Clean Energy Expansion: Recommendations for Georgia Power

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Jordan Burt, PhD, and Elisabeth Seliga

May 2025

Senior Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Researcher Jordan Burt, PhD, and Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga prepared a report that reviews the Georgia clean energy policy landscape, assesses Georgia Power’s existing fossil fuel-fired power plants and reviews Georgia Power clean energy program offerings. AEC identifies several sites of Georgia Power-owned retired and operating fossil-fuel energy infrastructure and recommends that Georgia Power consider replacing these sites with clean energy sources such as a solar plus storage facility. In addition, AEC recommends the Company re-assess retirement plans for fossil fuel plants with higher environmental costs that are expected to operate past 2025. Lastly, AEC provides recommendations to expand Georgia Power’s clean energy program offerings and increase customer participation in its existing programs.

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Identifying Priority Areas for Clean Energy Expansion and Emissions Reduction Opportunities

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

April 2025

Senior Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, and Principal Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD, prepared a white paper that provides energy, economic, environmental, and equity criteria that can be used by states, regional organizations, or other entities to identify priority areas for clean energy expansion and emissions reduction efforts within a particular jurisdiction. In addition to providing a pathway for identifying efficient and equitable locations for clean energy expansion efforts, these criteria may be helpful for prioritizing efforts to secure funding to support clean energy projects.

Link to White Paper

Link to Workbook Template

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A Community Assessment of Health Impacts from the Pittsfield Generating Facility on Local Communities

Client: Massachusetts Clean Peak Coalition

Authors: Jordan Burt, Elisabeth Seliga, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Lila McNamee, and Liz Stanton, PhD

February 2025

On behalf of the Massachusetts Clean Peak Coalition Researcher Jordan Burt, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Research Assistant Lila McNamee, and Principal Economist Liz Stanton, PhD, prepared a report that summarizes the negative health impacts of fossil fuel-fired emissions on communities living near the Pittsfield Generating Facility. The report identifies three key takeaways:

1. As long as the Pittsfield Generating Facility is in operation, it has the potential to produce much higher greenhouse gas emissions and co-pollutants in any given year.

2. EJ and other vulnerable communities live in close proximity to the Pittsfield Generating Facility, increasing vulnerability to adverse health outcomes.

3. Replacing the fossil fuel-fired plant with clean energy resources can reduce emissions in the area.

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Tackling Extreme Heat: Recommendations for Strengthening Massachusetts Policy

Client: A Better City

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Jordan Burt, Lila McNamee, and Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

December 2024

On behalf of A Better City, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Researcher Jordan Burt, Research Assistant Lila McNamee, and Principal Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a policy brief and accompanying background report that (1) provides a discussion of extreme heat in Massachusetts and the disproportionate impact on low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, (2) reviews policies to address extreme heat in the Commonwealth and across the United States, and (3) develops six recommendations for Massachusetts policymakers to address both short-term extreme heat emergency preparedness and long-term heat resiliency in the Commonwealth, supporting cooler neighborhoods, cooler buildings and homes, and cooler commutes.

Link to Policy Brief

Link to Background Report

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Insights from Fossil Fuel Replacement Case Studies

Client: Berkshire Environmental Action Team

Authors: Jordan Burt, Elisabeth Seliga, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Lila McNamee, and Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

December 2024

On behalf of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Researcher Jordan Burt, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Research Assistant Lila McNamee, and Principal Economist Liz Stanton, PhD, prepared a report that reviews case studies of fossil-fuel plant conversions to clean energy resources across the country and discusses the replacement of existing peaker plants in Massachusetts to achieve statewide climate goals. The report identifies three key takeaways for the Commonwealth:

1.     Fossil-fuel sites can be desirable locations for clean energy siting

2.     Reducing reliance on fossil-fuel generation can help lessen the burden of environmental and health impacts on already overburdened communities

3.     Fossil-fuel plant conversions are a tool that can be used to achieve state and local greenhouse gas emission limits.

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Energy Storage Equity: An Assessment of Three Massachusetts Programs

Client: Clean Energy Group

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Bryndis Woods, PhD, and Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

September 2024

On behalf of the Clean Energy Group (CEG), Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Principal Analyst Bryndis Woods, PhD and Principal Economist Liz Stanton, PhD assessed equity provisions in three Massachusetts energy storage-incentivizing programs: the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, the Clean Peak Standard, and ConnectedSolutions. AEC finds that three energy programs assessed lack mandates, targets and reporting requirements to support the Commonwealth’s commitment to equitable access to clean and efficient energy. AEC makes eight recommendations to better align Massachusetts’ energy storage programs with its equity commitments, as well as to draw on lessons learned and best practices from similar programs in other states.

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Illinois Adult Use Cannabis Industry Disparity Study

Client: Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office

Authors: Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD, Bryndis Woods, PhD, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Jordan Burt, Deja Garraway, Nayantara Biswas, and Alannah Shute

July 2024

On behalf of the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office, AEC assisted the Nerevu Group, LLC in preparing a disparity study to evaluate and assess existing discrimination within the State of Illinois cannabis industry. In particular, AEC staff reviewed public and private data sources to provide utilization, availability, and disparity analyses for the Illinois economy and the Illinois cannabis industry. AEC finds evidence of significant disparities in Illinois business ownership and wages across race/ethnicity and gender. Specifically, AEC finds that, compared to White men, racial and/or ethnic minorities and women are less likely to be business owners and have less access to capital through either hourly wages or bank loans.

To cultivate a more inclusive and equitable industry, Nerevu Group, LLC recommends broadening availability of financing for cannabis businesses, improved data management, consolidating of the Illinois regulatory structure, additional disparity studies, and more industry-state collaboration along with a set of administrative recommendations.

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Home Heating in Massachusetts: What Influences Future Costs?

Client: Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET)

Author: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Joshua R. Castigliego, Sumera Patel, and Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

March 2024

On behalf of the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), Researchers Tanya Stasio and Joshua R. Castigliego, Assistant Researcher Sumera Patel, and Senior Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton prepared a white paper that estimates the average home heating costs faced by Massachusetts households using different heating technologies.

This March 2024 AEC white paper updates the home heating cost analysis conducted in AEC’s January 2021 white paper; both analyses present operating costs only, excluding the costs of purchasing or maintaining heating equipment. Updated analysis, based on the most recent data and cost projections, finds that heating with networked geothermal and ground-source heat pumps is less expensive than heating with gas-fired furnaces today and can be expected to remain so through 2050. Our findings regarding air-source heat pumps, however, point to more questions than answers: Changes in gas and electric prices over the past few years reversed our earlier findings, suggesting that notoriously uncertain forecasts of future fuel prices are of paramount importance in understanding the likely impacts of ASHP adoption on household finances.

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Distributed Energy Storage: The Missing Piece in North Carolina's Decarbonization Efforts

Client: Clean Energy Group (CEG)

Author: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Deja Garraway, Bryndis Woods, PhD, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

December 2023

On behalf of the Clean Energy Group (CEG), Researcher Tanya Stasio, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, Researcher Deja Torrence, Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, and Senior Economist Elizabeth A. Stanton prepared a report that identifies distributed energy storage as the missing piece in North Carolina's decarbonization efforts. Distributed energy storage can provide load management to help meet peak electric demand and reduce the need for costly and polluting fossil fuel peaker plants. When paired with solar PV, distributed energy storage batteries can provide clean backup power to improve energy resilience while reducing home energy bills.

To support North Carolina’s decarbonization efforts and equity goals, this report makes three key policy recommendations for increasing incentives and lowering barriers to distributed energy storage deployment:

1. Approve and expand utility deployment of equitable distributed solar and distributed energy storage pilot programs.

2. Create statewide financial incentives for residential and community-based distributed solar and behind-the-meter battery installations.

3. Establish equity, climate, and energy performance-based metrics and targets for electric utilities.

Link to the Report

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Massachusetts MLPs Exemption from RPS: Impacts on Clean Energy

Client: Prepared on behalf of Massachusetts Climate Action Network

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Liz Stanton, PhD

April 2023

On behalf of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Researcher Dr. Tanya Stasio, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga, and Senior Economist Dr. Liz Stanton prepared a presentation on the Massachusetts Municipal Light Plant (MLP) exemption from the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and the impact on clean energy in the Commonwealth. AEC finds that the MLP Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard, and the RPS exemption, allow MLPs to remain at today's level of Class I renewable energy sources, resulting in substantially less clean energy in the Commonwealth than if MLPs were required to comply with the RPS.

This work was presented at the April 19th, 2023 MCAN Legislative Launch titled, "Advancing Clean Energy, Equity, and Innovation in Municipal Utilities." For more information, or to watch the recording of the event, visit the MCAN website here.

Link to Presentation

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Electric Justice: A Toolkit for the Mid-Atlantic Region

Prepared on behalf of PJM Cities and Communities Coalition

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Sachin Peddada, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

Energy decisions affect everyone, but local communities and businesses often lack the time and resources needed to engage in grid operator decision-making. On behalf of the PJM Cities and Communities Coalition, AEC Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researchers Elisabeth Seliga and Sachin Peddada, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD developed a report to assist coalition members and other consumer groups in advocating for greater equity in PJM Interconnection decision-making. This resource was developed with the invaluable input of representatives of organizations that sponsored the Fix the Grid campaign in New England, which is focused on rejecting fossil fuels and calling for a just and democratic energy grid.

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Cumulative Impact Assessment of the North Brooklyn Pipeline Project

Prepared on behalf of Sane Energy and Alliance for a Green Economy

Author: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Jordan Burt, Elisabeth Seliga, Sachin Peddada, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

The National Grid Phase 5 expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and the Vaporizer 13/14 project at the Greenpoint Energy Center create a multi-pronged set of threats to the North Brooklyn communities.

AEC Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Research Assistant Jordan Burt, Assistant Researchers Elisabeth Seliga and Sachin Peddada, and Senior Economist, Liz Stanton, PhD  have prepared a cumulative impact assessment on behalf of Sane Energy and Alliance for a Green Economy to highlight the existing and overlapping socioeconomic, environmental, and health-related burdens facing the communities living near the pending Phase 5 pipeline construction and vaporizer additions at the Greenpoint Energy Center. AEC finds that the Bushwick, Bedford, and Williamsburg neighborhoods would be impacted the most from these fossil fuel expansion projects and include densely populated communities with majority BIPOC and low-income residents.

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Boston Tree Equity Analysis

Client: GreenRoots and Speak for the Trees

Authors: Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

Boston’s trees provide shade, cooling, and flood protection, and are an important tool for mitigating climate change impacts—like increased precipitation, sea level rise, and higher temperatures. The distribution of trees across and within Boston neighborhoods determines which communities benefit from these protections and which are left bearing the brunt of climate change impacts.

On behalf of GreenRoots and Speak for the Trees, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researcher Elisabeth Seliga and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD examined the distribution of tree coverage, pollution, high temperatures, and socioeconomic disparities in the City of Boston in order to identify communities where tree planting efforts could offer the most equitable results.

AEC recommends that equitable tree planting efforts be concentrated in neighborhoods where there is both the greatest opportunity for planting trees in an otherwise tree scarce area and a high concentration of socially vulnerable populations: South Boston, East Boston, Dorchester, and Roxbury.

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Bringing Equity into Energy Reliability Decisions

Client: Environmental Defense Fund

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD, Sachin Peddada, Sagal Alisalad, Jordan Burt, Elisabeth Seliga, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Eliandro Tavares, Grace Wu, Elizabeth A. Stanton, PhD

AEC staff prepared a report on behalf of the Environmental Defense Fund that analyzes the connection between issues of energy system reliability and equity. This data-driven report utilizes case studies of advocates’ for more equitable energy systems real-world experiences to assess how decision-makers should account for equity when making decisions regarding system reliability. The report concludes with recommendations for future decision-making in energy system reliability, including strengthening consumer and community representation. A common theme across the real-world experiences of the advocates discussed in this report is the ways in which community engagement efforts in energy system decision-making often fall short of creating real change in energy sector decisions, and environmental justice and other under-resourced and underserved communities are often left out and left behind in decisions that directly disproportionately harm the health and wealth of their communities.

Link to Full Report

Link to Press Release

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Overburdened Communities and Power Plants in New Jersey

Authors: Sagal Alisalad, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Elisabeth Seliga, and Sachin Peddada, and Jordan Burt

Assistant Researcher Sagal Alisalad, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, Assistant Researchers Elisabeth Seliga, and Sachin Peddada, and Research Assistant Jordan Burt prepared a policy brief on how New Jersey power plants disproportionately affect overburdened communities.

New Jersey environmental justice law defines overburdened communities as census blocks where at least a third of the household is low income, 40 percent of residents identify as racial-ethnic minorities, or 40 percent have low English proficiency. These communities are disproportionately affected by the pollutants emitted by power plants. AEC researchers explain that environmental justice initiatives will require full understanding of the impacts on vulnerable communities.

Link to Policy Brief

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Entergy Louisiana IRP Comments

Author: Tyler Comings

July 2022

AEC Senior Researcher Tyler Comings co-authored comments (along with Sierra Club) on Entergy Louisiana's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The comments ask Entergy to include more reasonable costs for renewable and storage resources, to model more early retirement options for its coal units, and fully capture the costs of using hydrogen fuel.

Link to Comments

Link to Comments on Draft IRP

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Barriers and Opportunities for Green Jobs in New Jersey

Authors: Bryndis Woods, PhD, Joshua R. Castigliego, Elisabeth Seliga, Sachin Peddada, Tanya Stasio, PhD, Liz Stanton, PhD

June 2022

Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, PhD, Researcher Joshua Castigliego, Assistant Researchers Elisabeth Seliga and Sachin Peddada, Researcher Tanya Stasio, PhD, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD prepared a report that assesses New Jersey’s current clean energy workforce, identifies barriers to green jobs that impede access to—and equitable representation within—the clean energy sector, and provides recommendations regarding how the State of New Jersey can shape policy and regulations to enhance the equity, diversity and inclusion of its clean energy jobs. AEC staff find that there are important barriers to green jobs that reinforce existing inequities in New Jersey’s clean energy workforce, including: educational/experience barriers, logistical barriers, equitable access barriers, and institutional barriers. Achieving a future of clean energy jobs in New Jersey that is diverse, equitable and inclusive will require overcoming barriers to green jobs with intentional efforts targeted at marginalized and underrepresented groups, such as racial/ethnic minorities, women, low-income households, and people with limited English proficiency.

In a companion publication to this report—Economic Impacts of a Clean Energy Transition in New Jersey—AEC assesses the job and other economic impacts associated with achieving a clean energy transition in New Jersey over the next few decades. 

Link to Report

Link to Presentation

Link to Press Release

Media Coverage - NJBiz - June 9, 2022

Media Coverage - NJ Spotlight News - June 8, 2022

Media Coverage - Asbury Park Press - June 8, 2022

Media Coverage - NJ101.5 - June 7, 2022

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Risk Assessment of Florida Power and Light and NextEra Energy Clean Energy Transition Plans

Client: Environmental Defense Fund

Authors: Tanya Stasio, Joshua Castigliego, Chirag Lala, and Liz Stanton, PhD

May 2022

On behalf of the Environmental Defense Fund, Researchers Tanya Stasio, Joshua Castigliego, Chirag Lala, and Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD make recommendations for Florida Power and Light (FPL) to assist the utility in embracing the clean energy transition and reduce risks to ratepayers and its parent company, NextEra Energy's, shareholders.

Utilities across the United States are pursuing net-zero emissions targets while NextEra, the only large utility parent company that lacks an absolute carbon reduction goal, aims to reduce carbon intensity by 67 percent of 2005 levels by 2025. Moreover, FPL’s plans for the future are not aligned with NextEra’s emission rate reduction target. Based on AEC's assessment of FPL/NextEra’s transition plans and a review of electric utility climate plans, AEC offers seven recommendations for a new transition plan:

1. Coordinate NextEra and FPL transition plans

2. Establish short-, medium-, and long-term emission reduction targets, including a net zero target

3. Ramp up demand-side management efforts

4. Invest in energy storage technologies

5. Modernize the electric grid and increase renewable energy capacity

6. Consider multiple scenarios in future planning and reduce planning time horizon

7. Increase stakeholder and community engagement and continue to align plan with TCFD recommendations

Link to Report (updated May 16, 2022)

Link to Executive Summary

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Decarbonizing Building Heat in Massachusetts

Client: HEET

Authors: Tanya Stasio, Joshua Castigliego, Sagal Alisalad, and Liz Stanton, PhD.

March 2022

On behalf of the HEET, Researchers Tanya Stasio and Joshua Castigliego, Assistant Researcher Sagal Alisalad, and Director and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD explored the feasibility of injecting green hydrogen and/or upgraded biogas (also known as “renewable” natural gas) into Massachusetts’ existing gas supply as a building decarbonization strategy. AEC compared these alternatives to gas heating and modern electric heat pumps in terms of price, feasibility, supply, and safety, and found that upgraded biogas and green hydrogen are infeasible, expensive, and unsafe strategies for decarbonization of building heating. Moreover, a green hydrogen/fossil gas blend is not feasible before 2040; For a green hydrogen/fossil gas blend to be a viable heating fuel, gas utilities would need to replace all of Massachusetts’ leaky-prone pipes.

AEC also estimated annual home heating costs for an average Massachusetts home using different heating options and found that by the mid-2030’s heating with air-source heat pumps, ground-source heat pumps, and/or networked geothermal systems will be more affordable than heating with fossil gas.

Link to White Paper

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Equity Assessment of Electrification Incentives in the District of Columbia

Client: The Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia

Authors: Tanya Stasio, Bryndis Woods, PhD. Joshua R. Castigliego, Liz Stanton, PhD

December 2021

On behalf of the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia, Researcher Tanya Stasio, Senior Researcher Bryndis Woods, PhD, Researcher Joshua Castigliego, and Senior Economist Liz Stanton, PhD examine a potential pathway for reducing emissions in the District of Columbia: equitable electrification–a transition away from fossil fuels while taking into consideration equity implications, in both existing and future decarbonization efforts.

A baseline equity analysis of the distribution of energy expenditures, median income and other vulnerability indicators reveals significant disparities across the District. To account for the existing disparities of income and access within the District and ensure beneficial electrification efforts are equitable, AEC identified the following priorities: (1)  Ensuring that community engagement influences DC Public Service Commission and District Government decision-making regarding beneficial electrification programs; (2) Prioritizing beneficial electrification investments in neighborhoods impacted by environmental injustice and addressing common decarbonization barriers, and; (3) Ensuring that beneficial electrification programs do not increase the energy burden for EJ and other vulnerable communities.

Link to Report

Media Coverage

Media Coverage

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