Is it possible for utilities to provide 100% renewable energy?

Xcel Energy is an electric utility based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It serves more than 3.3 million electric customers throughout Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Xcel has a goal of delivering 100% carbon free electricity by the year 2050. As of 2018, their delivery was 38% carbon free, and by 2030, Xcel hopes to deliver 80% carbon free electricity before reaching their ultimate goal of 100% carbon free by 2050. 

The sun is rising on the cannabis industry in the United States. Cannabis is now fully legal in ten states: Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, and the District of Columbia. With widespread legalization, the cannabis industry is growing rapidly. Despite its speedy growth, there are two major roadblocks that the cannabis industry faces. Energy costs and limited backing from traditional banks hinder the industry's further expansion.

The Big Apple? More like The Big Array! New York City is now home to the biggest array of solar panels on top of an apartment complex in the United States. This solar array sits proudly atop Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village in Manhattan with over 9,671 solar panels spanning 22 acres of roof space. Nearly doubling the solar capacity in Manhattan, this project adds 3.9 Megawatts of power.  Installing this solar array will have the same effect as removing nearly 12,000 cars off the road, and reducing carbon emissions by 62,472 tons!    

This past week we remembered the incredible achievements of the Apollo 11 team that put the first man on the moon, 50 years ago. CBS, CNN, and other media organizations did a great job covering this with segments throughout the week and specials using the original footage from the historic day/week back in July of 1969. 

Dear Members of Congress,

As some of the nation’s leading solar energy companies, we write to convey the importance of extending the Section 48 and Section 25D investment tax credits (ITC) for solar and other clean energy resources.

The ITC has a tremendous track record of spurring clean energy deployment across the country, creating nearly a quarter million well-paying jobs and driving down electricity costs for consumers, businesses and municipalities. It also has generated significant economic activity, accounting for $140 billion in private investment since its inception.

As you consider clean energy tax legislation, we urge you to include a multiple-year extension of the Section 48 and Section 25D tax credits before they begin to phase down at the end of this year. The residential and commercial investment tax credits will step down from 30 percent at the end of this year. The credit falls to 26 percent in 2020, 22 percent in 2021, and, in 2022, the residential renewable energy credit is eliminated, and the commercial investment tax credit drops to 10 percent.

As a result of these credits and greater competition in the electricity sector, more Americans have access to clean energy than ever before. The greatest solar job growth today is happening in the Midwest and Southeast, in emerging markets such as Kansas, North Dakota, Illinois, Alabama and Florida. More than 240,000 Americans work in solar energy today, a figure that has more than doubled since 2010. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “solar installer” could become the fastest-growing occupation in America.