Conservation Voters of South Carolina’s Post

Providing reliable and resilient power to remote locations such as islands, farms, Indigenous communities, and isolated villages presents unique challenges and opportunities. These areas often lack access to centralised power grids, making them heavily reliant on diesel generators, which are expensive and difficult to fuel, environmentally harmful, and logistically challenging to maintain. In our latest whitepaper on Battery Energy Storage in Remote and Rural Areas, we explore not only the technical advancements that BESS introduces to hybrid microgrids but also the benefits it brings to communities—such as energy cost reduction, local economic development, and social and environmental improvements. However, we also address concerns that may deter communities from becoming early BESS adopters, such as high initial capital investment and the predicted life expectancy of batteries. Download our whitepaper today to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dBgE24SN

If you are interested in learning more about the use of #energystorage in remote or rural areas check out our latest whitepaper!

Thank you Move LA for inviting me to speak on the Vision 2026: The Clean Air and Climate Health Initiative panel alongside many other prominent leaders who are working to support a zero-emission, clean future. It was an honor to share our Ports for People mission: to work together with local communities, allies and partners to transform ports from hotspots of fossil fuel pollution to thriving hubs of sustainable economic development and environmental protection. A ballot measure to raise a boatload🚢of money would help us advance our 2040 zero-emission Port goals🔌⚡and get our port-adjacent communities some much needed relief from toxic air pollution 😷. On a global level, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC)--the body of U.N. scientists focusing on climate change--warn in their latest Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) that global emissions need to be cut in half from 2019 levels by 2030, and must peak by 2025 to stay under a 1.5 degree Celsius climate warming scenario. Locally, the San Pedro Bay contributes to 1200 premature deaths each year in port-adjacent communities. The time is NOW to invest in a climate resilient future--our disproportionately impacted frontline communities can no longer afford to wait! I'm eager to continue working with community leaders and different stakeholders to ensure a clean, renewable energy transition of maritime shipping and goods movement operations is environmentally conscious and encompassing of the community voices 🌎.

Thank you to Smart Cities Dive for highlighting our work on Bassett Avocado Advanced Energy Community! Broad-scale decarbonization cannot move forward unless we establish trust within low income communities that have historically been let down at various levels of government. Our focus must be on building trust, rapport, and actually listening and adapting solutions to meet people where they are. Really great article, read the full piece here: https://bit.ly/3YYt3r7

Talk to MCCAC about installing solar arrays on municipal buildings and land to help reduce your municipality's operational costs, demonstrate environmental leadership, and create a brighter future for your constituents. https://lnkd.in/g6vF_aPt

📺 WATCH: On this month's #RuralRapport, Andy Johnson with the Clean Energy Districts of #Iowa discusses how funding from the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program will help his organization provide vital technical assistance to #local #governments and #schools as they plan for an #energy-efficient future. https://lnkd.in/gSEerBuX

Puerto Rico’s commitment to achieving 100% clean energy by 2050 will require finding new sites for energy projects. Reservoirs and brownfields—lands previously used for industrial and commercial purposes that may be contaminated—could be full of untapped potential. In a new study, NREL researchers identified up to 3.3 gigawatts of theoretical solar PV capacity across Puerto Rico’s waterbodies, closed landfills, Superfund sites, power plant footprints, and other contaminated areas. Benefits to using brownfields for energy projects could include: - Economic and community advancement by generating local jobs. - Environmental improvement and land-use efficiency by reducing pressure on the development of natural habitats and cleanup costs. - Infrastructure and energy resilience by leveraging existing infrastructure for cost-effective development. - Environmental justice, addressing environmental and social neglect in traditionally underserved areas, where brownfields are typically located. Read the study to learn more: https://bit.ly/45cJ5An

Bravo!!! This new National Renewable Energy Laboratory study found that #floatingsolar could play a big role in providing clean power to Puerto Rico with over 630 MW of resource potential. In Puerto Rico, floating Solar can provide nearly as much energy as contaminated sites, and more clean energy than any other type of brownfield. In addition, floating solar provides additional benefits including reducing water evaporation and with large electrical loads at water treatment plants. Floating solar… It’s good to have options! If you want to learn more about the exploding market for floating solar in the United States, please join the first US floating solar conference in New York City in July hosted by REGlobal. #FloatingSolar #SolarEnergy

Big news for #cleaninfrastructure siting, deployment, and community engagement in New England: the Clean Air Task Force team, in partnership with Acadia Center, is today releasing our new report "The Energy is About to Shift." We're so excited to share it with you all! We lay out a vision for a renewed and reframed approach to building the massive amount of clean energy infrastructure needed to decarbonize the New England economy by 2050 - one that puts meaningful engagement with communities at the front and center of our collective efforts to build beneficial projects. In the report, you'll find: 1. Background on New England's grid and reliability planning to date 2. An in-depth survey of prominent decarbonization studies examining what high-electrification pathways look like for the region's grid 3. A discussion of the scope, scale, and pace of needed clean energy infrastructure investments in the region 4. An extensive set of options and opportunities for ways stakeholders can collectively work to improve siting, permitting, and community engagement outcomes for the region and its 1,300+ communities 5. Several high-quality project case studies offering illuminating lessons and takeaways for the region, spanning offshore wind, solar, storage, transmission, and clean dispatchable resources. To learn more about the report, check out the web page below for the full text, or sign up to attend our webinar next week on Thursday, December 5th! Many thanks to our partners at Acadia Center who made this work possible (and enjoyable!) and my colleagues at Clean Air Task Force for their many and excellent contributions. And remember - The Energy is About to Shift!

“Through these transformative investments, rural and remote communities from coast to coast are able to map a clean energy future that revitalizes local economies and cuts the pollution that is fueling the climate crisis and driving environmental injustice.” U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $78 million to support 19 clean energy projects in rural communities throughout the U.S. Projects like these are vital to ensure that underserved communities don’t get left behind during the clean energy transition. https://lnkd.in/gkeS6Hrx