America produces more than three times as much power from the sun, the wind and the earth as we did in 2013, with growth in all 50 states. Key technologies such as electric vehicles and battery storage are also booming - helping to repower America with clean energy.
Saying goodbye to old technologies and ways of doing things is something we are going to need to practice over and over again in the coming decades as we address the climate crisis. To evoke the musical Hamilton, Massachusetts and California now stand ready to “teach us how to say goodbye” to the internal combustion engine - a technology that has become familiar, but is no longer compatible with a livable future.
“Electrifying everything” at the same time that “everything” is getting bigger, heavier, more energy intensive and more wasteful is a recipe for endless technological tail-chasing. It makes the job of decarbonizing the economy that much harder.
A dramatic change that was just beginning a decade ago is still picking up steam. It’s a change that is making the world cleaner, safer, and healthier. And it is a change to one of the most critical systems underlying modern life – our energy system.
Over the last decade, technologies that can help America shift away from fossil fuels — like solar panels, wind turbines, LED light bulbs, energy storage and electric cars — have spread rapidly around the country. Use this interactive tool to view clean energy progress for your state.
Not every American city – and perhaps not any American city – can follow Madrid’s model exactly. But all have the power to encourage compact land use, expand public transportation, tame the negative effects of private cars in urban places, and facilitate the growth of shared mobility and vehicle electrification – unlocking powerful opportunities for cutting carbon from transportation.
