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City leaders explore options to reach 100% renewable energy
Environment Sep 22, 2020
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Workers install solar power panels. (Public domain photo) With hotter summers, more mosquitoes, and increasing water costs due to droughts, Long Beach is already seeing the effects of climate change, and city leaders have been working for years to ease its environmental impacts through a collage of initiatives, from banning silicone food containers to reducing emissions at the ports. Now, Long Beach city leaders are taking a stab at another no-so-obvious source of pollution: electricity. Across the nation, according to federal energy data , only 18% of electricity is fueled by renewable sources such as wind and solar power. The rest comes from fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas and petroleum, and nuclear energy. After months of discussion, city leaders have considered options as they want to reach the goal of having customers—residents and businesses —using 100% renewable energy. Leaders hope to make a decision by December. Here’s what’s on the table: Renewable energy model Community Choice Aggregation is a model that allows communities to jointly purchase electricity that, through Assembly Bill 117 , includes incentivizing using renewable energy. If Long Beach chooses the CCA option, it could stand alone in purchasing energy through contracts or team up […]
