City Initiatives
Cities can play an important role in jumpstarting the transition to renewable energy. They are great candidates to do large-scale solar projects because they are big energy users; have access to cheap, long-term capital; and most importantly, have a mandate to serve the public good. A succession of cost-effective municipal solar projects not only offsets harmful emissions, but can also help build the economies of scale necessary to bring down costs. As the overwhelming majority of Americans want to see greater investments in solar and renewable energy, consider it democracy in environmental decisionmaking in action.
Try this at home. We've put together a resource center of the different strategies that cities can pursue in jumpstarting solar, and some success stories of cities that are leading the way.
To see what we're doing in California to build solar incentive programs within municipal utility territories, click here.