In some areas of the U.S., solar and wind farms generate a large percentage of the electricity on the grid. But in other areas, the grid remains much more reliant on carbon-polluting fossil fuels.
Vaughan: “And the bottom line is that the carbon impact of … turning on a light switch in one part of the country can be very different from turning on a light switch in another.”
Winston Vaughan is the head of climate policy at Clearloop, a solar development company.
He says building new solar and wind in the areas where grid electricity is dirtiest can provide greater benefits for the climate.
And it can bring health and economic benefits to communities that have been burdened by fossil fuel pollution.
Vaughan: “Understanding the inequities of the carbon grid and working to address them is a great opportunity to really maximize both the social and environmental impact of our clean energy investments.”
So Clearloop is helping develop solar farms in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana – where renewable energy development has been slow.
To pay for the projects, Clearloop partners with large companies eager to invest in clean energy as a way to offset their own climate impact.
Vaughan says it’s an approach that focuses not only on creating more renewable energy …
Vaughan: “ … but building it in the places where it can do the most good for our climate and for local communities.”
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
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