By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
Washington D.C. is a city full of symbols. Monuments to leaders of the past abound, and as the seat of our national government it carries great symbolic power for the rest of the country.
Which is why the fact that it’s considering a resolution to move to a 100% renewable energy future as soon as 2032 could provide tangible gravity to the cause and encourage other cities to follow its lead, according to various local and national reports.
Tony Clifford, chief development officer for Standard Solar, a D.C.-area national solar company, is thrilled that Washington D.C. is continuing its commitment to clean energy. After all, the company has installed more solar in the District than anyone else and helped the city earn the world’s first LEED Platinum certification for a municipality.
“For us, it’s more than just another city going to 100% clean energy – it’s personal for us,” Clifford said. “Standard Solar has a number of employees who reside in the District of Columbia, and we have always taken great pride in helping the city be a clean-energy leader.
“As longtime participants in the DC solar market, I can only applaud the DC City Council and Mayor Bowser for their continued renewable energy leadership,” he added “Setting and attaining a goal of 100% renewables by 2032 will keep DC in the forefront of clean energy cities around the world.”
That D.C. would join an ever-growing list of cities to pledge a move to 100% clean energy is an enormous symbolic victory for the cause, given its special place in the hearts of many Americans. But as Utility Dive correctly points out, the decision is becoming more common, even at a statewide level. As they wrote:
Among aggressive carbon reduction goals, a 100% RPS may soon become common. While Hawaii was first to declare a 100% renewables goal, several states have considered it, including California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania.
The importance of having a nation’s capital be 100% clean energy can’t be underestimated, so we join Clifford in his congratulations to the council and Mayor for their leadership on this issue. Now it’s time to get the resolution passed and move forward with putting in into practice.