Renewable Energy Articles | Page 223

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.

The United States Air Force announced on Jan. 14 that it began construction on an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) including a combined heat and power plant with microgrid controls to improve energy resilience and enhance mission readiness at its Yokota Air Base outside of Tokyo, Japan.

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.

NYSERDA announced on Jan. 13 that it selected Equinor to provide New York State with offshore wind power in one of the largest renewable energy procurements in the U.S. to date.

Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation that provides engines and other marine accessories, announced on Jan. 6 that it installed its first solar array at its world‑headquarters campus in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.