We have already blogged about Georgetown, the Texan town that committed to generating 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. The City Manager of that town emphasized that the decision to focus on renewables was a pragmatic one and was not a decision driven by the ethical virtues of clean, green energy. In the case of Georgetown wind energy simply protected consumers from volatile and rising energy costs.
Hawaii’s commitment to 100% renewables was made along similar rational; the governor reasoned that in the long-run renewables will deliver the most affordable electricity to consumers in that state. With the plummeting cost of solar and the volatility of fossil fuels, Governor Ige decided against liquefied natural gas and to pursue wind, solar and geothermal instead. He is joined in his commitment by the US Military, a somewhat unlikely companion in the pursuit of carbon free energy.
Costa Rica recently broke its commitment to generating 100% of its electricity from renewable sources. According to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), the Central American country sustained 94 consecutive days between May 8th and August 9th 2015 without fossil-fuel electricity, supported instead by the country’s clean energy infrastructure.
Sustainable Dialogues Canada has shown that here in Canada too, we could generate 100% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2035. One hundred percent renewable energy is achievable not only at the local level, but at the state and national level too – and that it makes financial sense!