How Can Communities Help Deploy Clean Energy & Build Up Local Economies? – CleanTechnica

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The global urgency to decarbonize is captured by the rapid growth in new low-carbon infrastructure throughout the energy economy. As power systems around the world rapidly evolve to achieve decarbonization objectives, it is crucial that power system planners and operators use appropriate models and tools to analyze and address the associated challenges. Upcoming elections in 60+ countries will shape the future of our planet. A key issue in many of these elections is how communities around the world can help deploy clean energy — and build up local economies — in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In fact, local communities are the backbone of any successful clean energy project. That has led The Pew Charitable Trusts to launch an initiative to rapidly accelerate the deployment of distributed energy sources (DERs) across the US. These sources include rooftop solar panels, energy storage systems, and microgrids — a grouping of electricity sources that Pew reminds us can operate independent of the broader electric grid and can keep critical community services online during major power outages.

Pew states, “The future is here, and our country must meet it with the best and most efficient technologies possible.”

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How can communities reach their energy decarbonization goals? The clean energy transition includes shifting from a system based on fossil fuels to one dominated by clean, renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions and help meet global climate targets. Energy infrastructure must change at an unprecedented rate. The power sector is key because it can deploy clean energy generation technologies, support technologies such as energy storage, and assist decarbonizing other sectors of the economy, such as transportation, heating, and manufacturing.

Of course, the transition to clean energy creates several integration challenges for power grids and markets, where maintaining system reliability with increasing shares of variable and uncertain power production is a critical challenge.

How does Pew describe the state of the energy sector in the US? They refer to it as being “at an inflection point,” with cars and industries shifting to clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and batteries. That means heating, cooling, and powering homes have taken on a new look. The Biden-Harris federal government has provided “unprecedented funding” to spur rapid adoption of clean energy.

What is DER? DER refers to small-scale, local sources of energy, including energy storage. In terms of renewable energy, solar panels are an ideal fit due to their ease of scalability and widespread siting opportunities. Small wind turbines and distributed wind projects also fit into the DER model, which complements the building electrification movement. In addition to standalone renewable energy resources, DER includes home energy storage systems, heat pumps, and other electric appliances in addition to rooftop solar arrays and electric vehicles.

What should advocates, philanthropists, policymakers, and the private sector do in light of this shift to clean energy? Pew indicates that there is an efficient answer to this question: invest in the local implementation of DER investment resources. Early and active involvement from these investors “ensures not only the acceptance but the long-term durability of projects.” Community-level involvement in the energy transition can bring economic benefits including jobs and reduced energy costs.

And investment at the local level can bridge political divides. Pew’s bipartisan initiative — which will also include other industry and regulatory experts, equity- and community-centered organizations, and utility representatives — will develop a roadmap on how the nation can rapidly accelerate the growth of DERs across the country.

What are the benefits of DERs? They can:

• empower communities to generate and manage their own energy
• enhance grid resilience
• increase energy security
• provide a cost-effective, durable pathway to reducing carbon emissions

In fact, in one model, researchers looked at ways the US could achieve at least a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. They found using DERs, along with large-scale renewables, could save $109 billion.

Importantly, communities can deploy clean energy themselves through technologies such as rooftop solar and storage, which can allow for a more flexible and resilient electricity grid.

Are there examples of DERs already at work in the US? The value that DERs can provide is evident through a pilot project in Texas. In that operation the grid operator is successfully harnessing hundreds of DERs as “virtual power plants” to supply the grid with energy during times of high demand. It’s shown such early promise that state regulators are looking to expand this pilot.

DERs and microgrids have also proven their value to communities during extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, when a microgrid kept the power on at Princeton University. It allowed the campus to be a staging ground for first responders and a refuge for community members during a multi-day grid outage.

Why has Pew initiated this effort? Pew recognizes the vast potential of DERs as well as the many barriers for customers to access them and for widespread community adoption. Through this initiative, they hope to give policymakers the tools needed to scale the use of DERs and to equip communities with the resources needed to ensure equitable access to the financial and environmental benefits of clean, distributed energy.

How does this DER initiative build on others in the Pew portfolio of climate actions? Pew’s other climate initiatives have already focused on removing barriers to clean energy deployment, accelerating the pace of grid modernization, and using nature-based solutions to absorb carbon and create resilient landscapes and communities. Pew argues that the US cannot afford to rely on an electric grid that was built for the demands and the weather of the last century.

Final Thoughts About The Need To Deploy Clean Energy

The climate crisis threatens the very existence of human life. All too often now, global warming’s effects can be felt in increasing temperatures, frequent droughts, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and changing rainfall patterns. Clean energy urgency of change is evident in the promises made in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Climate Change Conference, and the Paris Agreement. Contemporary technologies can now assist in a swift transition towards cleaner energy sources and the implementation of actions like DERs.

DERs can prove to be determining strategies to achieve environmental sustainability, human development, and green economic growth. Thus, local investments in green resources and technological innovation promote the country’s transition to sustainable development.