What Happened?
Cities and states are taking major steps toward the implementation of renewable energy policies that offer environmental, social and economic benefits to local communities.
San Diego
The San Diego Climate Action Plan calls for significant improvements in energy efficiency over the next 20 years. While some of the goals include increased public transit ridership and greater investment in electric vehicles, one initiative focuses on where the city sources its energy from.
The Climate Action Plan aims for 100 percent of San Diego’s energy to be sourced from renewable sources - including solar, wind and hydroelectric power – by 2035.
Currently, San Diego reports only 32 percent of its energy comes from renewable sources. To achieve 100 percent energy sustainability, San Diego will participate in a community choice aggregation alternative energy program that is a nonprofit approach to energy distribution overseen by the local government, KPBS reported.
Residential and business energy customers can opt into the program which involves the local government purchasing the power from the utility provider in bulk on behalf of the customers. This will enable the local government to have more control over where the power comes from, which will enable more renewable sources of energy to be implemented into the city’s power grid, KPBS reported.
New Jersey
Environment New Jersey, a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy group, is pushing state lawmakers to set a goal of generating 20 percent of its electricity from solar energy by 2025. The bipartisan group includes state legislators, mayors and councilmembers all looking to increase the use of solar power throughout New Jersey, NJ.com reported.
To achieve the goal, Environment New Jersey is engaging individuals and organizations at the local level where solar installations could have a significant impact on energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The local strategies include:
- Installing solar panels on municipal buildings
- Adding electric cars to fleets
- Upgrading to eco-friendly school buses
A report from Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center indicated the state could generate six times the electricity its residents consume annually from solar power alone. Achieve just 20 percent solar power would reduce the same carbon pollution as removing 2.6 million cars from the road in one year. Once enough local organizations are on board, the group plans to bring the proposal to the governor for a statewide implementation, NJ.com reported.
Vermont
The Vermont House has approved a bill that aims to double the state’s use of renewable energy while helping customers save on heat and energy bills. The Renewable Energy Standard and Energy Transformation program implements a new requirement for utilities to acquire 55 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2017 and then 75 percent by 2032.
The bill also calls for utility providers to promote distributed generation to homeowners and businesses – encouraging the installation of energy efficient tools such as solar panels on homes, Kansas City Star reported.
Illinois
The Citizens Utility Board and the Environmental Defense Fund have proposed a program that would enable Illinois neighborhoods to invest in solar projects and share in the compensation credits received through energy savings. The program would support neighborhood crowdfunding for the purchase of solar energy and equal distribution of savings generated, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Under the state’s current system, Illinois homeowners receive compensation credits on electric bills for all surplus renewable energy produced from their rooftop solar panels that is recycled back into the power grid. If a residential solar panel system was deployed throughout a neighborhood, an estimated 32 percent in energy consumption could be achieved, The Chicago Tribune reported.
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