Comprehensive Energy Planning 101

The National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) are conducting a series of webinars on various aspects of the comprehensive state energy planning process.

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 provide information for Governors, Governors’ Advisors, and State Energy Officials on various aspects of the comprehensive state energy planning process through peer-to-peer engagement with other Governors’ Advisors and State Energy Officials 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.


Episode 1: Initiating Statewide Planning Processes


Episode 2: Energy Plan Governance and Oversight


Episode 3: Data Collection and Modelling


Episode 4: Robust Stakeholder Engagement


Episode 5: Ensuring Equitable Outcomes


Episode 6: Communicating and Implementing the Comprehensive Energy Plan


NGA Resources