Financing Clean Energy: A Powerful Tool for Driving Investment in Vermont’s Economy

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) proposes that Vermont could leverage an initial $7 million public investment into $148 million of total clean energy investment over 15 years. This expanded financing capacity would support nearly 50 MW of new solar and wind power, save homes and businesses $14.6 million annually on electricity bills, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 111,500 tons by 2031. The report details existing Vermont programs—such as Efficiency Vermont, PACE financing, and the Clean Energy Development Fund—and suggests a more comprehensive, coordinated public-private financing initiative to meet the state's long-term goal of 90% renewable energy and efficiency by 2050.

• An initial public capitalization of $7 million in Vermont could be leveraged into a total investment of $148 million in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects over a 15-year period.
• By 2031, expanded clean energy financing could result in the deployment of nearly 50 MW of new wind and solar capacity, which would generate or save electricity equivalent to 3.2% of Vermont's 2015 electricity sales.
• Investments in energy efficiency through an expanded financing initiative are estimated to save Vermont homes and businesses $14.6 million on annual electricity bills by 2031.
• The proposed financing expansion could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 111,500 tons over 15 years, a reduction comparable to removing 21,300 cars from the road.
• Vermont's clean energy sector showed strong growth between 2013 and 2015, with jobs increasing by approximately 9.8% annually to exceed 16,000 positions, driven largely by the solar industry which grew by 22%.
• Vermont has established a Renewable Portfolio Standard requiring utilities to source 55% of electricity sales from renewable energy by 2017 and 75% by 2032.
• To achieve the state's 2050 goal of meeting 90% of energy needs from renewable sources and efficiency, an estimated $33 billion in clean energy investment is required, including $16.6 billion for thermal energy efficiency and fuel switching.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Financing Clean Energy: A Powerful Tool for Driving Investment in Vermont’s Economy. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/12/vermont-clean-energy-finance.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Financing Clean Energy: A Powerful Tool for Driving Investment in Vermont’s Economy. 2016. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/12/vermont-clean-energy-finance.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Financing Clean Energy: A Powerful Tool for Driving Investment in Vermont’s Economy |date=December 2016 |url=https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/12/vermont-clean-energy-finance.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016financing, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Financing Clean Energy: A Powerful Tool for Driving Investment in Vermont’s Economy}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/12/vermont-clean-energy-finance.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }