Quick facts on Vermont solar energy

“The heat accumulating in the Earth because of human emissions is roughly equal to the heat that would be released by 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding across the planet every day.” ⁵

Sit with that for a moment. 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding across the planet every day.

As part of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change coverage, the New York Times dug into the very complex conversation with a simple Q+A to frame and explain what we’re really dealing with – and ultimately – what we’re up against.

“Scientists fear climate effects so severe that they might destabilize governments, produce waves of refugees, precipitate the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals in Earth’s history, and melt the polar ice caps, causing the seas to rise high enough to flood most of the world’s coastal cities.”

This is real and it’s happening…now. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless when you consider you’re but one member of an enormous global population. At SunCommon, we understand it’s daunting to imagine how your contribution can affect real change, so we’ve made this our mission to create solar programs accessible to all Vermonters. We believe in tearing down the barriers to renewable energy by making it easy and affordable. We’ll never succeed at reducing our dependency on dirty, planet-disrupting fossil fuels if renewable energy is out of reach. So, let’s break this information down on the local level.

But, what can I do here in Vermont?

“In the end, though, experts do not believe the needed transformation in the energy system can happen without strong state and national policies. So speaking up and exercising your rights as a citizen matters as much as anything else you can do.” ⁵

Our company was created in response to the need for the widespread and rapid adoption of clean, solar energy. We sought to simplify going solar by pairing this innovative, renewable technology with affordable, low-interest financing and federal incentives. We’ve created a solar solution for every household. Now, with nearly 2,500 households in our ranks in less than 4 years, we’ve built an incredible community of clean energy citizens and advocates.

Solar accessibility and affordability would be a much different story if not for Vermont’s net-metering policy. Our small state has become an example of how proper solar policies can affect large-scale change. We’re leading by doing. Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the White House invited him to speak at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris about Vermont’s innovative approach to energy efficiency and renewable growth. We have a lot to be proud of. Our populace has set an example, but we have a long way to go.

Vermont’s Energy Story

According to climate change policy and energy expert Prof. Jon Erickson “Vermont has comparatively low, economy-wide C02 emissions per capita, but we have relatively high oil dependence in our transportation and home heating sectors. Climate economists estimate the global impact of our greenhouse gas emissions at over $100 per ton of CO2, an annual impact that totals nearly a billion dollars of damage.”

Vermonters spend $3 billion each year on energy. That’s $3 billion with a B. We’re a small state, but we’re rural and northern meaning we see increased transportation and home heating costs. But where does that money go?

House speaker Shap Smith presented the keynote address at this year’s Renewable Energy Vermont conference: “Today, more and more Vermonters are harvesting the sun and wind. This transition is really about developing a local economy,” he said. “Vermont spends almost $3 billion a year on energy, and keeping that money local is a priority.” ⁷

The rapid growth of solar in Vermont is a testament to Vermonters’ desire for local, clean energy solutions. Each rooftop, backyard or community solar array is a shift away from fossil fuels and a vote toward building our clean energy future. And now with the availability of electric vehicles and high efficiency heat pumps, Vermonters are able to greatly reduce their fossil fuel use both on the roads and at home.

Vermont Solar Energy Story

• In 2014, Vermont installed 38 MW of solar electric capacity, ranking it 18th nationally.
• The 87 MW of solar energy currently installed in Vermont ranks the state 22nd in the country in installed solar capacity.
• There is enough solar energy installed in Vermont to power 15,200 homes.
• All new electricity generating capacity added to Vermont’s grid in 2014 was solar-powered.
• In 2014, 27% of Vermont’s net electricity generation was produced by renewable energy, including hydroelectric, biomass, wind, and solar resources. ¹

But despite all of this growth, solar still remains a small slice of the pie. Take a look at what our energy mix looks like. When you purchase electricity from state utilities, you can expect an energy portfolio that looks like the chart on the left ⁶ . Now, when we look at what we’re generating here in Vermont our numbers are a bit different. (See chart on the right) Dirty fossil fuels like natural gas take a backseat, but solar still represents only 2% of the pie.

Vermont’s Energy Goals

90% renewables by 2050

This ambitious goal calls on all citizens to take actions that will collectively transform the way we use and produce energy in our electric, transportation, and heating sectors.

With the passage of Act 56 in 2015, Vermont established a Renewable Energy Standard that requires utilities to:

• Meet a 75% by 2032 total renewable energy requirement (55% in 2017)
• Meet 10% of sales with distributed generation in 2032 (1% in 2017)
• Meet 12% of sales with “energy transformation projects” in 2032 (2% in 2017)
• Goal reached as a result of extensive analysis and public comment in 2011
• Strong desire to become energy secure, ensure stable prices and as much as possible to rely on resources indigenous to Vermont
• Do our part to mitigate climate change by meeting state Green House Gas reduction goals
• Increase local energy $, economic benefit of keeping those dollars in state and in the economy, and reducing dependence on imported energy ²

Vermont’s Economy: Not One or the Other, but Both

“During the darkest days of the recent recession, concern about climate change became subsumed by economic anxieties. But concern about the environment is now back to pre-recession levels. Most respondents to the recent poll said that in situations where a sacrifice must be made, protecting the environment was more important than stimulating the economy — by a margin of 54 percent to 34 percent.” 4

But, why only one or the other? Why not both? According to a recently released fact sheet from the White House: “Last year, the solar industry added jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy and solar represented 40 percent of all new electric generating capacity brought online in the first half of 2015.” Renewable technology growth is not only serving our planet, but it is also serving our people. The story is no different here in Vermont. With more Vermonters going solar, more Vermonters are employed by the industry with good-paying, local, clean energy jobs – now over 16,000 workers strong.

Vermont’s Responsibility 

“We have to do something about climate change,” Pres. Obama said at a meeting with business leaders last month. “Because not only is it going to have an impact on our children and our grandchildren, and we have a moral obligation to leave them a planet that is as wonderful as the one that we inherited from our forebears, but it’s really important for America’s bottom line and economic growth.”

It starts with you. Every Vermont resident has a role to play in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. We drive, we heat, we use energy. Constantly. Each and every one of us is hungry for energy to power our lives and we all have the opportunity to do so sustainably.

If you want to be at the cutting edge, you can look at buying an electric or hybrid car, putting solar panels on your roof, or both. – NYTimes ⁵

With residential, community solar and solar heating and cooling options available to Vermonters, there are now programs in place that allow every Vermonter to tap into a cleaner energy future.

Vermont’s rural economy is largely dependent on sustainable natural environment, from Lake Champlain to the Green Mountains, so many people would argue that Vermonters have both moral and economic reasons to take action on climate change. – Prof. Jon Erickson, UVM Rubenstein School and Gund Institute for Ecological Economics.

Sources:

¹ http://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/vermont
² http://solartaskforce.vermont.gov/sites/solarsiting/files/documents/meeting_materials/ASH%20for%20solar%20siting%20TF%2020150917.pdf
³ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/28/us/politics/bill-gates-expected-to-create-billion-dollar-fund-for-clean-energy.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2Fun-climate-change-conference
⁴ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/01/world/americas/us-climate-change-republicans-democrats.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2Fun-climate-change-conference
⁵ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/28/science/what-is-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2Fun-climate-change-conference
⁶ http://veep.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/VEEPsnapshotposter2014-15.pdf
⁷ http://www.revermont.org/main/wp-content/uploads/Celebrate-Solar-Handout.pdf
⁸ http://publicservice.vermont.gov/sites/psd/files/Announcements/VCEIR%202015%20Final.pdf