Regulation, Solar, Wind  -  March 27, 2017

25 US cities have 100% renewables targets

With recent additions following city council votes March 21 in Madison, Wisc., and Abita Springs, La., there are now 25 U.S. cities that have committed to running on 100% renewable energy, according to a statement from The Sierra Club.

The group while Madison and Abita Springs have joined a broader group of cities with such a target, they represent a vivid illustration of the diversity within the larger list of 25 cities.

The Sierra Club said in a statement:

In November, more than 70% of Madison voters cast ballots supporting Hillary Clinton, while nearly 75% of voters in St. Tammany Parish, where Abita Springs is located, supported Donald Trump. Tuesday's 100% clean energy commitments illustrate the common and bipartisan benefits that renewable energy presents to both big cities and rural towns alike, from lower energy costs and local job creation to pollution reduction and climate mitigation.

Municipalities and other institutions were recently named by Moody's Investors Service, alongside corporations, as a group of "new entrants" into the renewable energy market that have emerged as the primary driver of demand for clean energy. Other cities that have made 100% renewable energy targets vary in size from giants, such as Los Angeles, to midsize cities such as Grand Rapids, Mich., and Ithaca, New York to small towns like Greensburg, Kan.