Webinars
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Consumer interest in renewable energy is growing – ‘clean power’ sales doubled between 2010 and 2014, and then doubled again between 2014 and 2019. In 2019, renewable energy consumption grew to a record-breaking 11% of total US energy consumption – a record that has now been hit for four consecutive years. Morgan Stanley shared that renewables buildout is driving significant growth for utilities.
Meanwhile in the Midwest, incentives to use renewable energy set at state-level remains low compared to other areas in the US, such as the West- and East Coast. The absence of incentives and targets results in a low-awareness level of the benefits and opportunities consumers have when using renewable energy. As of December 2020, Minnesota and Michigan are the only two Midwestern states to implemented a statutory target and an executive target respectively to combat greenhouse gas emissions and to become carbon neutral by 2050.
With Michigan only signing this executive target in 2020, driven by concerns on rising temperatures and the necessity to slow down climate change, combined with the nation-wide growth of renewable energy usage, now is the time to get together and understand how, why and when the Midwest can join the renewable energy revolution.
This session brings together they key stakeholders to discuss the most pressing challenges and questions regarding renewable energy, including:
- How to raise awareness and demonstrate the economic benefits of renewable energy in the Midwest?
- Who leads the way? Should states be more proactive in setting targets or should this continue to be driven by utilities and large commercial organizations?
- Which local challenges prohibit organizations and consumers to switch to renewable energy resources and what needs to be done about this?