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    Advanced Energy Economy home page
    1. Facility Management

    Advanced Energy Buyers Group Works to Increase Procurement Opportunities

    Sept. 8, 2017
    New group of businesses associated with Advanced Energy Economy will advocate for policies to expand corporate procurement of renewables and other advanced energy resources to meet their corporate sustainability targets.

    National business organization Advanced Energy Economy announced the launch of the Advanced Energy Buyers Group, a collection of large energy users seeking to expand access to energy that is secure, clean and affordable. The Advanced Energy Buyers Group brings together corporate leaders committed to changing the policy landscape to increase opportunities for purchasing renewable energy and other advanced energy resources. Founding members of AEE’s Advanced Energy Buyers Group include Walmart, Salesforce, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Amazon and Aligned Energy.

    “A growing number of companies have made a commitment to advanced energy by setting renewable energy or energy-related sustainability targets, but antiquated market and regulatory barriers stand in the way,” said Malcolm Woolf, senior vice president of policy at Advanced Energy Economy, which will facilitate the work of the new group. “With establishment of the Advanced Energy Buyers Group, industry and community leaders will have a new voice to advocate for federal and state policies that will expand access to all forms of advanced energy.”

    According to a report published by AEE last year, 71 Fortune 100 companies have set renewable energy or energy-related sustainability targets, and the number is growing each year. More than 100 companies globally have committed to sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable resources.

    In many markets across the country, policies and regulations must be brought up to date to allow companies to reach the goals they have set. The Advanced Energy Buyers Group will work toward policy solutions that make it easier for companies to pursue advanced energy solutions like wind power, fuel cells, demand response, energy storage, hydropower, solar and more.

    “As Microsoft buys more renewable power, we are looking for ways to make these energy sources more affordable and accessible — for ourselves as well as other businesses and households,” said Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist at Microsoft. “We’ve made good progress, but more work needs to be done to advance policies that make it easier and cheaper for more companies, schools, hospitals and families to buy clean energy. These policies help support businesses, create new jobs, strengthen our electricity grid and create a more sustainable future.”

    Patrick Flynn, senior director of sustainability at Salesforce, said: "Salesforce is committed to reaching 100% renewable energy across global operations and to improving the state of the world. We recently announced that Salesforce has achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, that we're providing a carbon-neutral cloud for our customers and that we're the first Fortune 500 company to participate in San Francisco's CleanPower SF program. Reaching 100% renewable energy is an ambitious target and we believe it can be done by working with peers, policymakers and local utilities."

    "The Advanced Energy Buyers Group is a new voice to engage legislators and regulators on policy issues — an important aspect for a market that has been moving towards renewables as the energy of choice," said Lily Donge, principal, Business Renewables Center, Rocky Mountain Institute.