After a Banner Year for Clean Energy, States Look to Build on Momentum in 2025
New collaboration, projects, and leadership have states poised to boost renewable energy economies
In the continuing effort to increase clean energy use in the U.S., 2024 was a noteworthy year. States throughout the country boosted manufacturing of components needed to produce and deliver clean energy. They also developed innovative partnerships and projects to diversify and grow their economies while lowering greenhouse gas emissions—and maintaining energy affordability for consumers. And it appears that state decision-makers are poised to continue these encouraging trends in 2025. Here are some examples of the progress and the ongoing work.
Policies and projects for a clean, modern grid
In November, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) accepted Duke Energy’s “Carbon Plan” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its electric generating facilities—required under a bipartisan state law passed in 2021—which for the first time includes developing 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind, enough to power more than 500,000 homes. This is a noteworthy step toward growing offshore wind in North Carolina and the Southeast region and makes Duke one of only a few utilities to include offshore wind as part of its plan to meet electricity demand. 2025 will be a critical year for the state and Duke Energy to take meaningful steps to bring these offshore wind projects to fruition, with the NCUC slated to consider how Duke should move forward with procurement of offshore wind energy as well as undertaking the next round of its biannual Carbon Plan-Integrated Resources Plan proceeding.
Utah has also taken steps to modernize its grid, ensure reliability, and meet energy demand from a growing population and economy. In August 2024, Utah’s Office of Energy Development received a $249 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program to replace and upgrade existing transmission lines with advanced, higher-performing conductors that will increase grid capacity. And in October, Pew briefed the Utah Legislature on how to encourage deployment of these advanced transmission technologies to enable the grid to take on more electricity from energy generation.
Grid modernization will stay on the agenda in Utah in 2025. Governor Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt initiative—announced in October to identify ways to double power production over the next 10 years—includes goals to increase transmission capacity, and legislation has already been introduced that would promote deployment of advanced transmission technologies.
Collaboration fuels success
Industry representatives, climate advocates, leaders from across the political spectrum, and other voices are finding common ground on ways to deploy and harness reliable, affordable clean energy that can grow the economy. In Ohio, for example, business leaders have come together, with the support of environmental advocates, to launch the Ohio Business Energy Partnership (OBEP).
OBEP, which includes companies from manufacturing to technology and business trade organizations, will work to show Ohio policymakers how investing in grid infrastructure and removing barriers to clean energy projects can reduce energy costs, increase reliability, meet rising electricity demand, and spur economic growth.
Pew and other national experts are also coming together to develop a strategy to accelerate the deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs)—typically small electric generation or battery storage units on local grids, which can include rooftop solar panels, electric vehicles, batteries, heat pumps, and microgrids. DERs can allow communities to generate their own clean energy and make the electric grid more affordable, flexible, and resilient. Pew unveiled this initiative during Climate Week NYC 2024, and it is being spearheaded by veteran energy experts Audrey Zibelman, former CEO of the Australian Energy Market Operator, and Pat Wood III, former chair of both the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
In the year ahead, Pew and our advisers will collaborate with industry, regulatory and utility experts, and community-centered organizations to develop a national roadmap that will identify the policies necessary to unlock the full, scaled potential of DERs.
Bolstering Offshore Wind Supply Chains to Create Jobs and a Clean Energy Future
States across the U.S. are increasingly embracing the significant potential of offshore wind to stimulate local job creation and economic development, such as by revitalizing coastal ports, fostering technological innovation that can be exported worldwide, and strengthening domestic manufacturing supply chains and energy competitiveness.
Because of that potential, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Connecticut have recently intensified their efforts to capitalize on the offshore wind economy by conducting comprehensive studies to determine how they can position themselves as pivotal players in the industry. These studies aim to identify workforce requirements and training needs, assess opportunities to leverage existing infrastructure and expertise, and pinpoint areas for strategic investment to ensure that local businesses and communities benefit from the jobs and spending associated with this promising sector.
And in doing so, these states are building on existing strengths: In Louisiana, a leading state in traditional offshore energy, businesses and workers are well positioned to use their expertise for offshore wind development. South Carolina and Connecticut are applying their experience in advanced manufacturing and port operations, respectively, to help drive innovation and job growth.
As these and other states move forward, they must collaborate with peers and share best practices to build a resilient, interconnected supply chain that can position states as leaders on offshore wind—and deliver clean energy and economic benefits in the years to come.
States are primed to build on the accomplishments of 2024 and make 2025 another year of innovation and progress on the road to a thriving clean energy economy.
Yaron Miller works on The Pew Charitable Trusts’ energy modernization project.
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