The goal of powering a company, city, state, or nation with 50%, 75%, or even 100% renewable electricity would have seemed preposterous not long ago. But increasingly, a growing number of companies and governments are aim­ing to achieve such targets. And nobody is laughing.

In 2015 alone, California established a 50% by 2030 renewable portfolio standard (RPS); Vermont a 75% RPS by 2032; and Hawaii a 100% RPS by 2045. International jurisdictions that are already 100% powered by renewable energy include the nation of Iceland, several small islands, and the states of Carinthia in Austria and Schleswig-Holstein (population 2.8 million) in Germany.

Dozens of corporations are already procuring 100% of their electrons from renewables for their U.S. operations, including Apple, Intel, Kohl’s and Voya Financial, and many more are aiming to get there in the next decade or two.

What’s driving this trend?

Created by Clean Edge and commissioned by SolarCity, the Getting to 100 report highlights five major developments enabling the shift to 100% renewables. These include:

1. An Emboldened, Resilient Grid Takes Shape

2. Net Zero Buildings And Smart Connected Devices Drive Efficiency Renaissance

3. Energy Storage Completes the Puzzle

4. Utility-Scale Renewables Grow Up

5. Distributed Solar Becomes Cost-Effective Across Geographies

Getting to 100 also assesses and analyzes the full suite of options
available for aggressively expanding corporate and government
use of clean energy, including onsite renewables, community solar,
utility-scale renewables, renewable energy credits (RECs), green
energy tariffs, and third party clean-energy offerings.

The Renewables Toolkit

Getting to 100% renewables is not a trivial task and depending on a range of factors, can take years or decades for organizations and regions to achieve. It requires a whole systems approach; one that encompasses a range of decision points and actions. Included in the Getting to 100 report, the Renewables Toolkit walks through the main decision-making processes that companies and governments need to consider as they pursue their renewable energy goals.