Advanced Energy Economy has started 2023 with a new name, Advanced Energy United, reflecting both the progress the group has made since its founding and the challenges ahead.

The group’s original name reflected its goal of creating an economy powered by advanced energy. Now, although there is broad consensus around its objective, the group says, the challenge is harmonizing the technologies needed to achieve it and breaking down the barriers in the way.

“It’s a recognition of the moment in time,” President Heather O’Neill said in an interview with NetZero Insider. With $369 billion — or more — in clean energy tax credits, incentives and new programs available under the Inflation Reduction Act, the group’s goal is “having the industry come together to accelerate the energy transition and take advantage of the massive opportunities in front of us,” she said.

Advanced Energy was founded in 2011 by two early clean energy investors, the hedge-fund manager and philanthropist Tom Steyer and venture capitalist Hemant Taneja. Neither is currently involved with the organization, but, O’Neill said, “they came together with the belief that there was a need for a national entity that could serve as the bipartisan, data-driven business voice for clean energy to change the landscape and market opportunity.”

The organization numbers more than 70 corporate members, including independent power producers and technology companies. In addition to its federal advocacy, the organization works with a range of state and local officials and regulators in 12 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

Advanced Energy said it hopes to expand its state advocacy in the West and Northeast this year, targeting Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, as well as New Mexico. The organization’s PowerSuite database tracks energy policies in all 50 states.

In anticipation of the IRA rollout, the group released three “toolkits” for state officials with information on how to plan for and access the law’s various programs and incentives: one for governors and other state administrators; one for legislators; and one for regulators.

Advanced Energy’s shift is the latest rebranding among energy-related trade groups, often reflecting mergers or the evolution of their missions as technologies and markets also evolve. In 2021, the American Wind Energy Association revamped as the American Clean Power Association, which absorbed the U.S. Energy Storage Association last year and claims more than 800 members. (See Unity Touted at American Clean Power’s First Conference.)

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) renamed itself America’s Power in 2018, according to its IRS form 990. In a 2016 cost-cutting move, the American Petroleum Institute absorbed America’s Natural Gas Alliance, which represents independent natural gas exploration and production companies. (See API, ANGA Merge in Cost-Cutting Move for Oil Gas Lobby.)

The same year, the Solar Electric Power Association became the Smart Electric Power Alliance, later merging with SGIP — Smart Grid Interoperability Panel — an industry consortium focused on grid modernization.

Advanced Energy United is hoping to avoid any abbreviation of its name, at least for the time being, said Adam Winer, the group’s strategic communications director. As inevitable as they seem to be in D.C., abbreviations don’t help people understand an organization’s mission, and most wouldn’t recognize the new name if it is abbreviated, he said.

O’Neill answered other questions about Advanced Energy’s rebrand and the group’s priorities for the new year in the interview below, which has been edited and condensed.

NetZero Insider: In your announcement of the new name, you talk about Advanced Energy being a “unifying voice” for the industry. How un-unified is the clean energy sector? Why does it need a unifying voice?

O’Neill: Traditionally our industry has been siloed by technology, and there’s increasing recognition that working together, there are tremendous benefits. It’s going to take all our technology solutions ― grid-scale, distributed energy resources of all types ― if we’re accelerating this transition to 100% clean energy in the U.S. It’s a recognition, I think, of the opportunities presented at this moment … [for] really bringing all of our technologies together and presenting systemwide solutions to policymakers.

We’re able to unlock solutions that are market-transforming, market-wide transformations, because we’re not looking at problems or identifying solutions from one narrow technology, but really looking across the energy system and looking for wins that will scale clean energy writ large.

Advanced Energy is one of the cohort of clean energy trade and advocacy groups in D.C., many with overlapping missions and priorities. How are you different? What are you offering that that the others aren’t?

We do represent all clean energy technologies and clean transportation technologies together; so really looking at an integrated approach, ranging from demand response, energy efficiency, storage, traditional renewables ― both utility-scale and distributed ― and into the transportation space. So really [it’s] a broad swath across what are the technologies and the companies that are going to accelerate this energy transition in the U.S.

The other thing that I think is relevant — and again, not new, but certainly part and parcel of who Advanced Energy United is — is that we’re deeply rooted in the states, as well as in key wholesale markets. So, even when we’re focused on work in Washington, D.C., it’s a virtuous cycle with the work in the states.

The incentives and programs in the IRA come with a lot of money but also a lot of requirements; the law has a lot of moving pieces. What are you hearing from your members? What are the challenges you see ahead?

What we’ve seen is just that there’s a tremendous appetite from folks on the ground in the states to understand what is available and how they can help unlock some of this massive transition. And so, what we’ve done and what we’ll be continuing to do, we put out toolkits right towards the end of the year … to really articulate all of the various energy provisions that were contained [in the law] and the ways in which they should be thinking about setting up programs really unlocking the potential here.

Toolkits are fine in and of themselves, but really, then, the work is spending the time in the states, with decision makers, and working through whatever their particular structure is set up to afford them to do. That’s the work that will be ongoing for our teams in this early part of the new year.

Big question: How are you going to work with the Republican majority in the House of Representatives?

I think [we will be] really focused on not just IRA implementation but also looking at critical minerals, at domestic manufacturing. How can we expand domestic manufacturing and advanced energy technologies? I think that is a bipartisan issue. That’s a priority for us in this coming year ― to really think about how do we both enhance access to critical minerals and support recycling that builds on some of the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.

I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but what I’m hearing is you’ll be looking to find the issues where you think there is good bipartisanship.

Yes, both good bipartisanship and [issues that] are important to our industry. If we’re going to scale the clean energy transition, we need to expand domestic manufacturing; we need to be thinking about where we’re getting some of the critical minerals from and how we’re improving the processes around those. So absolutely thinking about both what are issues that will resonate across the aisle, and what are issues that are incredibly important for our industry in order for it to scale.

Dare I ask, what’s your take on permitting reform?

For us as an organization, we’re thinking about working on, acting on [it] in states and regions. How can we help build things? And that includes issues related to transmission; that includes issues related to interconnection and to siting. All of those pieces are part and parcel of the work that we do and the work we’re focused on in the states.