The (Blue) Sky’s the Limit: Explore New Opportunities for State-Led Energy Leadership

July 11, 2022 / Dan Slanger

This webinar convened U.S. state practitioners for a learning opportunity focused on how the State Energy Program (SEP) grant program, as re-authorized through the IIJA, creates an innovative landscape for states to fund ambitious climate projects over the next four years and address climate equity issues. The discussion drew on existing innovation, highlighting examples in which states have ambitiously used SEP funds on decarbonization and climate equity programs.

Community Solar+: How the Next Generation of Community Solar Can Unlock New Value Streams and Help Communities Pursue Holistic Decarbonization

April 20, 2022 / Dan Slanger

RMI’s report introduces a vision for the next generation of community solar. Community Solar+ is a whole-systems approach to deliberately plan and deploy community solar projects to embrace added value streams, capture greater economies of scale, and advance additional community-wide sustainability and equity goals. Community Solar+ is a way to do more with less by designing projects to also help build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure, align the grid for an electrified future, mitigate urban heat island effects, and more. The report is targeted at state and local governments, utilities, developers, and community members.

Driving Climate Action Through Utility Integrated Resource Plans: A North Carolina Case Study of Local Government Leadership

February 22, 2022 / Dan Slanger

This ACCC Renewables Accelerator case study examines a coordinated effort by local governments in North Carolina to provide insight into how and why local governments are increasingly getting involved in utility Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) processes. It shares details and takeaways from this leading example of local government collaboration to inform other local governments’ efforts to advance a cleaner, more equitable, and sustainable energy future.

Selected Examples of Leading Equitable Clean Energy Initiatives

January 19, 2022 / Dan Slanger

This spreadsheet highlights case studies of equitable clean energy initiatives from leading cities and states across the United States. For each initiative, this resource provides a brief summary, an overview of key characteristics, and a description of how it addressed procedural, structural, distributional, or transgenerational equity.

This is a companion resource to the publication “Integrating Equity into City Clean Energy Initiatives: Considerations and Resources for Local Governments.” Download that report from the Tools & Resources library.

Integrating Equity into City Clean Energy Initiatives: Considerations and Resources for U.S. Local Governments

January 19, 2022 / Dan Slanger

This report offers an approach and considerations for integrating equity into city clean energy initiatives. It provides an overview of developing equitable clean energy initiatives, relevant definitions, and example goals, targets,
and indicators that can be used for consistent and comprehensive planning and implementation. The report explores seven common types of clean energy initiatives pursued or supported by city governments, with high-level observations based on equity-focused case study reviews. The report also includes additional equity-focused resources from experts nationwide.

A companion piece to this report—”Selected Examples of Leading Equitable Clean Energy Initiatives”—presents case studies from leading cities and states. Download it from the Tools & Resources library.

Cities Climate Law: A Legal Framework for Local Action in the U.S.

November 29, 2021 / Dan Slanger

This report provides a comprehensive guide for local law- and policy-makers in developing climate programs that consider and comport with federal and state law. It explores and explicates legal issues that might inhibit or enable policy adoption and implementation across a range of municipal carbon mitigation policy areas: Equity, Buildings, Transportation, Energy, and Waste.

The Future of Landfills is Bright

November 29, 2021 / Dan Slanger

This report examines the enormous potential for cities, counties, and states to scale up landfill solar to advance clean energy generation throughout the United States. The report outlines the multiple co-benefits of landfill solar and provides guidance on policies and best practices state and local governments can use to accelerate adoption.

Procuring Large-Scale Renewables through Aggregation: A Guide for Local Governments

October 26, 2021 / Dan Slanger

This guide outlines how local governments can pursue buyer-led aggregated PPAs for utility-scale renewable projects. It includes the benefits of aggregation, off-site procurement options available to aggregation groups, and case studies of five successful aggregated renewables procurements. The guide also presents a seven-step process to guide local governments to pursue an aggregated procurement.

Solar Energy in Utility Integrated Resource Plans: Factors That Can Impact Customer Clean Energy Goals

October 21, 2021 / Dan Slanger

This report focuses on key issues that influence the amount of solar energy incorporated in integrated resource plans, and how these plans can impact customer clean energy goals.

The Power of Collaboration: How U.S. Cities and Corporations Can Work Together to Advance Renewable Energy

October 21, 2021 / Dan Slanger

This report details how collaboration between cities and companies can help remove technical, policy, and market barriers to clean energy and advance renewable electricity generation and use across the United States.