Energy Procurement | Page 8

Recent weeks and months have seen a near-constant stream of headlines about the ongoing growth of corporate renewable energy procurement, including here in Smart Energy Decisions. It all boils down to a single, encouraging takeaway: corporate leaders and investment is a major influence driving renewable energy capacity additions.

Seven U.S. cities to date have agreed to partner on a single Request for Information (RFI) for competitive pricing of large-scale renewable energy projects. Led by Mayor Martin J. Walsh of Boston, participating cities include Chicago, Evanston, Ill., Houston, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Portland, Ore. 

Large corporations, including Campbell Soup Company, General Motors, JP Morgan Chase & Co., and Owens Corning were among those cited as leading investors in energy innovation in Ohio.

After reviewing 75 proposed projects from 27 companies with the goal of reaching 100% renewable energy by 2030, Colorado State University has decided not to move forward with any of these projects. Instead, the university will pivot to a strategy of joining four other Fort Collins electricity users in a green tariff.

Tesla almost tripled its entire 2017 energy storage deployment volume in the first quarter of 2018 alone, while its solar deployments have declined to the lowest level since 2014.

Lyft, the on-demand transportation company, announced that all Lyft rides will now be carbon neutral.

In their report, "Advancing the Energy Transition," BP noted that renewables are now the fastest-growing energy source in history, adding "We estimate that they could account for 14% of all energy consumption in 2040– if not more."