2019 Year in Review

Happy New Year from CleanChoice Energy! 2019 has been an incredible year filled with many milestones and achievements, as people around the world are fighting to tackle climate change. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from 2019:

The U.S. reached the 100 gigawatts of wind energy milestone

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released a report stating that recent wind power installations have pushed the total capacity for wind energy in the U.S. above 100 gigawatts—enough to power 32 million homes. China is the only other country that has reached this 100 gigawatt milestone.

Greta Thunberg inspired more than 4 million people to strike for the climate

From September 20-27, 4 million people around the world participated in protests demanding urgent action around climate change. More than 2,500 events were held in 163 countries and on all 7 continents. In Germany alone, 1.4 million people took to the streets to protest. 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg began her school strike just over one year ago; since then, she has inspired a global movement and sparked a deeper conversation about the urgency of action against climate change.

Renewables surpassed coal in electricity generated in the U.K. and U.S.

This year, more electricity in the United Kingdom and the United States was generated from renewable sources than coal. In April, 22% of the electricity in the U.S. came from renewable sources, while 20% came from coal. In July, August, and September, 40% of the electricity generated in the U.K. came from renewable sources. This is a huge shift for the U.K., which generated 80% of its power in 2010 from fossil fuels.

Ethiopia planted more than 350 million trees in a single day

On July 29, millions of Ethiopians volunteered to plant trees all across their country, planting 353 million trees in a mere 12 hours. The country aims to plant 4 billions trees this year to help reverse the effects of climate change. 

Italy is now requiring its schools to teach students about climate change

Italy’s education minister recently announced that every public school student will receive at least 33 hours of lessons each year (approximately one per week) about climate change, sustainability, and the environment, starting next September. Italy is now the first and only country in the world to require lessons about climate change. 

Renewable energy customers had a huge impact on the planet

In 2019, CleanChoice Energy customers used 626,658,887 kilowatt hours of 100% clean, renewable energy. That’s equivalent to:

• 7,327,454 trees planted

• 484,454,829 pounds of coal not burned 

• 94,085 cars taken off the road

With all the progress made and all the people around the world fighting for a cleaner planet, there’s much to celebrate as we wrap up 2019. Feeling inspired to do even more to help the planet in 2020? Check out our eco-friendly New Year’s Resolutions, or make the switch to clean energy today to ensure a cleaner tomorrow. Here’s to an even more sustainable 2020!