Avangrid joins the DOE’s Better Climate Challenge

Published on March 02, 2022 by Dave Kovaleski

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Avangrid has joined the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Climate Challenge, through which it commits to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent in 10 years.

Avangrid, a leading clean energy company, is one of more than 80 organizations across the U.S. economy participating in the Challenge.

“At AVANGRID, we are accelerating the transformation to a cleaner tomorrow,” Zsoka McDonald, chief sustainability officer and senior vice president of corporate communications at Avangrid, said. “While we focus on increasing access to renewable energy for everyone, we also recognize that a clean energy future and the road to carbon neutrality requires that we identify and reduce environmental impacts across our own footprint. The DOE is a fitting partner in this work. Through this Challenge and our partnership, we can achieve our shared goal of fostering a cleaner, more sustainable world.”

Avangrid was the first utility in the nation to pledge to achieve Scope 1 carbon neutrality by 2035 and is the third-largest wind and solar operator in the United States.

“Better Climate Challenge partners like Avangrid are committing to decarbonize across their portfolio of buildings, plants, and fleets and share effective strategies to transition our economy to clean energy,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “Their leadership and innovation are crucial in our collective fight against climate change while strengthening the U.S. economy.”

Avangrid has committed to reducing its CO2 footprint across its more than 4.8 million square feet of space at its facilities by 50 percent in 10 years. It plans to achieve these goals through continued deployment of renewable generation, new technologies such as green hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and storage to reduce emissions. Avangrid is also installing solar panels at its largest facilities, procuring renewable energy, and reducing the overall facility’s carbon footprint.