more effective energy practices and management.



Outcomes

The Aspen Accord continues to be a venue for members to collaborate toward innovative energy solutions. To date, ideas that originated at Aspen Accord summits have resulted in notable pilot demonstration projects and innovative energy policies. These include:

• Implementation of the first collaborative local government/utility partnerships to deliver grassroots energy efficiency programs in communities.
• Formation of an energy education partnership between California and Swedish schools to design and exchange sustainability curriculum and education methods.
• Creation of the concept that led to AB811, a California law that enables property owners to pay for energy efficiency retrofits through their property tax bills and has led to the implementation of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs throughout California.
• Creation of the Palm Desert Energy Efficiency Demonstration project to reduce citywide energy consumption by 30%.
• Acquisition of funding for local governments to develop greenhouse gas data and tracking protocols.
• Obtaining key utility and regulatory support for expansion of a whole house retrofit program through a precedent setting joining program between Los Angeles County and its serving utilities.
• Creation of a mulit-stakeholder working group to develop innovative and cost effective program and policy approaches to expand the use of distributed generation throughout California.

Aspen Accord members have impressively demonstrated the visionary leadership that local governments both within and outside of California are capable of exercising. It is through the tangible outcomes from groundbreaking Aspen Accord demonstration projects that key progress has been made in overcoming technical, financial and regulatory barriers to more effective energy program approaches.

With a more open exchange of information and ideas, the Aspen Accord moves discussion beyond “business as usual” and toward the bold measures that keep California at the forefront of global energy solutions.



TEC Leadership

Through the Aspen Accord TEC develops white papers, workshops, conferences, policy forums and study tours that collectively focus on pioneering energy and greenhouse gas reduction actions within communities.



Recent Aspen Accord Events

March 2010– Napa, CA
Aligning Local Government, Utility and Regulatory Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

August 2010–Berlin and Freiberg, Germany
Sustainable Energy Study and Discussion Tour- Focus on Renewable Energy Policies in Europe

October 2010– Palm Desert, CA
Advancing Market Transformation Through An Alliance of Utilities, Local Governments and Regulators

March 2011– San Francisco, CA
The Emerging Role of Innovative Energy Management Technologies – Driving Customer Behavior toward Greater Energy Accountability

August 2011—Stockholm, Sweden and Prague, Czech Republic
Sustainable Energy Study and Discussion Tour- Focus on Innovative Energy Solutions in Europe

October 2011—La Jolla, CA
Creating Sustainable Partnerships Through Innovations in Funding, Organization and Regulatory Strategies




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