Aim High, Aim Local, and Aim to Please: One Renewable Energy Advocate’s 2017 New Year’s Resolutions

By Andrea Lang Clifford, Policy Analyst

Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

As renewable energy advocates, we should be excited about 2017's potential for advancing the transition to green energy. It is easy to get bogged down in all the discussion of 2016 as “the worst year ever” and to lament the rollbacks of progressive climate policy likely to occur under President Trump and a Republican Congress in the coming years. However, 2016 was replete with good news for renewable energy that advocates can harness moving forward. As I was personally reflecting on 2016 over the holidays, I settled on three New Year’s resolutions that I hope other renewable energy advocates will find both helpful and encouraging.

1.     Aim High: 100% Renewable Energy is a Reasonable and Attainable Goal

The Green Energy Institute’s mission (and mine) is to support a transition to a 100% renewable energy system, a goal which is both reasonable and attainable. Indeed, several countries actually achieved 100% renewable energy in 2016 for periods of time, illustrating that the goal is within reach. Portugal, for example, ran on 100% renewable electricity for four straight days this past summer, and Germany came very close to doing the same for short periods of time. Costa Rica performed even better, as it ran its electric grid on 98% renewable energy for all of 2016 and reached 100% renewable energy for three-quarters of the year.

Of course, these countries have different needs and different resources than the U.S., but their achievements are milestones on the path to 100% renewable energy that illustrate its attainability. While many states in the U.S. have set mandates for renewable energy procurement, Hawaii is so far the only state to set its renewable energy mandate as high as 100%. If we as advocates fail to set our sights high, we will never have the impetus to overcome the remaining barriers to achieve a 100% renewable energy system.

2.     Aim Local: Advance Well-Designed State and Local Climate Policies 

There is tremendous opportunity to drive the energy transition at the local level. While the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan stalled in the courts, many state and local governments made efforts in 2016 to combat greenhouse gas emissions and increase renewable energy deployment. For example, many states passed new legislation to increase renewable portfolio standards, commit to a certain percentage of greenhouse gas emission reductions, or incentivize renewable energy deployment.

At the same time, cities also played an active role in combatting climate change last year. Action at the city level is particularly important because, despite occupying only 2% of the world’s land, cities contribute 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In 2016, San Diego committed in its climate action plan to run on 100% renewable energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2035. Likewise, in the heart of conservative Utah, Salt Lake City has committed to 100% renewable energy by 2032 and an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040. While the incoming administration seems poised to stall federal efforts to address climate change, American cities are taking action into their own hands; following the election of Donald Trump, 51 American mayors signed an open letter asking for the federal government’s support in fighting climate change and committing to forge ahead even in the absence of such support.

In 2017, facing a federal government friendly to fossil fuels and skeptical of climate change, local action will be more important than ever. Recent state and local progress on climate policy illustrates the potential for renewable advocates to make real gains in spite of federal inaction. Renewable advocates should harness this energy moving forward and ensure that new state and local policies are well designed to achieve meaningful change. 

3.     Aim to Please: Focus on Economic Arguments for Renewable Energy

A number of reports issued in 2016 help bolster the argument that renewable energy investment is good for the economy. For example, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) issued a report showing that U.S. employment in the solar industry grew 12 times faster than overall job growth in the country, employing more than 200,000 people. For the first time, the solar industry employs more Americans than the coal mining or oil and gas extraction industries combined. Overall, IRENA reported that the renewable energy industry employed 769,000 Americans as of 2016. The potential for new employment in renewable energy is a powerful argument to make to politicians looking to create more jobs and bring down the country’s unemployment rate.

Besides creating jobs, 2016 was also a breakthrough year in terms of the cost of renewable energy. A 2016 report published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed that installation costs for residential and commercial solar have decreased dramatically over the last 15 years, as shown below. In addition, utility-scale solar costs have fallen below $1.50 per watt, which is less than one-third the cost of utility-scale installations just seven years ago.  In fact, solar energy is now on track to be the cheapest form of energy within ten years.

Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Renewable energy advocates can use these economic arguments to persuade individuals unwilling to hear the moral and practical climate change-related reasons for advancing renewables. Many politicians have chosen to eschew science and cling to climate denial. Scientists and advocates should not stop trying to convince politicians of the importance of combatting climate change, but renewable energy advocates also have a responsibility to find common ground with climate change skeptics. We can all agree that job creation and cheap electricity are a good thing for the U.S. economy, and renewable energy fits that bill.

In sum, 2017 is a year to build on the terrific progress made in the past year, and harness that progress and energy to keep the ball moving. I for one intend to take 2016’s lessons and apply them to help advance renewable energy and combat climate change by aiming high, aiming local, and aiming to please.

Recent Years Mark Record-setting Bright Spots for the Renewable Energy Industry

By David Heberling, Policy Intern

2015 and the first part of 2016 have been record-setting in ways both good and bad for the environment. Already in 2016, the first three months have broken the record temperatures from the first quarter in 2015.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, temperatures continue to be unseasonably warm. In April, Seattle and Portland both experienced record-setting months that not only smashed the seasonal average, but topped any previous average April high for either city. While this has unfortunately become something of a normal part of the news cycle in the U.S., the implications abroad are dire. As the Pacific Northwest experienced a record-breaking Spring, climate change effects were also wreaking havoc for our neighbors across the Pacific. India now faces an unprecedented heatwave with the highest temperatures the country has ever recorded.

However, not all the news from start of the year has been negative. Some very positive records are being set right alongside some of the most alarming. Building on the progress from last year, the energy sector has seen unprecedented job gains in the advance towards a renewable future. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2016, renewable energy employment continues to top the numbers from previous years. As of 2015, over eight million individuals work in the renewable energy sector worldwide. This represents a 5% increase over the employment of 2014. This figure stands in stark contrast to the oil, gas, and coal industries, which saw a general decline in 2015. While the surge in renewable jobs is a multi-faceted movement, the Director-General of IRENA points towards a reduction in the price of tech and the adoption of pro-renewable tax credit policies by leading nations as important contributing factors. The two main sectors of growth within the renewable energy industry are the addition of new jobs and the increase in renewable energy generation. These two are closely related. As more jobs are added, more installations occur, and more energy is generated. Alternatively, as renewable development becomes lucrative and more projects are proposed, more jobs are generated to build the new projects. Thus, despite their clear relation, the growth in renewable jobs and new renewable generation are distinct and warrant separate examination

In the U.S., employment in renewables rose even faster than the global statistics. While the world overall saw a 5% increase in renewable employment, the U.S. increased by 6% over the previous year, bringing the total for U.S. renewable jobs to 769,000. Solar has continued to shine as the leader in domestic renewable employment, rising by 22% to a total of 209,000 jobs. The growth in solar industry employment outstrips overall U.S. employment growth by 12:1. Most incredibly, this means that employment in solar has surpassed oil or coal as the top energy employer for the first time (pictured above). Wind employment has also continued to grow at a rapid pace, increasing 21% over the previous year, for a total of 88,000 jobs.

Related to the boom in renewable employment, renewable generation has increased its share of total generation. Renewable generation in the first quarter of 2016 is up over 14% from the first quarter of 2015. This growth also represents a 3% increase in the portion of total U.S. energy generation made up by renewables.  Now, renewable energy accounts for 17% of the total energy produced in Q1 of 2016, versus 14% in Q1 of 2015.

In the face of such rapid economic growth and success, even big names in conventional fossil fuel generation have begun to read the writing on the wall. The United Arab Emirates, a major oil producing country, has set ambitious goals to employ 90,000 people in renewables by 2030. This growth will be driven by the two large solar photovoltaics manufacturing projects already in place, and the goal to have rooftop solar for every building in Dubai by 2030. Shell Oil has also apparently realized which way the winds are blowing, recently deciding to develop a renewable energy division to capitalize on the emerging markets.

A continued dedication to the growth of the renewable energy sector is needed if we expect the coming years to be as positive as 2015. The historic Paris Agreement helps to build investor confidence that the policies in place fostering the renewable energy boom are long-term commitments. The favorable tax policies and credits that renewable projects receive help insulate the industry from the tumultuous nature of conventional fuel source markets. Therefore, as a nation, we should look forward to the great green horizon and the shift of our energy sector towards a more sustainable future.

Tribes & Renewables Part II: Benefits of Renewable Development on Tribal Land

Nevada Senator Harry Reid and members of the Moapa Band

 of Paiute break ground on the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar project.

 Source: http://energy.gov/articles/sun-rises-tribal-energy-future-nevada

By Andrea Lang, Policy Analyst

In the United States, tribal land contains huge potential for developing renewable projects. According to the Department of Energy, American Indian land makes up 2% of all U.S. land, but contains a disproportional 5% of the nation’s renewable energy resources, including an estimated 14 billion megawatt-hours of solar resources and 1.1 billion megawatt-hours of wind resources. Part I of my blog series on tribes and renewable energy described the potentially devastating effects of climate change on tribes, and the high cost (financially and morally) of asking tribes to adapt to those effects. Developing renewable energy projects on tribal lands can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector and help increase tribal resilience to climate change. But renewable development can have other benefits for tribes, as well.  This week, Part II of the series explores the benefits of renewable development on tribal land. In particular, this post discusses how renewable projects on tribal land can provide (1) a source of revenue generation for tribes, (2) a relatively low-cost option for electrifying rural tribal communities, and (3) jobs and training to tribal community members.

Revenue Generation:

First, building renewable energy systems can provide tribes with a steady source of revenue to help tribal economies. Tribes can construct large utility-scale solar or wind projects and sell the power to utilities. For example, the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory point out that state Renewable Portfolio Standards–which require utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources–create a demand that tribes can take advantage of to enter into power purchase agreements with utilities that provide long-term, steady sources of revenue for the tribes.

Alternatively, tribes can use the renewable energy they generate to power their own reservation. Most tribes currently purchase electricity generated outside the borders of the reservation. By providing their communities with power generated within the reservation, tribes can keep the money otherwise spent on outside electricity purchases within their own communities in order to aid their economies. For example, the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians in California built a 1,900 megawatt solar project, allowing them to reduce reliance on the tribe’s outside utility by about 25%.

Electrification for Rural Tribal Members

Second, building renewable energy projects on tribal land can provide tribes with much-needed electricity infrastructure. According to the Energy Information Administration, 14% of tribal households lack access to the electric grid, compared to the 1.4% national average. Many tribes lack reliable electricity because they are located in sparsely populated rural areas that are not connected to the interstate grid. For these communities, distributed renewable power can be a common-sense and relatively low-cost way to provide reliable power to tribal members. For example, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority has had a renewable energy program in place since 2000 that provides hybrid solar and wind energy systems to rural Navajo households. Compared to the tens of thousands of dollars it would cost to connect these communities to the grid, these distributed renewable generation options are a significant improvement over the unreliable and dirty diesel generators and kerosene lanterns these households had been using.

Jobs and Training

Finally, building new renewable projects on tribal land can create jobs for tribal communities. A National Wildlife Federation report on “The New Energy Future in Indian Country” details the jobs likely to be created by renewable development on tribal land, including construction, installation, operations, and maintenance of renewable energy systems. For example, the ongoing construction of the Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project (pictured above) has created around 400 construction jobs and will provide seven ongoing operations jobs. Although many jobs will likely be temporary, lasting only until the project has been completely constructed, tribal members who received on-the-job training will be in a good position to obtain future green building jobs.

Next week’s post in this series will discuss some of the barriers to tribal development of renewable projects and explore some existing and suggested policy solutions to overcome these barriers.