GPP Webinar: US City & Corporate Clean Energy Procurement and Its Role in Achieving the Paris Agreement’s Goals
September 1, 2021
1-2 PM EST
This webinar highlighted recent trends in city and corporate clean energy purchasing, drawing on new 2020 data compiled by WRI, RMI, and REBA. Representatives from the three organizations, as well as guest speakers from local governments and the private sector, provided an overview of 2020 city clean energy trends and findings from the Renewables Accelerator’s Local Government Renewables Action Tracker and REBA’s State of the Market report.
The American Cities Climate Challenge Renewables Accelerator, co-led by World Resources Institute (WRI) and RMI and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is a program that helps U.S. cities meet—or beat—their near-term carbon reduction goals with cutting-edge technical support and resources.
The Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) is a national association with more than 250 members from across the commercial and industrial sectors, non-profit organizations, as well as energy providers and service providers. REBA’s goal is to catalyze 60 gigawatts of new renewable energy projects by 2025 and to unlock the energy market for all large-scale energy buyers by creating viable pathways to procurement.
Speakers also discussed how cities and companies can work together to expand access to available green power supply options and the role that non-federal actors can play in achieving the United States’ new nationally determined contribution (NDC). The webinar also highlighted new WRI and RMI research on city-corporate collaboration on renewable energy, as well as resources available to support corporates in engaging key communities through the REBA Institute.
Speakers:
- Christopher Kent, Green Power Partnership, U.S. EPA
- Holly Elwood, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program, U.S. EPA
- Tatsatom Gonçalves, Research Analyst, Energy Program, World Resources Institute
- Steve Abbott, Principal, Urban Transformation RMI
- Sarah Mihalecz, Senior Director, Education & Engagement, Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance
- Steve Chriss, Director of Energy Services, Walmart
- Stacy Miller, Sustainability Program Coordinator, Energy and Climate Regulatory Policy, City of Minneapolis
- Michael Forrester, Director of the Office of Environment and Sustainability, City of Cincinnati
- Peter Nierengarten, Environmental Director, City of Fayetteville, AR