D.C. Clean Energy Summit: What You Should Know

Kayla Benjamin Climate & Environment Writer

Money and jobs were top priority at the second Clean Energy Summit, hosted by the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (DCPSC) on Jan. 18. Over the course of three panels, experts from across sectors discussed opportunities for the District to harness a clean energy transition for economic growth without exacerbating racial and income inequalities.

“There's an urgency to act on climate and the changing environment. And there's an urgency to act on environmental justice and equity. But I submit to you that it's not an either/or proposition—that we can, and we must, advance both,” said Willie Phillips, acting chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in an address at the start of the summit.

In case watching four hours of clean energy panels isn’t your idea of fun, here are three key takeaways to know about.

BLACK LEADERSHIP DRIVES OUR REGION’S ENERGY SECTOR

All fifteen energy leaders who took the stage during the summit were Black. Willie Phillips, who kicked off the event with a keynote address, be- came the first Black person to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission when President Joe Biden tapped him for the job earlier this month.

D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie spoke, as did all three DCPSC commissioners. Other panelists and moderators hailed from federal and local government agencies, private companies and nonprofit organizations.

The Black leadership displayed at the summit was particularly striking in light of national and local underrepresentation throughout the clean energy industry. D.C.’s workforce was 35% Black in 2020, but Black people made up just under 26% of employees in clean energy, according to a 2021 report compiled by six clean energy organizations.

Lower Energy Bills And Paid Job Training

Panelists from the D.C. government touched on existing programs that aim to connect residents to clean energy’s benefits. One such program is Solar for All, which helps low-income households access solar energy and lower their bills by up to 50%. The program provides some rooftop installations for homeowners, but most Solar for All participants are renters who sign up to receive energy from big community solar facilities across the city.

“We engage in the Solar for All program because we do not believe, and the District does not believe, that the benefits of clean energy should be for the privileged few,” Ernest Jolly, the newly selected head of the DC Sustainable Energy Utility, said at the summit.

The DC Infrastructure Academy also received attention at the summit. Located in Ward 8, the program partners with District utilities and other companies to provide paid training and on-the-job experience. Participants make $16.10 an hour while learning specialized skills and connecting with a variety of companies in the infrastructure field.

“You don't know that there's a job in solar panel installation if nobody in your neighborhood has solar panels,” said Arlen Herrell, deputy chief of innovation and partnerships at the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, during the day’s second panel. “There are pipelines that seem to be closed off to certain communities just because of a lack of exposure.”

Gas Utility Remains The Elephant In The Room

Speakers at the summit addressed everything from e-bikes to hydrogen batteries, solar farms to home insulation. But the District’s current reliance on natural gas, or methane, went unmentioned. Half of D.C. households use gas to heat their homes and more than 60% have gas stoves, according to data from the Energy Information Administration.

Burning natural gas produces far less carbon than other non-renewables, such as coal. But it’s still a fossil fuel. None of the panelists discussed how—or whether—continued use of gas fit into their vision of a sustainable D.C. energy future. It’s a touchy subject for the DCPSC, which regulates Washington Gas and has in the past approved its pricey improvement plans despite activists’ calls to phase out gas altogether.

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