If you have your finger on the Climate pulse, then you will already know the answer, 100% renewable is already happening. Here is the latest example ..
Press Release: Washington powers a new path toward clean energy future
The above is a link to an announcement put out by Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington State on 7th May …
Historic package of climate legislation promotes healthy communities, family-sustaining jobs and clean energy for all
Gov. Jay Inslee signed an unprecedented suite of clean energy legislation into law today, ushering in aggressive timelines for decarbonizing Washington’s economy and transforming the state’s energy landscape. Hundreds of supporters rallied in celebration of the policies that are designed to reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, improve health outcomes, and ensure all workers and vulnerable communities benefit from these changes.
Together, these measures represent the greatest step Washington has ever taken toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
What exactly has been signed into law?
Now this is all very interesting, because here we have a template for others to copy. So what exactly is the plan here, what steps are they taking and what does it all cost to implement?
It is a set of 5 bills. Here is a brief summary of each.
Bill 1 – 100% clean energy
This bill, called The Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, radically reshapes utilities in Washington and is the nation’s strongest policy for transitioning to 100% clean electricity. With this legislation, Washington joins a growing list of states and U.S. territories that committed to 100 percent clean electricity by mid-century. This includes California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Puerto Rico. Washington’s bill stands out by creating the strongest milestones on the path to fossil-free electricity and provides tools that help fossil-fuel-dependent workers transition to clean energy.
The bill sets mandatory requirements for utilities in Washington to:
- Phase out all coal power by 2025.
- Achieve a carbon-neutral electricity supply by 2030.
- Transition to a 100% clean electricity supply by 2045.
Bill 2 – Clean Buildings
The Clean Buildings Act is a first-of-its-kind standard that will improve the energy performance of thousands of large buildings in Washington. Older buildings often leak heat or cooled air through old windows and under-insulated walls, and most rely on out-of-date lighting systems that consume more electricity and require more frequent replacement than current technologies. Meanwhile, the state’s economy and population has grown rapidly, along with the number of new homes and buildings.
The new law provides an array of incentives and other voluntary programs — as well as carefully designed standards — to significantly cut building-related emissions by 2035.
Bill 3 – Energy efficient appliances
This bill, combined with the Clean Buildings Act, will help cut hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions and sets energy efficiency standards for more than 17 product categories. Household appliances like dishwashers are an intensive energy source, making them a key piece of the emissions puzzle. The bill also lowers various home energy costs such as heating water to running a home computer. Washington consumers will save more than $2.4 billion by 2034 in lower energy bills. By 2025, the water efficiency requirements will help the state avoid losing more than 6.8 billion gallons of water annually — basically, what it takes to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Issaquah.
Bill 4 – Super-pollutants
This bill tackles the growing challenge of super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, a class of chemicals that can be thousands of times more powerful as atmospheric warming agents than carbon dioxide. These chemicals are among the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the state and the world.
This new law makes Washington the second state in the country to put a comprehensive policy in place to address these emissions, and require manufacturers to choose climate-safe alternatives for new equipment. The Trump administration pulled back an identical federal rule that the Obama administration put forward and that the industry supported.
Bill 5 – Clean Transportation
The transition to zero emission vehicles is a key aspect in Washington’s fight against climate change. Washington is already among the top states for consumer adoption of electric vehicles, and state is on track to meet the governor’s goal of 50,000 electric vehicles on Washington roads by 2020, but transportation remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
This bill helps accelerate Washington’s transition to clean, electric transportation, reducing not only carbon pollution but conventional air pollutants as well. The bill accomplishes three key things: One, it establishes a state incentive program to make new and used electric vehicles more accessible for consumers of varying incomes. Two, it helps utilities make large-scale investments in vehicle charging stations, other infrastructure, and rebates. And, three, it creates a new grant program to help transit agencies electrify their fleets. An electric vehicle car-sharing program for low-income and rural communities will extend the benefits of electric vehicles.
The governor also secured $140 million in funding for new and converted electric-hybrid ferries as part of a transportation budget he’ll sign later this month. Washington is launching a conversion of its ferry fleet — the largest in the nation — to electric-hybrid. Currently, the ferry fleet is a significant contributor of both greenhouse gases and diesel particulate matter, and electric-hybrid ferries will help to reduce these pollutants as well as fuel costs. The legislature authorized the building of one new electric-hybrid ferries and the conversion of two existing ferries to electric-hybrid, with $140.5 million of funding provided in the next biennium.
Will 100% just be Washington State?
Nope.
At least six other states are considering similar legislation to fight climate change by shutting down coal power and ramping up renewable energy.
When it comes to tackling the greatest threat our species has ever faced, the Federal Government might have gone AWOL because an incompetent idiot sits in the White House. At a state level it is a different story; some are brave and bold enough to face up to reality and take meaningful action.