As this extraordinary year comes to a close, the staff and board of Center for Resource Solutions would like to wish you happy holidays and best wishes for the coming year.
We’re closing out a year of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty. Nevertheless, we made solid progress on the clean energy transition, with record-breaking capacity additions in wind and solar, and more companies than ever committing to 100% renewable energy. In the face of the tremendous challenges we saw this year, commitments to address climate change have only strengthened, and we look forward to a renewed push for climate solutions that support economic recovery and strengthen our large and growing green workforce. The remarkable growth of the renewable sector proved once again its resilience and durability.
At CRS, we continued to focus on increasing our impact. Our Green-e® programs once again had their most successful year, with nearly 70 million megawatt-hours of new renewable energy certified in Green-e® Energy, representing an overall increase of 11% compared to the previous year. The program also added 25 new certified products, and attracted new participants including Shell, BP Energy, Enel X, Colorado Springs Utilities, and more. We welcomed the first program participant in Chile, Viña Concha y Toro. Its Sunrise wines are produced with 100% solar power and Green-e® certified. And the Green-e® Renewable Energy Standard For Taiwan ROC was approved by the Green-e® Governance Board, and will be officially released early next year.
The Green-e® Climate carbon-offset certification program saw a 40% increase in certified volume over the previous year, and Green-e® Marketplace also added a number of new participants this year, with program participant Church and Dwight—one of the leading manufacturers of household goods—increasing the number of its products manufactured with renewable energy and featuring the Green-e® logo.
CRS also launched its newest Green-e® certification program this year, Green-e® Renewable Fuels. Program development advanced throughout the year, including two public stakeholder comment periods on a first-of-its-kind standard addressing sustainable biomethane.
Our U.S. policy efforts this year focused on state-level regulatory proceedings, with a focus on the development of rules and guidance for renewable energy and greenhouse gas accounting, including in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, New York, Oregon, and Washington. We were also active internationally, providing assistance to energy-sector participants on green power and greenhouse gas reduction best practices.
This fall, CRS convened key U.S. and global stakeholders to address current issues in assessing the renewable energy and greenhouse gas impacts on the shared electricity grid. Part of CRS’s new Clean Energy Accounting Project initiative, this project and follow-on work will develop and promote best practices in clean energy and energy sector greenhouse gas accounting and impact assessment in the coming year.
In July CRS launched the Resilient Schools Collaborative with ARC Alternatives and Kyoto USA, with support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. This program supports schools throughout Northern California in maximizing the benefits of onsite solar and storage, including supporting power resiliency during outages projected to become more frequent as California experiences more climate change–driven wildfires.
The annual Renewable Energy Markets™ conference pivoted this year to an online experience, presented over the course of several days in September. With more registrations than ever, REM’s programming reached a broader audience, including a record number of students and international attendees. We also announced our first-ever international REM™ conference aimed at the fast-growing Asian renewable energy market. REM™ Asia will be held virtually in March 2021, with speakers and panels on Asian renewable demand and trends, corporate buyer perspectives, renewable energy policies, new procurement models, and more.
CRS augmented its educational offerings with CRS staff leading and speaking in webinars, meetings and conferences throughout the year on topics ranging from corporate renewable energy procurement to electric transportation to carbon offset natural gas.
Looking Forward
In 2021 our accelerated commitment to climate action will be an important driver for the recovery. This year’s gains and losses were not evenly distributed. CRS stood by those raising their voices for racial justice, and believes that our fight against climate change will only succeed when the benefits of the clean energy transition are shared equitably. We end the year recommitted to our vision of a clean energy future that brings jobs, reduces energy costs, and increases opportunities for those who need them most.
Happy Holidays to you and yours, and we look forward to seeing you next year.
—The staff and board of Center for Resource Solutions
