Companies call on Biden Administration to speed shift to zero-carbon power
Working alongside the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, the sector-leading brands outline a trio of policies they say must be taken to achieve a zero-carbon power sector.
More than 30 corporations–including giants such as Amazon, McDonalds, Pepsi Co., Walmart, and Facebook–have called on the Biden Administration to implement national policies that will allow the country to transition to a zero-carbon power sector.
And while many companies already have gone on record about the needs to cut emissions and move towards a renewable power sector, the difference here is that this group, working in collaboration with the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), outlines specific policy actions that must be taken to achieve the zero-carbon goal.
The companies call on the Biden Administration to:
- Leverage organized wholesale electricity markets for grid decarbonization by improving existing wholesale markets and expanding wholesale markets to achieve least-cost, efficient clean energy deployment.
- Decarbonize the grid through swift federal government action to harmonize and update the current patchwork of clean energy policies.
- Support innovation to advance a resilient, affordable, clean energy system by substantially increasing federal funding for clean energy technology research, development and demonstration.
The statement points out that federal energy research, development, and demonstration is significantly underfunded, which results in what the group calls an “insurmountable barrier” for pre-commercial clean energy technologies on the path to market.
The group also expresses the goal of expanding access to clean energy for all energy buyers. This goal has already been roadmapped by Google, one of the group’s members.
In a white paper, Google established that it is looking to create utility programs that enable broader access to affordable clean energy and develop new models where multiple users can share clean energy assets.
The company also said that the approaches would not be exclusive to just Google – that’s the whole point. The idea is to make them replicable and scalable for companies and customers that want to procure multi-source and multi-technology blended power purchase agreements (PPA). PPA portfolios that comprise a mix of wind and solar can help corporations extend the clean energy production hours of their portfolio, and provide risk diversification benefits.
Companies like Google have an inherent advantage in managing all of the necessary data that comes with moving entirely to 24/7 renewable power. Recognizing this advantage, the white paper describes the process in part as an obligation to open the same energy purchasing pathways to customers of all scale, so that they can fit their specific power needs.
From: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/01/25/companies-call-on-biden-administration-to-speed-shift-to-zero-carbon-power/
