The U.S. government has been ordered to lead by example in the nations pursuit of a more renewable future by none other than the President himself.
Barack Obama has urged the federal government to step up its use of renewable energy sources in order to reach a 2020 target of 20% clean energy use.
As part of the Presidents second-term drive to drastically alter the U.S.s dependence on fossil fuels, Obama signed a memorandum Thursday stating that a more renewable future would also help reduce pollution, tackle climate change, promote American energy independence and boost domestic employment opportunities in the fields of solar and wind.
"In order to create a clean energy economy that will increase our nation's prosperity, promote energy security, combat climate change, protect the interests of taxpayers, and safeguard the health of our environment, the federal government must lead by example," wrote Obama in the memorandum.
"During my administration, federal agencies have reduced their annual greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15% (7.8 million metric tons) the equivalent of removing 1.5 million cars from the road. Today I am establishing new goals for renewable energy as well as new energy-management practices."
The federal government occupies more than 500,000 buildings and utilizes an estimated 600,000 vehicles across the States. Furthermore, it spends in excess of $500 billion on goods and services each year, which means that any progress the government can make in securing more renewable energy sources is likely to be keenly felt.
Before yesterdays memorandum, the government had a relatively modest target of acquiring just 7.5% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. This latest announcement sees that figure almost triple. The military agency of the federal government the Defense Department had previously targeted 2025 as the year by which a quarter of its energy needs were to be derived from renewable sources.
Announcement welcomed
Obamas announcement which formed part of a wider eco-friendly initiative to drive down the use of fossil fuels across all federal agencies was welcomed by environmental groups and renewable energy associations.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) applauded Obamas stance, releasing a press statement that was effusive in its praise.
"This is a landmark moment in our nation's history," began the statement from SEIA CEO and president, Rhone Resch. "Today, climate change is a real and growing threat to America and the rest of the world. Its indisputable. Sea levels are rising. Artic ice is disappearing. Were experiencing more intense and unpredictable storms. And droughts plague the world. From an environmental perspective, few things threaten our nations future prosperity and way of life more than climate change. Thats why its so important for the federal government to lead by example. We applaud President Obama for standing firm and following through on a key commitment he made as part of his Climate Action Plan.
"Americas solar energy industry is doing its part, too," continued Resch. "Today, solar is one of the fastest-growing sources of new energy in the U.S. and recently surpassed 10 GW of installed capacity enough to power more than 1.7 million American homes. What's more, this year we expect to bring more solar online than world leader Germany. From rooftop solar to large-scale utility solar projects, were helping to create thousands of new American jobs, save money for U.S. consumers, boost local economies and reduce pollution nationwide."
Resch concluded by urging the Obama administration to further develop a more modern procurement process that will allow solar to compete on a more even playing field with fossil fuels. "Federal agencies should have the authority to adopt long-term PPAs in order to maximize savings for U.S. taxpayers. Todays outdated system discourages the same power purchases for federal facilities that successful companies like Walmart, Costco and Apple use to save money by going solar."
In leading by example, the Obama adminstration's memorandum reflects good intentions but also highlights how limited the Presidents options are in instigating wider policy change. Many U.S. climate experts would like to see the introduction of a carbon tax or emissions trading law something that is unlikely to win many friends in a Republican-led House.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.