The D.C. City Council unanimously voted in favor of the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018, securing a historic win for renewable energy and making the District a model for the rest of the country. The bill establishes a 100% renewable energy target by 2032 with a 10% solar energy carve-out by 2041. MDV-SEIA commends the D.C. Council, especially Councilmember Mary Cheh, Ward 3 for bringing forth the legislation, and Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Ward 5 for his leadership in passing the bill.
Councilmember Cheh, the lead author of the legislation, praises the Council’s action saying that the legislation “will put [D.C.] at the forefront and will be a model for other jurisdictions. This bill is a great achievement and I hope the people of the District of the Columbia can be proud of what we are doing here today.”
The solar carve-out is the leading component of the District’s energy policy that has secured over 1,500 local jobs and has retained the most capital within the economy out of all energy generation-related expenditures.
“These types of direct benefits, which are all realized right here in our community, are a direct result of the visionary renewable energy policies our city leaders have implemented,” said D.C.-based New Columbia Solar CEO and co-founder Mike Healy.
The extension of the solar carve-out through 2041 will create thousands more local, high-paying jobs and sustain programs like Solar For All, which bring the benefits of solar energy to low-to-moderate income District residents.
“Above all, SFA and the new RPS keep D.C.’s solar industry local, creating well-paid career pathways for its residents,” says Nicole Steele, executive director of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic, a non-profit solar installer.
MDV-SEIA appreciates the D.C. Council’s support of local solar businesses and their commitment to creating jobs and economic opportunity in the District. The group looks forward to being a part of the District’s transition to a clean energy economy and working with the Council to continue to expand solar energy deployment. As MDV-SEIA gears up for Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) expansions in Maryland and Delaware, it urges the states to follow in their neighbor’s footsteps.
News item from MDV-SEIA
what do you see as the future for selling SREC’s in DC? I am in Virginia and have been grandfathered in….in the last year of a three year contract