Clean Grid Alliance

ADVANCE RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE MIDWEST BY APPLYING TECHNICAL EXPERTISE & BUILDING SUPPORT TO EXPAND CLEAN ENERGY MARKETS

PUBLIC EDUCATION. TO HELP REACH THE POINT OF BROAD ACCEPTANCE OF RENEWABLES, ONGOING PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH IS CRITICAL. CGA STRIVES TO BE THE 'GO-TO' SOURCE OF RELIABLE, FACT-BASED INFORMATION ABOUT RENEWABLES IN THE MIDWEST. SPECIFICALLY: - THE CGA WEBSITE RECEIVED MORE THAN 71,000 PAGE VIEWS IN 2021. - WE CONTINUED USING NONPROFIT MEGAPHONE (NPM) TO ADMINISTER THE NONPROFIT GOOGLE ADWORDS PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM HAS DELIVERED: -215,020 AD IMPRESSIONS -NEARLY 18,000 CLICK-THROUGHS TO OUR WEBSITE -OVER $84,000 IN ADS COVERED BY THE GRANT, UP 20% FROM 2020. -UNIQUE PAGE VIEWS OF THE CGA BLOG GREW 43% WITH NEARLY 16,000 PAGE VIEWS AND 24 PUBLISHED ARTICLES TO THE BLOG. THE TOP 2021 BLOG WAS: GOVERNORS RECOGNIZE THAT TRANSMISSION IS KEY TO ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE (471 VIEWS)ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY. CGA CONTINUES TO ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS AND HAVE ROBUST PARTICIPATION FROM BOTH NEW AND EXISTING MEMBERS. CGA STAFF IS CONTINUALLY WORKING WITH BOTH NGO AND FOR-PROFIT MEMBERS TO CREATE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO APPROACH OUR WORK AND ALIGN PRIORITIES IN THE CGA FOOTPRINT. SPECIFICALLY, IN 2021 CGA: -ADDED NINE NEW MEMBERS, A 50% INCREASE OVER 2020; -RECEIVED A "CLEAN" AUDIT FOR OPERATING YEAR 2021;

TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION IS VITAL TO CGA'S MISSION OF DEVELOPING RENEWABLES AND REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS. EXPANDING THE DEPLOYMENT AND INTEGRATION OF COST EFFECTIVE RENEWABLES ON THE GRID INCLUDES PARTICIPATING IN STAKEHOLDER PROCESSES AND ADVOCATING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AT THE MIDCONTINENT INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATOR (MISO REGIONAL "GRID" OPERATOR), STIMULATING MARKET CONDITIONS THAT SUPPORT OR ENHANCE THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY ACROSS THE MISO FOOTPRINT, AND ACTIVATING OUR MEMBERS TO STRATEGIZE AND PARTICIPATE IN TRANSMISSION PLANNING, CREATING NEW MARKET RULES, AND ADDRESSING OPERATIONS ISSUES AT MISO. OUR MISO TEAM WORKED ON OVERCOMING COST BARRIERS, IMPROVING OVERALL FLEXIBILITY ON THE SYSTEM, STREAMLINING PROCESSES TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND REDUCE TIME, LOOSEN RESTRICTIONS, AND ALLEVIATE CONGESTION. SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE YEAR INCLUDE: -115 MISO/REGULATORY COMMENTS FILED; 170 CALLS/MEETINGS ON MISO-RELATED MATTERS; -INITIATING AND INFLUENCING THE LONG RANGE TRANSMISSION PLANNING EFFORT THAT RESULTED IN MISO'S PROPOSAL FOR 18 NEW TRANSMISSION LINES THAT WILL ENABLE 53 GW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY; -ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING THE MISO AND SPP JOINT TARGETED INTERCONNECTION QUEUE STUDY THAT IDENTIFIED A SET OF TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT WOULD ADDRESS ALL THE SEAMS CONSTRAINTS RESULTING FROM NEW RESOURCES IN BOTH THE MISO AND SPP MODELS. -SECURING CHANGES TO QUARTERLY OPERATING LIMIT STUDIES THAT WOULD REDUCE LOST REVENUE FOR DEVELOPERS DUE TO TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS THAT WERE UNRELATED TO THEIR PROJECTS. -CONTINUING ADVOCACY IN THE LEGAL CASES RELATED TO THE CARDINAL-HICKORY CREEK TRANSMISSION LINE.

STATE POLICY. THROUGH STATE POLICY WORK, OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE IS TO STIMULATE MARKET CONDITIONS THAT CREATE A DEMAND FOR RENEWABLES AND SUPPORT OR ENHANCE THE USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH POLICY INITIATIVES AT STATE LEGISLATURES. THIS YEAR, CGA'S POLICY TEAM FOCUSED ON TAXES (REAL AND PERSONAL), SITING STANDARDS, PERMITTING REFORM, VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (PARTICULARLY FOR SOLAR FACILITIES), STATE TRANSMISSION POLICIES, RELIABILITY/RESILIENCY OF THE ELECTRIC GRID AND A NUMBER OF POLICIES THAT WOULD DRIVE DEMAND FOR UTILITY-SCALE RENEWABLE RESOURCES THROUGH UTILITY INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANS. BELOW ARE SOME KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: -16 LEGISLATIVE WINS; 208 LEGISLATOR CALLS/MEETINGS; -SUCCEEDED IN GETTING THE RENEWABLE ENERGY ACCESS PLAN ("REAP") INCLUDED IN THE ILLINOIS CLIMATE AND EQUITABLE JOBS ACT ("CEJA"). -LED A COALITION THAT WAS ABLE TO GET PROPERTY TAX REFORM FOR SOLAR FACILITIES PASSED IN INDIANA. -DEFEATED PROPOSALS IN NORTH DAKOTA FOR RENEWABLE DEVELOPERS TO ACQUIRE FIRM CAPACITY FROM FOSSIL FUEL FACILITIES AND A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE LEVIED A SIGNIFICANT TAX (50% OF THE FEDERAL PTC) ON WIND POWER PRODUCTION. -PASSED A PROACTIVE BILL THAT PROVIDES MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR THE INSTALLATION OF TURBINE LIGHT MITIGATION TECHNOLOGY IN NORTH DAKOTA. -DEFEATED RESTRICTIVE SETBACK BILLS IN MINNESOTA AND IOWA, AND DECOMMISSIONING REQUIREMENTS FOR WIND TURBINES IN IOWA -DEFEATED AN ALTERNATIVE SPECIFIC PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR SOLAR IN MICHIGAN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE HIGHEST IN THE MIDWEST -DEFEATED VEGETATION PRACTICES IN INDIANA THAT WOULD NARROWLY PRESCRIBE THE USE OF POLLINATOR PLANTINGS ON LARGE-SALE SOLAR RESOURCES INSTEAD OF OPTIMIZING IT FOR THE LANDOWNER'S LONG-TERM USE OF THE PROPERTY. -WORKED ON 4 INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLANS IN THREE STATES (MO, MI, AND MN) AND THE LONG TERM RENEWABLE RESOURCE PROCUREMENT PLAN (LTRRPP) FOR ILLINOIS -WORK ON THE XCEL ENERGY IRP RESULTED IN THE RETIREMENT OF THE SHERCO CC PLANT WITHOUT NEW NATURAL GAS.- CGA'S ADVOCACY RESULTED IN THE ADDITION OF 6,700 7,100 MW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, STORAGE AND HYBRID PROJECTS BY 2030 ACROSS THE FOOTPRINT, AND ELIMINATED 800 MW OF COMBINED CYCLE GAS FROM XCEL ENERGY'S PLAN.