Governor Dan McKee signed into law the 2021 Act on Climate (S-0078A, H-5445A), legislation which updates Rhode Island's climate-emission reduction goals. The bill will position the state to boldly address climate change and prepare for a global economy that will be shifting to adapt to clean technology.

Under the 2021 Act on Climate, the state will develop a plan to incrementally reduce climate emissions to net-zero by 2050. The plan will be updated every 5 years and will address areas such as environmental injustices, public health inequities and a fair employment transition as fossil-fuel jobs are replaced by green energy jobs.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is collaborating with the City of East Providence and Kearsarge Energy on a solar installation project along the city’s waterfront. RIPTA will receive credit from the power generated by the solar installation, which will save an estimated $250,000 annually in energy costs, while the clean energy produced from the site will save approximately 62,000 tons of carbon emissions over the next 25 years.

Kearsarge Energy completed construction of the nine acre, 6,000 panel solar installation in December of 2020. Located on the site of the former Dexter Road Tank Farm in East Providence, the solar installation will generate new tax revenue for the city. The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources assisted RIPTA in creating a net energy proposal beneficial to all parties.

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RIHousing and the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) will be releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) on May 26 for the 2021 Zero Energy for the Ocean State (ZEOS) Program. This program offers up to $750,000 in grants to design and construct affordable, energy efficient housing to serve low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders.

This program is the result of a public-private partnership between RIHousing, OER and National Grid to stimulate innovative, replicable solutions that utilize cost saving, clean energy technologies in homes. Program partners are seeking proposals from qualified teams to design and construct affordable, energy efficient Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) that use technologies such as solar, storage, and electric heat pumps, and enable demand response participation.

Electric cars have been on the rise in Rhode Island for years, but lesser-known electric motorcycles are also appearing on the road. Russ’ Ocean State Harley-Davidson in Warwick, Rhode Island, recently installed a ChargePoint DC fast charger utilizing the State’s Electrify RI - Electric Vehicle Charging Station Incentive Program. The charger is available for customer use and can also be used by the public to charge any electric vehicle, including motorcycles.

“As Harley-Davidson begins to make EV motorcycles, it is important for us to be a part of the infrastructure buildout that will support the operation of these vehicles,” says Dana Bishop of Russ’ Ocean State Harley-Davidson.

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Jackie Olivieri joined OER as a Programming Services Officer in the summer of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. In her position, she assists with the overall development of renewable energy programs and monitors them for effectiveness and efficiency. Jackie also maintains the Rhode Island Community Solar Marketplace website and assists with the RI Clean Energy Internship Program, in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Fund.

Read her full interview on our blog.