Climate Clips: D.C. region sets new goals for solar adoption

As part of the push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments wants to see 250,000 solar rooftop systems installed by 2030.

See the full story in the Washington Post.

More DMV News

Solar Developers Continue To Fight Dominion’s Solar Interconnection Rules
Virginia Mercury
The disagreement is the latest chapter in an ongoing fight between Dominion and solar companies that say the utility’s interconnection rules are blocking the development of small to medium-sized projects.

A 5-Point Plan For Virginia’s Data Centers
Virginia Mercury
None of the sessions at last month’s Virginia Clean Energy Summit (VACES) in Richmond were devoted to data centers, but data centers were what everyone was talking about. Explosive growth in that energy-hungry industry has everyone — utilities, the grid operator, and the industry itself — scrambling to figure out how Virginia will provide enough new power generation and transmission.

After Siemens Turbine Plant Cancellation, Can Hampton Roads Still Be A Hub For Offshore Wind?
Virginia Mercury
The loss of the turbine manufacturing facility, with its associated jobs and tax revenue, is a blow to Hampton Roads, one that has raised questions about whether the region’s dreams of becoming an offshore wind hub can be realized.

Youth Environmental Summit Highlights Programs And Sustainable Practices
Frederick News-Post
“It’s no longer okay not to act, and if you’re waiting for the government or for some organization to save the planet, we’re all doomed,” Richardson told the crowd. “The people who are going to save the planet are going to be people under the age of 25. You’ve got the most at stake.”

National and International News

Heat-Pump Water Heaters Are A Winner For The Climate — And Your Wallet
Canary Media
Water heaters toil away, often unseen in basements and garages, to keep our showers hot, clothes cleansed and pets bathed — and in the U.S., almost all of these machines are voracious energy hogs. But there’s a technology that can heat water more efficiently, cheaply and without burning fossil fuels: electric heat-pump water heaters. These appliances are two to four times as efficient as the gas and electric-resistance models that are ubiquitous in the U.S.

EPA Readies $2B For Environmental Justice Grants
Politico
The Biden administration announced roughly $2 billion for projects in underserved areas across the country to build clean energy and address climate change. EPA’s Community Change Grants, drawing on funding from the president’s trademark climate law, will be awarded over the next year.

2023 Just Notched Its Most Ominous Climate Record Yet
The Atlantic
On Friday, November 17, 2023, the Earth appeared to have crossed a threshold into new climatic territory. That day was the first that the average air temperature near the surface of the Earth was 2 degrees Celsius warmer than preindustrial levels. Saturday was the second.

US Government Deploys $41M To Train Clean Energy Workforce
Canary Media
To help prepare American workers for clean energy careers and meet some of that need, the Biden administration announced recently that with funds from the infrastructure law, it would help create 27 new centers to train people in energy efficiency, decarbonization and clean energy manufacturing.

States Must Target Transportation Carbon Emission Cuts Under New Federal Rule
Washington Post
States and urban areas will be required to set goals to reduce carbon emissions from cars and trucks on their roads under a new federal rule issued Wednesday, part of the Biden administration’s efforts to link tens of billions of dollars in highway funding from the infrastructure law to its environmental priorities.