Renewable energy is essentially a given when you are living off grid. The logistics and expense of transporting heating oil, kerosene, diesel, etc, to run a generator isn’t practical for long-term use, so most people who live off grid tend to rely on solar or wind to provide power to their homes.
Meanwhile, those who are concerned about the environment have been pushing our government to invest more in renewable energy, with limited success. The sad truth is that on the state and federal level, the public utilities and the fossil fuel industry simply has too much influence. They spend millions (hundreds of millions actually) to combat bills that would mandate the expansion of renewable energy to help power homes, businesses, and transportation, and they even engage in shady practices to deceive voters into passing laws that hamper renewable energy on the state level in some cases.
However, many have seen what can be accomplished by going off grid and turning to renewable energy, and that list includes entire cities here in the U.S. (and worldwide).
Park City, Utah is one of the latest cities to sign on to a pledge to convert their city’s energy to 100% renewable in the coming years. Currently, there are around 100 cities that have signed the pledge and have started shifting their energy away from fossil fuels.
Since the federal and state governments have been slow to act, it is encouraging to see local city governments make these moves on their own. It is really just a continuation of the movement that homesteaders and the off grid community have been doing for years out of necessity, but it is certainly beneficial to see it being done on a larger scale as more citizens are pushing their communities and even corporations to do something to help combat climate change, improve infrastructure, and break the chains imposed by the fossil fuel industry on local utilities