FirstLight Power joined the 24/7 Carbon-free Energy (CFE) Compact in partnership with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and UN Energy.
The compact is an effort to speed decarbonization of the world’s electricity systems by working with a global group of companies, policymakers and organizations to develop and scale technologies, policies and solutions. According to a press release, 24/7 carbon-free energy will reduce pollution and improve economic and health outcomes for those most impacted by the effects of climate change.
FirstLight is a power producer and energy storage company in New England with a portfolio that includes nearly 1,400 MW of pumped hydro storage, battery storage, hydroelectric generation and solar generation. The company said it is working to enable the conversion to a clean energy future faster by delivering hydropower and by leveraging large-scale storage facilities such as Northfield Mountain to integrate renewable energy and store it for times when it is needed.
Alicia Barton, president and chief executive officer of FirstLight, said the 24/7 Carbon-free Energy Compact “is in full alignment with FirstLight’s mission to accelerate the decarbonization of the electric grid by owning, operating, and integrating large-scale renewable energy and storage assets to meet the region’s growing clean energy needs and to deliver an electric system that is clean, reliable, affordable and equitable.”
The 24/7 CFE Compact is a commitment to the following principles and actions:
Local Procurement: Energy buyers commit to moving beyond 100% renewable energy annual matching goals and adopting, over time, 24/7 CFE procurement approaches that lead to new clean electricity generation to match hourly electricity demand on local/regional electricity grids where their consumption occurs.
Market Mechanisms: Suppliers and solutions providers commit to provide offerings that enable increasing access to 24/7 CFE, including by developing contractual arrangements, market products or other innovations that enable the delivery of round-the-clock clean electricity.
Policy: Signatories commit to publicly advocate and support energy policies that accelerate the decarbonization of electricity grids. This can include policies that: help develop, commercialize and deploy CFE generation and demand optimization technologies; expand and interconnect electricity grids to integrate CFE; expand and enhance electricity markets; and provide direct access to purchases of CFE, among others.
Technology: Signatories commit to supporting the advancement of CFE technology to decarbonize electricity grids, including by any one or a combination of the following actions: enabling the deployment of commercialized CFE generation and demand optimization technologies; enabling the commercialization of next-generation CFE generation and demand optimization technologies; developing or enabling supporting electricity grid infrastructure or technology that integrates carbon-free energy; and developing or adopting software solutions that advance decarbonization of the electricity sector.
Data and Transparency: Signatories commit to advocate and support widespread access to the energy data required to enable all consumers to set and measure 24/7 CFE goals, support the optimization of CFE technologies to demand and maximize the decarbonization impact of consumer actions.
