This document is 'Chapter 2: Developing a State Strategy' of the Energy and Environment Guide to Action. This chapter presents a process states may follow to select programs or strategies that use energy efficiency, renewable energy, combined heat and power (CHP), and other clean onsite generation technologies. Such strategies provide clean, low-cost, reliable energy, while achieving state energy, environment, and/or economic goals. The process draws upon states’ experiences and describes key steps states have taken to develop a comprehensive strategy for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CHP. These include creating a collaborative process, establishing goals, exploring options to adopt new or expand existing policies, and developing an implementation strategy that taps states’ available potential and meets their unique needs.

To develop a comprehensive strategy, states have found it useful to:

•  Assess the environmental, energy, and economic benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CHP.
•  Identify and remove market, regulatory, and institutional barriers to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CHP.
•  Integrate energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CHP with specific environmental protection or economic development objectives.
•  Encourage and enhance coordination across state agencies and with electric and natural gas utilities; businesses; environmental groups; local governments; and energy efficiency, renewable energy, and CHP industries.
•  Identify opportunities to coordinate with and build on ongoing state activities, investments and financing mechanisms, federal programs, and private sector investments.
•  Incorporate evaluation into policy design and implementation.
•  Create an enabling environment (via laws and regulations) for local actions such as energy savings
performance contracts and property assessed clean energy.

See the rest of the Energy and Environment Guide to Action.

• Chapter 2: Developing a State Strategy (PDF)(24 pp, 2 MB)