Renewable Energy Articles | Page 209

EY, the global organization of Ernst & Young, announced on Jan. 25 that it has set an ambition to be carbon negative in 2021 by setting targets to significantly reduce its absolute emissions and removing and offsetting more carbon than it emits.

Danone announced on Jan. 21 that it has signed a long-term PPA to obtain power from Europe's biggest photovoltaic plant. The move will allow the global food company to power its plants and factories in Spain with 100% renewable electricity.

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. 

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.

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.

Our series of presentations from the 2020 VIrtual Renewable Energy Sourcing Forum continues with "The Evolution of McDonald's Sustainability Roadmap." Emma Cox, Global Renewable Energy Lead, explains how the company's motto, "Scale for Good," is being put into action as McDonald's explores how to achieve its own sustainability goals and how to bring others along with them.