Rhode Island jumped In the race toward 100% renewable energy last week, Governor Dan Mackie signed a bill requiring the state to reach the target by 2033, the state’s most aggressive target yet. Only Oregon is getting close, launching in 2040.
In some ways, Rhode Island has it easy. With a population of just over a million people, it’s smaller than many metro areas, so switching to renewables isn’t as massive a task as it would be in California or Texas.
But on the other hand, renewables tend to take up a lot of space, and the state’s 1 million residents are densely packed — Rhode Island is the second most densely populated state in the country.
While Rhode Island may not have an area, it does have plenty of open water blessed with strong, consistent winds, making it an ideal setting for offshore winds. This is why a country’s rapid transition to renewable energy is as much about tackling climate change as it is about securing the country’s economic future.
