Under the president's instruction, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided funding to boost the country's solar energy Thursday, while encouraging business leaders to deploy solar energy in their communities.
As part of the Solar Summit at the White House, the DOE announced $15 million to help communities across the nation develop multi-year solar energy plans to install affordable solar electricity for homes and businesses.
The Solar Market Pathways program will support leaders and the state, local and tribal levels to crush policy and market barriers, according to the White House. A large focus will be community solar programs and local financing mechanisms, like commercial property assessed clean energy (PACE).
“As part of the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, solar energy is helping families and businesses throughout the U.S. access affordable, clean renewable power,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said. "The Energy Department is committed to further driving down the cost of solar energy and supporting innovative community-based programs—creating more jobs, reducing carbon pollution and boosting economic growth.”
The administration also announced the Capital Solar Challenge, directing federal agencies, the military installations and federally-subsidized structures to identify potential solar opportunities to at federal facilities across the national capital region. The DOE and General Services Administration are in charge of the challenge and are asked to focus on putting solar power on federal rooftops, covered parking and applicable open land. To lower their cost of electricity, the program will seek to use aggregated solar purchases, power purchases agreements and creative energy performance contracts.
The White House used the Solar Summit to recognize those who have set an example in deploying easing the process for others to adopt the form of clean energy. The following 10 people were declared "Champions of Change":
- Jessica Bailey, director of Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE), Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority
- Donnel Baird, Founder and CEO, BlocPower
- Kate Bowman, Solar Project Coordinator, Utah Clean Energy
- Elyse Cherry, CEO, Boston Community Capital
- Ismael Guerrero, executive director, Denver Housing Authority
- Peter H. Marte, CEO, Hannah Solar LLC
- Henry Red Cloud, founder and sole proprietor of Lakota Solar Enterprises
- Anya Schoolman, executive director of Community Power Network
- Tim Sears, co-founder, GRID Alternatives
- Rajendra Singh, D. Houser Banks professor, Clemson University
“We applaud President Obama for recognizing these outstanding leaders in the solar industry with the coveted Champions of Change award," said Rhone Resch, CEO and president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, of which GRID Alternatives, Hannah Solar and Boston Community Capital are members.
“Without question, the Obama administration has been the most solar-friendly ever, and we congratulate the president for holding [Thursday's] White House Solar Summit."
White House counselor John Podesta, who helped Moniz introduce the Solar Market Pathways program, asked the Summit crowd of business leaders to envision how much change they could affect if they sought to emulate the work of "Champions of Change."
"We need leaders like you in the coming weeks and months to deploy solar power in your communities," Podesta said, according to The Hill.
"If you do, we can curb the dangerous greenhouse gas emissions that are damaging our climate, we can make our communities more resilient against severe weather, we can bring clean affordable energy to American homes and businesses and we can create jobs and create opportunities for American workers."
With 143,000 workers in the U.S., the solar industry's employment has grown by more than 50 percent since 2010.
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!