US Local Governments Are Redefining the Clean Energy Blueprint

Recent federal policy decisions combined with rising energy demand are contributing to an immediate set of challenges for Americans: volatile electricity prices and growing concerns about affordability and reliability.

In this moment of uncertainty, local governments remain some of the most effective and trusted leaders that can tackle these challenges. Cities, towns and counties across the country are leading the clean energy transition to stabilize energy costs and deliver tangible community benefits. They are also returning to many of the same durable strategies that helped maintain momentum during previous periods of instability — leaning more on collaborative efforts with other jurisdictions and the private sector to secure clean energy for their communities.

Local governments are applying a range of strategies. They are leveraging municipal assets to host clean energy projects, streamlining local ordinance and permitting processes, making the most of limited remaining clean energy incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act for battery storage and geothermal projects, and exploring how to integrate localized energy generation and storage technologies to increase community and grid resilience. They are also working to maintain energy affordability by influencing state regulatory and legislative decisions, engaging utilities on program design and long-range planning and intervening in rate cases to help control price increases.

Here are five innovative ways cities, counties and towns in the U.S. are investing in people-centered clean energy solutions to build cleaner, safer and more affordable communities.