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Washington DC is aiming to reach 100% renewables by 2032

Great news for Solar power this year – Washington DC is joining 100% renewable race! One week ago, on December 18th (and only a few weeks after California unanimously voted for a new bill that requires solar panels on all new homes) we have a new bill that will skyrocket solar energy in years to come. We are talking of course about the decision that Washington DC should move to 100% renewable energy by 2032.

In another unanimous vote in favor of solar energy, on the final meeting of the year, the city council of Washington DC gave its full-hearted support to switching entire city’s electrical supply to 100% renewables by the year 2032. This is double compared to the previous mandate that proclaimed a 50% switch by the same date. Although we already had a preliminary approval of this bill on November 28th, this still comes as a surprise, since no one expected for it to be approved this fast.  

DC reaching 100% renewables by 2032 is the most ambitious solar project in the history of the United States

As we said, solar energy is on the roll this year. We already have California and Texas in a constant fight for the place of the No.1 state in Solar Energy, but actually having our capital join this race for solar power is something else entirely. In Trump’s pro-coal administration it is a miracle that this bill took place at all, so this is a powerful statement that we are going in the right direction (at least energy-wise).

This project will give an invaluable boost and much needed support to the Green Movement in the following years.  And we are not talking just about the amount of energy consumption itself. The political impact of this bill is something that we should all think about.

This target that Washington DC council has set for itself is by far the most ambitious solar project in the USA today, not just by energy consumption, but also by its date. Up until now, the most aspiring renewable energy program was the one that is planned for Hawaii and which is advocating 100% renewable energy by the year 2045. California is also aiming for a similar target, to completely eliminate carbon resources by 2045, but that date now pales in comparison with the ambitious goal that DC has set up. 

You can see it all here, in Renewable Standard Protfolio Policies for 2017 – the map of all states together with their planned renewable progress and energy consumption (with Hawaii being in the 1st place in 2017 with its 100% planned for 2045).

So this bill is, both by its date and the energy consumption, one of the most ambitious so far. And all of this energy production must come within district boundaries or from feeder lines in Maryland.

But what makes this bill so radical and revolutionary, is that it is also saving up a special place for solar energy consumption as well.

Why DC 100% Renewables can power up the solar industry

This bill titled Bill B22-0904 (full text) is not only the most ambitious by its date, but it also requires a minimum 5% for local solar. Meaning that at last 5% of energy consumption by utilities must come from solar power generated sources.
And those 5 % of solar are only the bare minimum, as it is clearly stated that
if the solar energy achieved in a given year exceeds the solar energy standard in that year, the solar energy standard of the subsequent year shall increase by one plus the percentage difference between the solar industry standard in that year and the actual percentage of solar achieved for that year, multiplied by the subsequent year’s solar energy standard, provided that the solar energy standard shall not exceed a percentage to equates to a total installed capacity of 1.68 GW.” (PV Magazine).
So, by this calculation, we can expect a maximum of 1.68 GW of solar in Washington by the year 2032.
For comparison, by the last count Washington had roughly 53 MW of solar production, so at this current state of population density and energy consumption 1.68 GW of solar would cover around 20% of cities annual energy consumption.

The Future of Solar in Washington

Of course, just because we have the bill now does not mean that all the problems are solved.
As we previously mentioned, this bill has put up some territorial restrictions as well. All of the solar must be built within Washington boundaries or in feeder lines in Maryland. Considering that the capital has only 61 square miles of land it will be quite an adventure (or a logistics nightmare) to find enough space for all the panels that need to be installed in the future. If we take into account both the limited space and the population density, rooftop solar sounds like the best option (since Washington clearly does not have enough space for any substantial solar farms). But logistic problems are a small price to pay, so we can definitely expect a boom in solar installation in the years to come.

The post Washington DC is aiming to reach 100% renewables by 2032 appeared first on 1 Solar Solution.



This post first appeared on Solar Incentives And Rebates Are Knocking On Your Door!, please read the originial post: here

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