U.S. Energy Foundation

The Portland Clean Energy Fund—aimed at reducing carbon emissions in Portland, Oregon, and helping the city’s most vulnerable residents adapt to climate change—has helped reduce carbon emissions by about 25,500 metric tons, the equivalent of removing about 6,000 gas-powered vehicles from the road for one year.

The fund is expected to complete its first five-year plan by mid-2029, investing $1.6 billion back into the city through funding efforts like community solar projects and energy efficiency retrofits.

"It's a fund that's intended to scale up local, community-based climate solutions that address our very real climate realities, community resilience and economic resiliency," said Sam Baraso, the Portland Clean Energy Fund program manager.
https://bit.ly/43uVEXQ

How one Oregon city has raised a billion dollars for climate change The Portland Clean Energy Fund has raised a billion dollars for climate change action via a retail tax on large corporations in the city. Other cities are starting to shape similar funds.

City officials in Denver, Colorado, are repurposing parts of the city’s old, fossil fuel-powered steam system to create a thermal energy network to heat and cool downtown buildings, using a combination of water-source heat pumps, heat from the Earth, and energy from wastewater.

The ambient loop of energy is up to 75% cheaper than other ways of decarbonizing those buildings, and it will save taxpayers and customers money.

Officials believe success with the pilot can be adapted to thousands of gas customers near downtown, accelerating the city's push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040. It also could set an example for how to decarbonize a dense, downtown core in the U.S.

"If you can come to one of the most bustling, vibrant downtowns in the world and discover any one of those buildings is heated and cooled by water…that is a breakthrough for the city and, I think, a breakthrough for the country,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
https://bit.ly/3Q3cfyV

Denver has a plan to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels. It involves … sewage? Like many cities, Denver's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is its buildings. Heating and cooling skyscrapers requires a lot of fossil fuels. Now, the city is trying a surprising solution.

In Utah—where three-quarters of the state’s electricity is generated from coal and natural gas—a coalition of 19 communities aims to generate enough clean electricity—through renewable energy projects, like solar arrays and wind farms—to offset the power used in their homes and businesses.

The coalition plans to announce its first clean energy project this summer and begin generating power by 2030. The effort could be a model for other U.S. cities to take climate action at the local level.

"The fact that our efforts here have been happening over the course of multiple federal administrations already…it shows us that at the local level, you can continue to move on climate strategies regardless of the federal winds," said Emily Quinton, sustainability director of Summit County, one of the communities in the coalition.

In conservative Utah, some communities are ditching fossil fuel power for clean energy In conservative Utah, a coalition of cities and towns shows other communities how to bring new renewable energy to the electric grid in a unique way.

Officials in Multnomah County, Oregon, unveiled a new library powered by solar and built with other sustainable features, including mass timber construction, radiant floor heating, air-source heat pumps, and passive solar design that includes substantial daylighting from tall windows and north-facing skylights.

The East County Library is part of a series of new and improved libraries throughout the Portland metro area, many of which include solar installations.

Multnomah County, Oregon powers up new library with 188 kW solar installation The installation, featuring Qcells modules, CPS inverters and Sunmodo racking, is the latest in a series of Portland-area library buildings powered by solar panels.

A pilot program in New York City is giving residents plug-in batteries that can power their air conditioners during peak demand, helping to keep residents cool, reduce grid strain, and lessen the need for new infrastructure.

Initiatives like this could have a significant impact on power reliability and affordability.

“I can’t put solar panels on my roof,” said Bianca Pasternack, a New York City renter enrolled in the program. “This is at least something that’s accessible and easy. It was very set-it-and-forget-it.”

Air conditioning battery program for renters could help cities manage grid stress during heat waves A renter-friendly pilot program in New York City is aiming to reduce strain on the power grid while helping customers with power bills.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan—where some locals spend more than one-third of their household income on utility bills—a first-of-its-kind, supplemental municipal utility is installing solar and battery systems to reduce residents’ energy costs and boost grid reliability.

The solar and battery installations are the first step toward a future that could include microgrids, geothermal heating and cooling networks, and energy justice initiatives for residents.

A 2025 report found Michigan’s power grid experienced longer-duration outages over the past five years than all but a handful of other states. Energy storage from this initiative will help residents maintain power through outages and boost overall system reliability by “[minimizing] the need for distribution systems (e.g., poles and wires), which are currently the most vulnerable part of the existing energy system,” the utility reported.

‘Supplemental’ municipal utility begins solar-and-storage installs in Ann Arbor, Michigan The Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility will use locally sited solar, batteries and other resources to improve reliability and lower costs for subscribers, city officials say.

More than 140,000 heat pump owners in Massachusetts saved at least $37 million on their power bills this winter—an average of more than $250 per customer—due to new electric rates for heat pumps.

Heat pumps are vital to decarbonizing buildings in the state, which has ambitious climate targets, cold weather, and lots of homes heated by fossil fuels. Massachusetts was the first state to require all of its major electric utilities to provide seasonal heat pump rates, knocking from 4.3 cents to 7.5 cents per kilowatt-hour off the standard winter price.

“This was a big deal, for Massachusetts to be the first state to implement these rates with all of the major investor-owned utilities,” said Amanda Sachs, state policy manager at electrification nonprofit Rewiring America. ​“It really helps our case for electrification being a key part of energy affordability."

New winter rates saved at least $37M for Massachusetts heat-pump… Rhode Island and New York are in the early stages of considering similar discounts for households that install the electric, clean-heating technology.

A bikeshare in metro Omaha, Iowa, is allowing residents over 16 to ride their all-electric bikes for free within the service area.

Local leaders are optimistic that in addition to fewer emissions; cleaner air; and the other public health, economic, and equity benefits, this system also will help improve bicycle infrastructure in the city over time.
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'Best Bikeshare in America': An Unexpected Community Launches Free, All-Electric Micromobility For Residents — Streetsblog USA Omaha and neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa share an expansive e-bikeshare network that punches above its weight, supporters say — and now, it's free to all residents, too.

San Francisco launched a pilot program to swap gas water heaters for electric heat-pump versions at child care facilities in disadvantaged communities.

Gas-powered appliances emit harmful pollutants that can be especially damaging to children, whose lungs and immune systems are still developing. The initiative improves indoor air quality, reduces emissions, lowers energy costs, and modernizes child care facilities—and it could be a model for other communities looking to decarbonize their buildings and give their children access to cleaner, safer air.
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San Francisco helps home child care centers wean off gas The city launched a $300,000 pilot to swap gas water heaters for electric heat-pump versions at child care facilities in disadvantaged communities.

An apartment building in Providence, Rhode Island, was retrofitted with 277 heat pumps, which will save the building an estimated $94,500 in energy costs a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 219 tons annually—equivalent to a gas car driving about 500,000 miles.

Residential buildings account for about 20% of carbon emissions in the U.S., and heating and cooling is responsible for over half of those buildings’ energy use.
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How a Rhode Island apartment building for seniors installed 277 heat pumps in just 12 days Climate tech startup Gradient tells Fast Company exclusively how it retrofitted a Providence apartment building to slash emissions and save energy costs.