Large energy buyers—including companies, cities and institutional customers—have a critical role to play in achieving a carbon-free grid. While they have driven a substantial amount of new renewable energy capacity in recent years, large energy buyers can still take a variety of other actions to help facilitate the substantial grid transformation needed this decade. Some buyers are starting to undertake more advanced purchasing and energy use practices that match clean energy generation to their energy use, including the use of energy storage, load shifting and carbon-free generation sources that can operate at all hours of the day. Some are also beginning to encourage clean energy policy and grid investments, adoption of new clean energy technologies, and approaches that help ensure an equitable and just transition to clean energy.

This webinar will highlight findings from a forthcoming WRI issue brief, which focuses on advanced actions like these that large energy buyers can take to reach a 100% carbon free grid. It will also feature presentations from Google and the City of Des Moines on how they developed and pursued their own 24/7 clean energy targets.