President Obama has issued a memo calling on agencies to use renewable forms of energy for at least 20 percent of the total electric energy they consume during a fiscal year by 2020 – saying the federal government must lead by example in promoting energy security, and combating climate change and protecting the environment.
The memo builds on an October 2009 executive order – “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance” – and directs agencies to update their building-performance and energy-management practices.
The memo directs agencies to achieve the 20 percent renewable usage (it must be at least 10 percent by 2015 and increase from there) in the following ways, by order of priority:
– Installing agency-funded renewable energy on-site at federal facilities and retain renewable energy certificates;
– Contracting for energy that includes the installation of a renewable energy project on-site at a federal facility or off-site from a federal facility and the retention of renewable energy certificates for the term of the contract;
– Purchasing electricity and corresponding renewable energy certificates (ownership of renewable energy certificates will be used to track progress, as well as tracked by MWh in the case of energy generated on federal land or with thermal, etc.);
