Across the United States, well over 100 cities have made ambitious renewable energy commitments, even after the U.S. withdrew in 2017 from the United Nations’ Paris Agreement on climate change. To help these cities meet—and beat—their decarbonization goals, the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, Rocky Mountain Institute, World Resources Institute, and Urban Sustainability Directors Network have joined forces to help them procure more than 2.8 gigawatts of renewable capacity. That's more than the total existing solar capacity in Florida or Texas, according to RMI.

To do so, the group has developed a program to deliver resources that can help cities quickly implement and scale clean-energy solutions. Called the American Cities Climate Challenge Renewables Accelerator , it works with municipalities to access off-site renewable energy, deploy renewables locally, and navigate regulatory and policy barriers. The accelerator was developed to support Bloomberg Philanthropies' American Cities Climate Challenge , which recently announced its 25 winners, as well as the nearly 200 cities that are members of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. (Many of these resources are, however, available to any city.)

Pittsburgh, the latest Bloomberg Climate Challenge winner, is working toward purchasing more renewables from local utility Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium.

Different cities will encounter varying challenges, of course, but for many, some of the biggest obstacles include dealing with regulatory and policy constraints that restrict purchasing choice, scaling to capacity, and choosing utility providers. Even where no prohibitive legislation exists, with no precedent set for renewables, city officials often encounter intricacies in technical requirements and bureaucratic issues that can be complex and difficult to surmount. The Renewables Accelerator offers support and expertise including securing large-scale, off-site energy (typically wind and solar); deploying renewable energy sources locally (for example, adding solar energy sources to rooftops or brownfields); and navigating regulatory and policy barriers by engaging with utilities and policy makers.

“Most cities haven't played in this space,” says Rushad Nanavatty, principal in RMI's Business Renewables Center. “Our program is designed to help them overcome each of those barriers.”

With workshops, technical advice, and peer-to-peer networking, the program offers guidance on a broad range of issues and acts as a boot camp for getting city administrators up to speed quickly. Creating a platform for peer-exchange is also critical, says Nanavatty, who notes that policy makers and other civil workers can benefit considerably from the “been there, done that” experience of other municipal officials who have already begun to implement changes.

Houston has become the largest buyer of renewable electricity in the U.S.

Bloomberg Climate Challenge winner Pittsburgh, for example, is working toward purchasing more renewables from local utility Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium. As a large institutional buyer, it has had success influencing which sources its power comes from, which encourages large-scale clean-energy projects. Additionally, the city is encouraging its entire region to shift toward renewables. Similarly, 20 cities in New England have convened to investigate what their collective purchasing power can yield. Meanwhile, Houston has become the largest buyer of renewable electricity in the U.S. Other cities, such as Boulder, Colorado, are working toward taking ownership of its power supplies by investing in municipal systems.

Regardless of national policy or politics, cities can make a major impact on creating a cleaner future and supporting the fight against climate change in a meaningful way. Many are already taking responsibility for a decarbonized future into their own hands. “I can't think of another country where the federal government has stepped away from the Paris Agreement [but] where communities and individuals have stepped up, even in the face of really daunting challenges,” says Nanavatty, who has worked with organizations in 22 countries. “That kind of classic American can-do spirit is remarkable.”