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COP21

Community Energy Programs Presented At Paris Climate Change Conference

by Jake Richardson January 5, 2016

At the Paris climate change talks, one presentation by a group of American officials raised awareness about the benefits of community energy programs. The group’s members were:

Shawn Marshall, Lean Energy US
Cliff Rechtschaffen, Office of California Governor Jerry Brown
Dawn Weisz, CEO, Marin Clean Energy (MCE)
Tom Butt, Mayor, City of Richmond, California.

One of the benefits of such programs is helping to meet climate change carbon reduction goals by focusing on the development of renewable energy projects to replace fossil fuels. The mayor of Richmond, California, explained that once they were fully enrolled, the city’s ratepayers saved $1 million dollars. He also talked about the development of a solar power plant.

300 people will be employed during the construction, which will help them for the duration of the project, but they will also learn skills that can help them continue working in the solar power field. The larger goal is to move towards a decarbonized economy, within the context of a long-term sustainability goal.

Marin Clean Energy has achieved an impressive level of renewable electricity — 56%, while the local utility is less than 30%. The clean energy group was created in 2010, so it only took five years to reach that mark. It also has over 170,000 customers, so clearly there is interest within the service area.

Offering an alternative to electricity provided by utilities can spur market competition, something which has not existed very much historically in the sector.

As was noted on the Institute For Local Self-Reliance’s website, “For example, by 2022, on-site solar power could provide less costly electricity than the electric utility for at least 10% of residential and commercial customers in nearly every state. In that timeframe, electric vehicles and other energy storage options combined with powerful ‘apps’ will give utility customers unprecedented control over their energy use.”

Of course, it’s no surprise that energy programs developed by communities can be effective — they are customized for an area and a population to address its specific needs.

Image Credit: Valerii, Kachenko

January 5, 2016 0 comment

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300 State & Local Lawmakers Support 50% Clean Energy By 2030

by Jake Richardson December 18, 2015

written by Jake Richardson

Lawmakers and politicians generally are not considered the most prominent clean energy advocates, but something seems to be changing — why else would 300 of them get behind it? Their interest has come to a central focus point due to the Paris climate change talks that just took place, and they all signed a letter to President Obama expressing their support for clean energy.

Mayor Jeri Muoio of West Palm Beach, FL, Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines, IA, and additional state and local leaders are members of a coalition with hundreds of lawmakers supporting the goal of 50% clean energy by 2030. California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León also is part of the group. “By promoting the development of clean energy resources, we are simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and creating jobs that can lift families out of poverty. With SB 350 now enacted into law, we’re on track to reach 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 and we’re not looking back. If Congress won’t act, it’s incumbent on state and local leaders to do the job for them.”

Cownie has supported climate change awareness to make cities more able to withstand extreme weather. “Local governments have always been the leaders on climate action, but we need more support from the federal government. We need better local-federal coordination on disaster preparedness, and we need them to address our aging and inadequate infrastructure, which has been under-funded for far too long. I am proud to be a part of the Resilient Communities for America campaign to help raise awareness and visibility on these issues,” he explained.

He made that statement over 2 years ago, and was included in a list of US mayors that were trying to address climate change in their cities.

West Palm Beach’s mayor Jeri Muoio was supporting solar energy 4 years ago, so her involvement is not a spur-of-the-moment reaction either. “The most obvious benefactor is our environment. But the jobs created as the components are manufactured and installed will also boost the local economy. And those who go green will realize a great reduction in energy costs over time. It’s really a win-win for West Palm Beach and the county as a whole,” said Muoio.

One particularly encouraging thing about this recent conference is that people who were in the position to make policy decisions seemed to be listening to the climate change scientists (for the most part).

Of course, solar power has never been more affordable, so investing in more it should be easier than it has ever been. Energy storage is becoming more available, and appears to be doing so faster than solar power became viable.

Image Credit: Valerie Tchachnko, Wiki Commons

December 18, 2015 0 comment

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What’s Next For US Renewable Energy Subsidies?

by Steve Hanley August 31, 2015

written by Steve Hanley

US renewable energy subsidies are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2016. What will replace them? The answer may well depend on the next general election results in November of next year. Politicians are already honing their campaign rhetoric and many conservatives are openly hostile to subsidies for renewable energy technology.

Policies & Politics

There is no doubt that government policies have an enormous effect on the renewable energy industry. Federal tax credits have been the primary engine for change when it comes to the huge increase in available wind power assets that have come online in the past decade. The rooftop solar industry as it is today would not exist without federal incentives. Unseen behind the ramp-up of renewable energy sources is the billions in research that has been funded by the federal government. Nothing could possible slow down this juggernaut, could it?

Actually, yes. A shift in the political winds could bring it all to a halt virtually overnight. Take away all those incentives and the impetus to build massive new renewable energy resources will primarily evaporate like morning mists. That’s exactly what is happening in major countries around the world.

Australia & Britain Pull Back On Solar

In Australia, the Abbott government has issued instructions to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) prohibiting it from investing in wind farms or small-scale solar projects. Opposition leaders and solar energy supporters say the government directive will cripple the rooftop solar industry and diminish Australia’s chances of transitioning to a clean energy economy.

“I don’t agree with the prime minister that if you just don’t have any government support for the future of renewable energy, that the renewable energy will just miraculously grow and increase in Australia,” opposition leader Bill Shorten told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He said that striking wind farms and rooftop solar from the CEFC will mean that “the only thing the CEFC can invest in is flying saucers.”

In Britain this week, the government followed Australia’s lead by ordering a drastic reduction in subsidies paid for offshore wind farms and rooftop solar installations. The feed-in tariff, which now pays British families 12.4 pence per kilowatt-hour for electricity fed back into the grid, will be slashed as of January 1 to just 1.6 pence, an 87% reduction, according to The Guardian.

Journalist Peter Dominiczak, writing in the The Daily Telegraph on 28 August, said, “Britain’s solar boom is over after ministers announced they would offer virtually no subsidies for people to install panels on their homes. In a surprise move, ministers on Thursday said that they plan to slash the amount of money given to families who put solar panels on their homes. Under the new proposals, the amount paid to homeowners under the ‘feed-in tariff’ from next year will fall by nearly 90 per cent. Critics say the scheme, which was heavily pushed by energy firms, enables wealthy families to rake in subsidies paid for by many who are already struggling with their energy bills.”

British Policy Shifts

So, let’s get this straight, shall we? The British government, at the behest of established energy firms, is helping ordinary Brits meet their energy bills by paying them far less for the electricity they generate themselves on their own rooftops? Yeah, that makes sense.

The changes were ordered by the British Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) under pressure from the Cameron government. A report in the Daily Mail in December of 2013 revealed that Cameron had ordered ministers to ditch the “green crap” blamed for driving up energy bills and making business uncompetitive. The Prime Minister, who once pledged to lead the “greenest government ever,” had publicly promised to “roll back” green taxes, which add more than $200 a year to average fuel bills. But a senior Tory source said Mr Cameron’s message in private is far blunter. The source said: “He’s telling everyone, ‘We’ve got to get rid of all this green crap.’ He’s absolutely focused on it.”

August 31, 2015 2 comments

Bank of America is one of 13 major corporations who have pledged to make major investments in clean technologies.

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Corporations, Clinton Take Lead In Renewable Energy Fight

by Steve Hanley July 27, 2015

written by Steve Hanley

10 years ago, presidential candidate John Edwards told voters there were two Americas — one for the wealthy and one for the rest of us. Edwards was right; there are two Americas, but the fault line is between those who take climate change seriously and want to take sensible steps to moderate its effects and those who are willing to sacrifice the lives, health, and welfare of the entire American population just as long as those same wealthy people continue to shovel money into their pockets.

We used to think that business was leading the charge against any climate change action, but it turns out that is incorrect. After all, there will be nobody to sell things to if we are all dead, in nursing homes, or underwater.

American Business Pledge On Climate Change

Today, more than a dozen large US corporations pledged to invest up to $140 billion in low-carbon technology, according to Business Green. The pledge is intended to demonstrate the level of support by corporate America for an effective global climate change treaty at the United Nations’ Paris Summit in December.

According to reports, the group of 13 multinationals — including tech giants Apple and Microsoft — will join Secretary of State John Kerry in signing the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, which publicly commits them to reducing their carbon footprints and accelerating investment in clean technologies.

In addition to the investment pledges, the companies will also agree to install at least 1,600 megawatts of renewable energy capacity, reduce water use by 15%, move towards using only renewable power, and target the delivery of zero net deforestation in their supply chains. Other companies expected to sign the pledge include General Motors, the Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, and Berkshire Hathaway. The White House says more companies are expected to sign the pledge later this year.

Clinton Announces Major Energy Initiative

The news comes at almost the same time as a pronouncement from current presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton outlining a bold new climate change strategy that includes the installation of $500 million worth of solar panels within 4 years of taking office. The plan would increase the electricity capacity the US has from solar energy to 140 gigawatts — 7 times the current level.

The solar goal is part of a plan to add more renewable power to the grid in the next 10 years than during any other decade in US history. The added capacity will primarily come from wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and other renewables. Announcing the goals on her website, Clinton said the US is “on the cusp” of a new era of energy generation. “We can create a more open, efficient and resilient grid that connects us, empowers us – improves our health and benefits us all,” she said.

Conservative politicians are mounting a sustained and well-financed attack on any government regulations that impose stricter limits on carbon dioxide emissions, preferring to believe that climate change is just another liberal trick to enslave Americans and cost business money.

July 27, 2015 3 comments