In the face of inadequate federal action on climate change, cities across the United States are taking matters into their own hands to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize local energy systems. But city staff face many hurdles when attempting to transition to renewable energy quickly, so they have to come up with innovative ways to succeed. Philadelphia, for example, amended its local legislation in such a way as to allow it to source renewable energy directly from a solar developer rather than from a utility. Other cities have joined hands together to leverage their renewables-buying power across the country and thus negotiate better contracts with project developers. Meanwhile, Salt Lake City has proven that partnering with utilities is also a way to go as collaborating with them has expanded green tariff programs, which allow a city to purchase large-scale renewable energy through its utility. Other cities could also follow the steps of Portland, which developed a community solar program that enabled individuals who don’t own their homes or don’t have money or space to install solar panels to still reap the benefits of clean energy.
These US cities are overcoming barriers to clean energy with creative solutions
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