Focus
Biden pledges to slash greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030
CNBC – April 22
On Earth Day, President Joe Biden pledged to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, in the latest push by the administration to aggressively combat climate change. The target more than doubles the country’s prior commitment under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, when the Obama administration set out to cut emissions 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025. The president’s announcement was made at the closely watched global leaders’ climate summit, during which he hopes to urge global cooperation to address the climate crisis.
News
California lawmakers warm up to offshore wind
Courthouse News Service – April 21
California lawmakers on Wednesday advanced legislation requiring regulators to clear the way for a rush of floating wind farms over the next two decades. The bill’s author, Assemblyman David Chiu, pitched offshore wind to the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee as a way to fight global warming and create high paying green jobs. If signed into law, Assembly Bill 525 would require regulators to develop a roadmap by 2023 detailing ways the state can prop new offshore wind projects on the Pacific Ocean. To set the plan in motion, AB 525 also directs state agencies to begin securing necessary federal permits and planning for port upgrades.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta introduces MICROGRID Act
Solar Industry Magazine – April 16
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., has introduced the Making Imperiled Communities Resistant to Outages with Generation that is Resilient, Islandable, and Distributed (MICROGRID) Act. The legislation incentivizes the expansion and deployment of microgrids that provide backup power – independent from the larger energy grid – during emergencies. The bill creates a 30% tax credit for a qualifying microgrid property through 2025, phasing down to 10% by 2028 and sunsetting in 2029 to incentivize the expansion and deployment of microgrids at the local level.
Treasury creates hub to fight climate change through finance
The Hill – April 19
The Treasury Department on Monday announced its plans to fight climate change through fiscal policy and create a new office to chart an economically beneficial path away from fossil fuel energy. The creation of the Climate Hub is the first major step in the Treasury Department’s long-anticipated push to use its immense power to drive investments toward projects that will fight climate change, reduce carbon emissions, and prepare the economy for climate-related risks.
Facebook meets 100% renewable energy goal with over 6 GW of wind, solar, 720 MW of storage
Utility Dive – April 15
Facebook said Thursday it had procured enough new renewable projects to meet 100% of energy needs for its global operations through clean resources, as of last year. The company has contracts in place for more than 6.1 GW of wind and solar across 18 states and five countries, within the same electric grids that power its data centers and operations. Corporate interest in procuring renewables and storage is expected to continue expanding as more companies work toward their sustainability goals.
Projects
San Luis Obispo’s largest solar project goes live
KSBY – April 20
The County of San Luis Obispo has completed a 1.2-MW ground-mounted solar energy project at its County Operations Center facility. The system is expected to offset 10% of the county’s total energy usage with renewable energy. Developed by ForeFront Power, the county’s largest solar project includes a total of 3,294 solar modules ground-mounted on 6 acres of land behind the County Honor Farm. The County expects that, over the next 20 years, the project will offset nearly 74 million pounds of carbon dioxide, and yield an estimated $6 million in net savings, which will reduce the County's operating expenses and contribute to renewable energy procurement goals.
Amazon invests in up to 1.4 GW of new wind and solar globally
Renewables Now – April 20
Amazon on Monday unveiled a series of contracts for buying renewable electricity from nine wind and solar projects with a combined capacity of roughly 1.4 GW, to be built in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. The list of projects includes a 350-NW offshore wind farm in Scotland, and a 100-MW solar farm with 70 MW of battery storage capacity in California’s Imperial Valley. Amazon will also be procuring more than 400 MW of solar power from projects in Ohio plus 118 MW from a wind park in Oklahoma.
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