(Credit: Pixabay)America’s largest energy customers are calling on the federal government to implement strong and specific national policies to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon power sector and expand access to clean energy for customers.
“Clean energy presents an unprecedented opportunity to recover after the triple whammy of 2020: pandemic-induced recession, climate calamities, and racial reckoning,” said Miranda Ballentine, CEO of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), a member-based organization that represents and advocates on behalf of many of America’s largest energy buyers. “Policies like those outlined today can revitalize the economy, grow high-wage jobs and create the electricity system of the future. As the newly inaugurated Biden Administration looks to take immediate steps to rebuild the economy and tackle the climate crisis, these iconic businesses stand ready to work together to make a zero-carbon power vision a reality.”
The “Energy Buyer Federal Clean Energy Policy” statement, organized by the REBA, emphasizes the need for ambitious national policies that modernize the power grid and ensure it is resilient, affordable, customer-focused, and carbon-free. The statement’s signatories include:
These companies represent more than $5.8 trillion in revenue and 13.5+ million employees from across diverse sectors of the US economy. American businesses have signed nearly 30 GW of new, large-scale renewable energy contracts since 2014. In 2019, announced deals, totaling 9.4 GW, were the equivalent of 80 percent of total renewable energy capacity installed in the U.S., with soon-to-be-announced 2020 year-end numbers showcasing growth in the market despite challenges felt across the industry due to the pandemic. More than 250 global businesses have committed to using 100 percent renewable energy, and Fortune 1000 companies may represent as much as 85 GW of renewable energy demand through 2030.
These diverse businesses have taken a step to advocate for key policy strategies that accelerate energy buyer procurement goals and create a roadmap for the Biden Administration to actualize its vision of a zero-carbon energy future, including:
