White House unveils new push to promote renewable energy

Although the president promoted the benefits of all forms of renewable energy during a speech at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, he spoke primarily of solar power and its potential role in responding to climate change.

“We’re here today because we believe that no challenge poses a greater threat to our future than climate change,” Obama said. “But we’re also here because we hold another belief, and that is, we are deeply optimistic about American ingenuity.”

Among the initiatives he announced was an additional $1 billion in loan guarantee authority available in a federal program for innovative versions of residential rooftop solar systems.

The president's remarks come on the heels of the White House's announcement earlier this month that it wants to see carbon emission from US power plants reduced by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Among other things, he said homeowners who adopt renewable energy will be able to do so with no cost upfront and pay back the cost of installation over time through property taxes.

In another step intended to further the administration's goals, the Federal Housing Administration has been directed to allow low-income homeowners to save money by using renewable energy and making their existing energy use more efficient.

The administration has set a goal of installing 300 MW of solar and other renewable energy in affordable housing by 2020.

The initiatives outlined on The White House website (see link below), include:

• Making $1 billion in additional loan guarantee authority available and announcing new guidelines for distributed energy projects utilizing innovative technology and states looking to access this financing;
• Unlocking residential Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing for single-family housing to make is easier for Americans to invest in clean energy technologies;
• Launching a new HUD and DOE program to provide home owners with a simple way to measure and improve the energy efficiency of their homes, by increasing homeowners borrowing power;
• Creating a DOD Privatized Housing Solar Challenge, and announcing companies are committing to provide solar power to housing on over 40 military bases across the United States, while saving military families money on energy bills and making military communities more energy secure;
• Announcing $24 million for 11 projects in seven states to develop innovative solar technologies that double the amount of energy each solar panel can produce from the sun;
• Approving a transmission line that will support bringing online a 485-megawatt photovoltaic facility that will be constructed in Riverside County and produce enough renewable energy to power more than 145,000 homes; and
• Creating an Interagency Task Force to Promote a Clean Energy Future for All Americans; and announcing independent commitments from local governments, utilities, and businesses that are stepping up to drive energy efficiency in more than 300,000 low-income households and investing more than $220 million in energy saving activities for veterans and low-income customers to help decrease their energy bills.

Climate change is expected to be a big part of the president's calendar this week and next. On Thursday, he will fly to New Orleans to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and talk about protecting cities from the effects of global warming, including larger, more frequent storms.

And next week, President Obama will become the first sitting president to visit the Arctic Circle in Alaska, where he is again expected to discuss the issue of climate change.

For additional information:

The White House