Thousands of businesses and individuals in Kentucky are taking steps to save energy and money. By 2030, population growth and financial gaps are expected to leave nearly 700 million people without electricity and more than 2 billion without a clean kitchen. The potential of universal access to clean energy to generate economic and human health benefits is immense. Advances in solar energy, combined with high-efficiency lighting and appliances, are helping to reduce domestic electricity costs, while innovative consumer finance is making clean energy more affordable and expanding markets for decentralized solutions.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), providing universal access to a clean kitchen could prevent 1.8 million premature deaths each year between now and 2030, free up billions of hours spent cooking or collecting firewood, and improve the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of women. In the clean energy sector, prioritizing women's employment has yielded promising results. For instance, Grameen Shakti from Bangladesh has trained 3,000 women as solar technicians to install and maintain solar home systems in rural areas. Since 2003, 4.12 million solar systems have been installed, increasing per capita income by 9 to 12 percent, creating 115,000 jobs and reducing carbon emissions by 160,000 tons per year. Today, Vice President Harris will visit a union headquarters and training center in Boston to highlight the new measures the Biden-Harris administration is taking to reduce energy costs for working families and support well-paying jobs and the manufacturing industry in the United States.
This initiative identifies the renewable energy potential of these sites and provides other useful resources for communities, developers, industry, state and local governments or anyone interested in reusing these sites for renewable energy development. The government is committed to achieving ambitious goals for reducing maritime emissions, which will require the resources and experience of many federal agencies working together. Many renewable resources are located in remote areas that lack fast or cost-effective access to transmission. Public benefit funds for renewable energy are a set of resources that states use to invest in clean energy supply projects.
