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Evanston Becomes First City In Illinois To Commit To 100% Clean Energy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Illinois is one of the hottest solar markets in the country, thanks in part to the Future Energy Act of 2016. Solar companies are flooding into the state, and many cities are clamoring to be part of the Solar Revolution in the state.

And now at least one city has decided to take its devotion to clean energy that extra step by pledging to become the 102nd city in the United States – and the first in Illinois – to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources.

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Yesterday, the Evanston City Council unanimously approved its new Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP), which includes a commitment to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity supply community-wide by 2030, along with other bold climate goals.

“We thank Mayor Hagerty and the Evanston City Council for taking bold steps to address climate change and prioritize an equitable, just transition to 100 percent renewable clean electricity,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter. “As a fellow Evanstonian, I look forward to the Sierra Club’s continued work with the City as it implements the Climate Action and Resilience Plan and ensures that the transition to 100 percent clean, renewable electricity by 2030 benefits everyone in our city.”

The Plan calls for 100 percent renewable electricity for municipal operations by 2020, 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050, in addition to other ambitious goals to address climate change. The plan was developed by a 17-member working group appointed by Mayor Stephen Hagerty, who is also signed on to the Mayors for 100 Percent Clean Energy initiative. CARP identifies critical actions that need to be taken in order for Evanston to play its part in avoiding cataclysmic climate change as well as key strategies to ensure that Evanson is prepared to deal with those climate hazards.

“From our residents, to our businesses, to our schools and hospitals, Evanston is united i its efforts to mitigate the far-reaching effects of climate change through bold and immediate action,” said Evanston Mayor Stephen Hagerty. “While Evanston will likely undergo many changes on the way to 2050, this plan ensures that our longstanding commitment to climate action will remain.”

Evanston’s plan for moving to 100 percent clean, renewable electricity can serve as an example to other communities in the Prairie State looking to set their own renewable energy goals. A transition to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 means cleaner air, energy bill savings, local solar development and job creation, and a healthier community for all Evanstonians.

“I’m proud to live in a community that is willing to confront climate change head on. Citizens’ Greener Evanston looks forward to working with all community stakeholders to make the vision of a zero carbon, zero waste Evanston a reality. We’re particularly proud of the fact that the plan directly addresses equity issues so that the effects of climate disruption won’t be borne disproportionately by those of our neighbors who are least equipped to adapt,” said Jonathan Nieuwsma, President of Citizens’ Greener Evanston.

California Assembly Considers SB 100, Should Pass It Posthaste

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

California’s Assembly has a huge opportunity before it right now, and they should seize it posthaste.

Before them is a bill to move the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 100% by 2045. It would match the most aggressive RPS in the nation (Hawaii) and put the world’s fifth (or sixth, depending on who you believe) largest economy on a path to 100% renewable energy. And it would be a huge step forward for the United States because, as everyone knows, solar and renewable energy trends start in California and then make their way to other states in the country shortly thereafter.

Have I mentioned the California Assembly should pass this bill immediately if not sooner?

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Bill McKibbon, founder of 350.org, wrote on the subject in The New York Times and said this:

If any place on earth can handle this transition, it’s California, home to some of the planet’s strongest sunshine and many of its finest clean-tech entrepreneurs.

McKibbon speaks the truth. The state has long been home to the most burgeoning solar industry in the country. And despite new challengers emerging each year, California remains atop the Solar Energy Industries Association’s list of Top Solar States year after year after year.

Its grid had already absorbed more solar and wind energy (though it is mostly solar in California, let’s be honest) than any other grid in the United States, and they are well on their way to transitioning from net metering to whatever the next compensation plan for solar users is. And the results have been staggeringly positive.

It’s the perfect laboratory to show what happens when utilities stop fighting the Solar Revolution and embrace it instead, and they’ve shown the path toward rooftop solar coexisting with utility-scale solar and beyond. Why not take the opportunity to give it one last push over the finish line?

The vote could come as soon as this month, and if it passes it could be historic. Let’s make sure the California assembly knows we’re behind them. Let’s make sure they pass this law – and make solar history.

Washington D.C. Could Move To 100% Clean Energy By 2032

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.

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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.

CleanChoice Wants To Accelerate Trend Of Businesses Seeking 100% Clean Energy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As more businesses decide to pursue 100% clean energy goals, they often need people to help them get there. CleanChoice Energy has launched a new service in several states designed to do just that.

The announcement comes on the heels of solar’s own national association, the Solar Energy Industries Association, signing an agreement with WGL Energy Services to offset its employees’ travel with 373 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) from two solar projects in Virginia and Maryland, respectively. The move is an effort for the association to practice what it preaches to become carbon neutral.

It didn’t get the positive press it deserved for its decision, and it deserved it. SEIA’s move showed that businesses of all sizes and types can move to 100% clean energy given the proper driving spirit – and it shows the way for other associations in the space to do the same. Leadership like this is what will accelerate business decisions to go solar.

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The CleanChoice Energy program is designed to accelerate the clear trend the solar industry is seeing as businesses transition from a fossil-fuel to a clean-energy future. Each year, big corporations like Wal-Mart, Target and others vie for the honor of being the company to have the largest installed solar capacity in the country as highlighted in SEIA’s Solar Means Business Report.

While those large companies have their own teams dedicated to making the transition, smaller companies need guidance, which is the niche CleanChoice Energy is trying to fill.

The new CleanChoice program will initially be available to partners serving Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C., who want to bring their businesses and nonprofits into the 100% clean energy revolution.

“Commercial businesses and large nonprofits are eager to choose 100% renewable energy, and we’re excited to be able to work with brokers to help them make the switch,” said Tom Matzzie, Founder and CEO of CleanChoice Energy. “With CleanChoice Energy’s 100% renewable energy products, businesses and large nonprofits can purchase 100% solar and wind from the region in which they operate.”

According to their release, CleanChoice Energy’s Broker Program offers a dedicated team to provide personalized service to our partners which includes both custom and matrix pricing options, as well as exceptional account management services. The company maintains a Net Promoter Score that far exceeds industry standards. The new program will also provide brokers and consultants access to innovative energy products such as CleanChoice Energy Community Solar.

Additional CleanChoice Energy Broker Program benefits include:
● Quarterly review of account portfolios;
● Post service account management including environmental impact statements;
● Customer promotional materials to share their renewable power purchase;
● Flexible commission plans with timely and accurate reporting.