State energy plans and the planning process overall help to guide and build consensus among stakeholders in moving toward a shared goal of meeting future energy needs in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.  A well-constructed state energy plan provides an assessment of current and future energy supply and demand, examines existing energy policies, and identifies emerging energy challenges and opportunities.

In 2018, NASEO released "NASEO's State Energy Planning Guideline: Guidance for States in Developing Comprehensive Energy Plans and Policy Recommendations." The Guidelines build upon an earlier version of the report, as well as research from 2011 that established a baseline of energy planning processes, plan elements, and market implications. The Guidelines provide updated information and best practices to State Energy Directors as they develop data-driven, stakeholder-supported comprehensive state energy plans and policy recommendations on behalf of their Governors and Legislatures.

NASEO plans to update this database as any additional material becomes available. For further information, please contact Sam Cramer (scramer@naseo.org).

Comprehensive Energy Planning 101 Training Series

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and National Governors Association (NGA) hosted a virtual training series focused on best practices for comprehensive state energy planning. 

Comprehensive state energy plans guide public – and in some cases private – policy and investment decisions, which may take the form of Executive Orders, legislation, guidance and rulemakings, and investment incentives. Thoughtful comprehensive energy planning can ensure strategic investment in new infrastructure, and well-designed energy programs created to meet the plan’s goals can help deliver economic, environmental, and health benefits throughout a state. While the plans themselves are not intended to produce these benefits, comprehensive state energy plans provide structures that are accepted by a broad stakeholder community, offer quantifiable and achievable goals, assign responsibility to specific public and private entities, and link financing mechanisms to each goal to translate the plan into practical implementation.

The purpose of this webinar series is to educate State Energy Officials and Governors’ Advisors on various aspects of the comprehensive state energy planning process through peer-to-peer engagement with other State Energy Officials and Governors’ Advisors who have recently completed state energy planning processes. The format of these videos is designed to enable State Energy Directors and Governors’ Advisors to share best practices and their strategies for overcoming challenges during the comprehensive energy process, and to provide advice to Directors and Advisors who have yet to create or update their comprehensive energy plans. Each video will focus on a specific aspect of the comprehensive energy planning process and feature three State Energy Directors and Governors’ Advisors who will engage in a structured conversation around the specific topic for the video.