As part of Earth Week celebrations in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Department of Energy Resource (DOER) have selected five towns and three non-profit organizations to participate in Solarize Mass group purchasing solar programs. The programs are funded through the state’s Renewable Energy Trust.

California has a good solar problem. It has an overabundance of solar power generation that could be better utilized with the implementation of energy storage technology. State Senator Scott Weiner (D) introduced Senate Bill 700 to create an energy storage incentive that would provide rebates to customers of utility companies who install energy storage systems.

It’s no mistake that Vermont is called the Green Mountain State. It was ranked as the most environmentally friendly by Wallethub’s 2017 Greenest States in the US. Vermont achieved the top spot by accumulating 78.88 out of 100 possible points for its environmental quality, eco-friendly policies and contributions to reducing climate-change.

Ramada Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, CA, announced the completion of a 269 kilowatt solar array that will generate 426,000 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually. The installation is expected to provide the hotel with 70 percent of its annual energy needs and will save the hotel $100,000 in energy costs.

As solar continues to grow in the US, grid modernization is essential. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released the first in a series of white papers detailing how the US power grid can be modernized to handle the influx of distributed energy resources (DERs), like solar. The initial paper in the series, New Opportunities for Solar Through Grid Modernization, evaluated policies and political landscapes in California and New York and how regulators are addressing infrastructure updates. 

Salesforce has achieved net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and avoided 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions during 2016. The company signed two, 12-year power purchase agreements for a combined 64 megawatts of wind power and integrated energy efficiency measures into the design of its operations and facilities. In addition, the company is offsetting its indirect emissions by purchasing carbon credits and has applying them to supporting sustainable development projects around the world. 

The World Bank has approved a $100 million loan to help India finance its plan to install 100 gigawatts of solar power on its way to 175 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2022. The Shared Infrastructure for Solar Parks Project will develop large-scale solar generating facilities throughout the country and assist the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). IREDA will use the funding to expand its grid by building infrastructure needed to bring electricity to people in more of India.

Powerpedia created #GetChargedUp, a nonprofit, to provide free solar systems to orphanages throughout Baja, Mexico and beyond. The organization launched its flagship program, #EmpowerOrphans, with the announcement that it would install a 10-kilowatt solar system at the at Rancho De Los Niños Orphanage in Valle de Guadalupe.

Race to Remember (RTR), a NASCAR team, is partnering with Momentum Solar and its “Give Back” program to benefit the USO of Metropolitan New York (USOMNY) throughout the 2017 racing season. The partnership will launch at this year’s New York Auto Show where RTR will unveil its car and accept donations to support military personnel as they re-enter civilian life and the workforce. Momentum also will donate $500 to USOMNY for every solar installation it completes as a result of the event and has committed to triple the number of veterans it employs during 2017.

The Windy City will soon be the largest city in the US to power its public buildings with 100 percent renewable energy. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) announced that Chicago has committed to powering all 900 of its municipal buildings with solar and wind by 2025. The transition will start in 2018, as the city will begins using a combination of onsite solar and wind generation and utility-supplied renewables from Illinois’ renewable portfolio standard.