Energy Management Articles | Page 420

Following a VPPA last September, Honda will receive 120 MW of renewable power from the recently completed Boiling Springs Wind Farm. Project owner RWE Renewables announced on Jan. 20 that the offtake is one of the largest-ever renewable energy purchases.

New York State announced on Jan. 20 that it added three new community choice aggregation programs (CCA) in 2020 to more than 100,000 utility account holders in twelve communities. CCA programs help residents save money in addition to supporting local economic growth and helping to meet state climate goals. 

Frost & Sullivan announced on Jan. 19 that its recent analysis forecasts that global green hydrogen production will skyrocket at a compound annual growth rate of 57% between 2019 and 2030, rising from 40,000 tons to 5.7 million tons.

U.S. President Joseph R. Biden fulfilled his promise to rejoin the Paris Agreement on his first day in office. One of 15 executive actions signed from the Oval Office on January 20, the action signals a major policy reversal following four years during which the Trump administration rejected climate science and rolled back environmental regulation to maximize fossil fuel development.

The decision by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to veto landmark climate legislation is extremely disappointing and a step in the wrong direction for Massachusetts’ ability to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, according to this column from Ceres. The organization is calling on state legislators to reintroduce this legislation immediately, noting that the Commonwealth cannot afford to delay the transition to a net-zero emissions future that is already underway.

Kansas City Southern, a transportation holding company, announced on Jan. 19 that it has submitted a commitment letter to the science-based targets initiative (SBTi) pledging to establish greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

New Jersey is launching a pilot program to incentivize businesses and institutional organizations to divert from diesel trucks and instead purchase medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) vetoed a bill on Jan 14 that would update the state’s carbon emissions goals to make the state “net neutral” by 2050, citing that the bill didn’t do enough to help cities and towns adapt to the effects of climate change. 

Fifth Third Bank announced on Jan. 19 that it reached carbon neutrality for its operations in 2020, including greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities and business travel.

On Jan. 19 BloombergNEF (BNEF) announced a new broad measure of energy transition investment showing global record-breaking 2020 commitments to decarbonization totaling $501.3 billion. This beats the previous year by 9% despite the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.