Month: December 2024

Early lessons from the Centre County solar power purchase agreement

December 26, 2024

I want the lessons of the Centre County solar power purchase agreement (SPPA) working group (WG) to be as accessible as possible. As readers know, 10 of central Pennsylvania’s local governments are finalizing the largest-by-member SPPA in the Commonwealth and maybe the country. This entry is my first deliberate crack at it. Here, I will use the World … More Early lessons from the Centre County solar power purchase agreement

State and local governments will persist in climate action because it works.

December 21, 2024

State and local governments will persist in climate action. That’s the conclusion of a recent piece in Grist. We have virtual certainty the incoming Trump administration will withdraw from the Paris Agreement, leading to widespread worry about other nations’ commitments to reduce emissions and achieve the 1.5° or 2° C temperature goals. But there are lots of … More State and local governments will persist in climate action because it works.

Some lessons from the PPA: Openness. Honesty. Skepticism. Trust. Consistency.

December 19, 2024

In the last week, we’ve had more wins for the power purchase agreement. Last Tuesday, the Centre County Commissioners voted 3-0 to enter. On Monday, the State College Borough voted 6-1 to join. Tonight, Last night, Patton Township’s Board voted 5-0. They join the State College Area School District and Harris Township. All told, there are about … More Some lessons from the PPA: Openness. Honesty. Skepticism. Trust. Consistency.

Three sets of questions about the solar PPA

December 19, 2024

Taking a moment here to think about the solar power purchase agreement today from the point of view of the “mindful ecological citizen.”  I want to understand how our democratic system allowed it to take shape. It would be (maybe will be) fascinating to retrospectively examine how the working group and project management team moved … More Three sets of questions about the solar PPA

Climate change is…an invitation to practice acceptance. 

December 11, 2024

This entry continues the “Climate change is…” series. Last year, I met the photographer, film maker, and author James Balog. After a talk that included pieces of The Human Element, Chasing Ice, and other parts of his expansive catalog, he was asked a question about what lesson has been really important. His answer: “Acceptance.” We cannot … More Climate change is…an invitation to practice acceptance. 

Do natural gas & nuclear get to jump the line?

December 10, 2024

If we want to decarbonize our communities, one of our best pathways is to decarbonize the electricity generation sector. But who gets to plug in and in what order? That’s why we have grid operators who regulate which sources of power–solar farms, wind farms, natural gas power plants, nuclear power plants, battery facilities, hydropower plants–get … More Do natural gas & nuclear get to jump the line?