July 2014 Comments on REV and the Clean Energy Fund
TThe range and complexity of the issues that the Commission will have to address as we embark on the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) can seem daunting. The temptation to become "lost in trees" and to lose "sight of the forest" must be resisted. With that in mind, the Joint Commenters offer the following principles as a directional map to the Commission and DPS staff against which specific policies and programs should be evaluated: 1. Emissions reductions must remain central to REV's objectives and outcomes. 2. New York must preserve and affirm its commitments to energy efficiency and renewable energy. 3. Distributed energy resources (DER) should be fully valued to reflect the operational, environmental, and social benefits these resources provide to both the energy system and the public. 4. Any compensation to a Distributed System Platform Provider (DSPP) should be commensurate with its performance in addressing clear public policy objectives established by the Commission, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions and improved air quality resulting from the deployment of energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy and other strategies, and should be based on a transparent system of rewards and penalties. 5. Customers should be empowered with the tools and information necessary to take greater control of their energy use. We build on these principles and their potential application in our following responses to specific questions.