By John Weaver, PV Magazine
A presidential candidate is pushing $300 billion per year of U.S. government investment – with hopes to pull in a complementary $600 billion per year in private investment – to aim for $9 trillion in investment over the course of a decade. Sounds like a lot of money until we think about the United States subsidizing fossils to the tune of $649 billion a year, and estimates that the U.S. gross domestic product could fall by 10% – more than $2 trillion per year – due to costs associated with climate change. Jay Inslee has introduced his Evergreen Economy Plan as part of his presidential election campaign. The plan has five major planks that include many individual legislative actions. Read more here.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION
U.S. Green Bank Act of 2019 Would Provide $10 Billion+ of Capital to State and Local Green Banks, Coalition for Green Capital. The Green Bank Act of 2019 would inject billions of dollars into the U.S. economy to accelerate clean energy deployment, grow clean energy businesses, and deliver affordable clean energy to all Americans. The members of the global Green Bank Network and the American Green Bank Consortium have already shown that public investment in clean energy deployment drives greater total investment, job growth and lower energy costs. The bill creates a new USGB as a wholly owned corporation of the U.S. government, housed within Treasury. It would be capitalized through the issuance of federal Green Bonds.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
- Ohio approves two huge solar projects, PV Magazine
Ohio Power Siting Board has approved 470 MWac of solar and 60 MWac of batteries in two separate projects, as another confirmation of the coming boom in the state and the Midwest. - Minnesota’s community solar program democratizes access to solar energy, Community Voices, Minn Post
- Colorado Town Aims For 100% Renewable Electricity By 2035, Solar Industry
According to the Sierra Club, Frisco joins the City of Golden as the second Xcel Energy-powered community to commit to 100% renewable energy in 2019. Eleven total Colorado cities – including Denver, Ft. Collins and Pueblo, plus Pueblo and Summit Counties – have made 100% renewable commitments since 2017, says the Sierra Club. - DOE Honors Solar Projects Slashing Utility Bills For Underserved Communities, Solar Industry
- Wash U Becomes Hub Of Midwest Summit To Fight Climate Change, St. Louis Public Radio
RESEARCH
- Harvesting Solar Could Help Small-Scale Farmers Improve Sustainability, KCET
NREL and other research institutions are testing the merits of agrivoltaics, in 20 or so locations across the country with projects in the planning stages or underway in Oregon, Arizona and California, among others. - Colorado’s NREL gets share of up to $100 million to research emissions, The Gazette
GREEN BUILDING
Cambria Hotel Omaha Downtown: Cambria Hotels Celebrates Its First Hotel To Open In The Cornhusker State, Choice Hotels International Announcement. The LEED Silver Certified hotel incorporates a number of eco-friendly features throughout the building, including a solar array on the roof, a salt water pool that reduces chemical usage, Tesla and electric vehicle charging stations, and locally-sourced, recycled building materials.
Additional Nebraska LEED Certified Projects, US Green Building Council
Dr. Bing Chen, Ph.D., UNL Professor of electrical and computer engineering, is “developing the area’s first sustainable small house.”
Henry Doorly Zoo Solar Shade Canopy Utilizing Bifacial Solar Panels
Project: This residential project involved building a solar pergola consisting of fifteen LG solar panels with integrated Enphase IQ6+ microinverters (LG-330E1C-A5). The 4.35-kilowatt system is grid tied and serves to both generate electricity for the residence and provide shade for the south-facing deck.
ESCANABA — The installation of solar panels for a solar energy farm at the Delta County Airport was recently completed, officials involved with the project said. “All the racking and all the panels are installed,” City of Escanaba Electric Superintendent Mike Furmanski said. The facility includes a total of 3,510 solar panels . . . Furmanski said he appreciated the work GRNE Solar has done to make this project a reality. 
BEATRICE – The City of Omaha is the first to adopt an ordinance allowing its use in Nebraska. The City of Lincoln is considering the same. Now, Beatrice is being asked to consider Property Assessed Clean Energy financing, or PACE, as another tool for economic development. It’s described as a low-cost, long-term financing mechanism for energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. Chris Peterson, Managing Partner for Pace Sage Capital in Nebraska, worked as a Legislative Aide to former State Senator Heath Mello when PACE was enabled through state law, making Nebraska the 34th state to enact it.