Total Energy News – December 2018
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Your Update on Vermont and National Energy News
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Hi there,
Our first Leveraging Change Speaker Series event was a big success, and it was great to see so many of you there. The next event will be a conversation about the timely topic of grid modernization, and will include EAN’s holiday celebration, with a recognition of our 2018 Anne & Arthur Berndt Award recipient! That’s right around the corner on
Thursday,
December 20th at Down Home Kitchen in Montpelier.
Click here to learn more and RSVP! The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), an EAN member, has just announced that they are inviting towns to apply for the 2019 Climate Economy Model Communities Program. This is a great opportunity to rally your community together to identify and implement strategies that improve your local economy while also tackling climate change.
An overview and application materials can be found here. Applications are due on January 18, 2019. Please reach out to
Jon Copans at VCRD with any questions. If we don’t see you at the Speaker Series and holiday celebration, then have a happy holiday season and we’ll see you in the new year!
Cheers,
The EAN Team
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Emissions & the Economy
Grist’s Eric Holthaus breaks down why focusing on the future economic impacts of climate change understates the damage that climate change is already imposing on the economy and health of people and communities worldwide.
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Climate Policy in France
The Atlantic breaks down why the “yellow vest” protesters in France have targeted the fuel tax, what Macron’s reversal on that tax means, and how the movement might impact climate policy debates around the world.
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Driving Electric
Meanwhile, in the US, automaker Chevrolet has ended production on the popular Chevy Volt, a plug-in-hybrid electric vehicle. But it’s not because they’re backing away from the electric market – they want to focus on all electric vehicles.
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At our Leveraging Change Speaker Series event next week, we’ll be learning more about grid modernization and how Vermont can increase our leadership in preparing our electric grid for strategic electrification, storage, and increased renewable electric generation. One key metric we’ll discuss is storage, including some of the progress shown in this map with the adoption of residential and commercial battery storage.
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EAN’s second event in the
Leveraging Change Speaker Series is Grid Modernization in Vermont: A Conversation with Ladeene Freimuth and Kerrick Johnson. The conversation will be followed by EAN’s holiday celebration with a recognition of our 2018 Anne & Arthur Berndt Award recipient.
Learn more and RSVP here. When: Thursday, December 20th, 4-6pm
Where: Down Home Kitchen, 100 Main St, Montpelier, VT
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Member Spotlight
Andrea Cohen, Vermont Electric Cooperative
“As part of our effort to meet 90% by 2050 in the most cost effective way, VEC offers members our Co-op Community Solar program. Co-op Solar is perfect for people who rent their home, have a shady site, or unsuitable roof.”
VEC’s Co-op Community Solar program allows members to sponsor panels for either 10 or 20 years, receive a fixed monthly bill credit, and participants can opt out at any time for any reason. VEC is a member-owned electric distribution utility.
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The Vermont Total Energy Ticker
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Emissions
At the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network annual conference on December 1st, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger announced a coalition of Northeastern mayors advocating for putting a price on carbon pollution.
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Electric Efficiency
Efficiency rates for residential customers in Vermont will decrease in 2019, while rates for commercial and industrial customers will stay the same.
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Renewable Electric
A solar farm in New Haven is successfully growing kilowatt hours alongside another valuable resource: saffron! This is a first test of a potential new way to increase the value of solar fields, and the diversity of Vermont’s agriculture.
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Have an upcoming event or news story to share? Email us at info@eanvt.org.
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eanvt.org | vtenergydashboard.org
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