Wind turbines at Beaumont, Kansas.
Photo courtesy of Brent Danley
Dirty coal plants are closing their doors and clean energy is on the rise. Energy efficiency programs are now working successfully in dozens of states to drive down demand for electricity. The costs of rooftop solar and wind energy are falling dramatically, and energy storage and other systems are fast emerging to ensure a reliable flow of power. But around the country, there are still many barriers to the rapid scale-up of new clean energy industries and fossil fuel interests are waging attacks nationwide to reinforce those barriers and commit us to dirty energy for decades to come.
In the U.S., states are getting large amounts of their power from clean energy sources. For example, Iowans get one-fourth of their electricity from wind; California on course to get at least a third of its electricity from renewables by 2020; the cost of solar panels has come down by 80% in the last five years and the number of solar installations is growing exponentially year after year; and nationwide, wind turbines now generate as much electricity as 60 large nuclear reactors.
Earthjustice is creating pathways for clean power by:
- Pushing for investments in clean energy at Public Utility Commissions (PUCs)—the bodies that regulate utilities and set electricity rates. Because clean energy is fast becoming cheaper than coal and gas, we champion clean energy as the right economic choice for the consumers that PUCs are charged with protecting. Our groundbreaking work to promote rooftop solar generation in Hawaiʻi is a prime example of the transformative results our work can deliver.
- Defending Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs), net-metering programs and other progressive state policies that incentivize clean energy from industry attack.
- Pushing to maximize California’s commitment to cutting-edge clean energy. Given the size of California’s energy market, the state’s energy transformation matters nationally—and even globally.
- Advocating for energy efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings that reduce carbon pollution and our dirty energy dependence.
- Fighting dirty fossil fuel energy to create opportunities for advancement of clean energy.
