Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized the City of Madison for committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its facilities by at least 50% within 10 years and to work with DOE to share successful solutions and decarbonization strategies. As a partner in DOE’s Better Climate Challenge, the City is one of more than 80 organizations across the U.S. economy that are stepping up to the Challenge and driving real-world action toward a low-carbon future.
As the City of Madison undertakes this challenge, DOE will support its efforts with technical assistance, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and a platform where this City can demonstrate its commitment to being part of the solution to climate change.
To reach this emissions goal, the City will continue and accelerate its work to improve the energy efficiency of its facilities, pursue building and transportation electrification, and grow the number of solar energy installations on City properties. The City has already installed more than 1.3 megawatts of solar capacity, which provides carbon-free electricity to power city operations.
“The City of Madison is proud to join DOE and other partners around the U.S. to help lead the transition to a clean energy future. We look forward to sharing our decarbonization progress and strategies to help others build on our success,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “Collaborations like the Better Climate Challenge are critical for creating effective, scalable climate solutions.”
“Better Climate Challenge partners like the City of Madison are committing to decarbonize across their portfolio of buildings, plants, and fleets and share effective strategies to transition our economy to clean energy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Their leadership and innovation are crucial in our collective fight against climate change while strengthening the U.S. economy.”
The Better Climate Challenge is the government platform that provides transparency, accountability, technical assistance, and collaboration to identify decarbonization pathways and provide recognition for leadership across the US economy. The Better Climate Challenge builds on over a decade of DOE experience through the Better Buildings Initiative. Through Better Buildings, DOE partners with public and private sector organizations to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings more efficient, thereby saving billions of dollars on energy bills, reducing emissions, and creating thousands of jobs. To date, more than 950 Better Buildings partners have shared their innovative approaches and strategies for adopting energy efficient technologies. Discover more than 3,000 of these solutions in the Better Buildings Solution Center.
