By Ben Hellerstein

On July 31, legislators voted to increase renewable energy in Massachusetts, taking an important step toward cleaner air, healthier communities, and a safe future for our children.

If signed by Governor Baker, this legislation will raise the portion of our electricity coming from renewable sources like solar and wind to 35 percent by 2030. It will also open the door to increasing energy storage, renewable heating, and other clean technologies.

We can and should do much more. Several critical policies were left on the cutting room floor, such as eliminating arbitrary caps that are preventing families and businesses from switching to solar energy. And studies have shown that setting more ambitious clean energy targets -- like 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030 -- will yield major benefits to our environment, our health, and our economy.

At the State House, we're seeing incremental progress on clean energy policy. But beyond Beacon Hill, clean energy is moving ahead by leaps and bounds, thanks to the efforts of local officials, business leaders, and ordinary citizens.

Officials in Springfield have reduced energy consumption for municipal and school buildings by nearly 25 percent, saving more than $2.5 million per year on the city's energy bills. Over ten years, these energy-saving improvements will reduce global warming emissions by the equivalent of preserving 80 acres of forest.

Amherst and Northampton officials have committed to a goal of powering their communities with 100 percent renewable energy. Amherst's Hitchcock Center for the Environment is among the first "living buildings" in Massachusetts, built to such a high standard of energy efficiency that it can be powered and heated entirely with rooftop solar panels.

Local leaders are taking steps to reduce pollution from the transportation sector, including the addition of electric buses to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority fleet and the launch of commuter rail service connecting Springfield and New Haven on the Hartford Line.

Communities in other regions of Massachusetts are also going big on clean energy:



* In New Bedford and on Martha's Vineyard, local residents are preparing to build Massachusetts' first offshore wind farm. In the coming years, offshore wind could provide enormous amounts of clean energy to Massachusetts -- up to 19 times as much electricity as the state consumes each year.

* In Worcester, nonprofits like Dismas House are saving money on their electric bills by switching to solar, allowing them to invest more in serving their communities.

* In the Berkshires, Pittsfield residents are investigating the potential for a downtown microgrid that would connect critical facilities like the police and fire stations with solar panels and energy storage, allowing these buildings to continue operating during power outages. Great Barrington is piloting a program to help residents switch to clean heating technologies like air source heat pumps.

* In Cambridge, city leaders have come up with a detailed plan to reduce carbon emissions from all commercial, residential, and institutional buildings by 70 percent by 2040.

These are just a few of the countless examples of clean energy leadership in towns and cities across the Commonwealth. All in all, solar energy has grown more than 240-fold in Massachusetts in the last 10 years, and we're poised to see similar growth in offshore wind, energy storage, renewable heating, and other technologies.

State leaders should follow the example set by the communities they represent and adopt more ambitious clean energy policies. If Massachusetts is to remain at the forefront of the renewable energy transition, we need to set big goals and follow through with concrete action.

That's why we recently released our 100% Renewable Energy Agenda, an ambitious policy roadmap to accelerate Massachusetts' progress on clean energy across all sectors. The agenda sets out dozens of recommendations for the winner of this fall's gubernatorial race to reduce energy consumption and transition to clean energy for electricity, transportation, and heating.

In the Pioneer Valley and across the Commonwealth, we're seeing more and more signs that a future powered entirely by clean energy is possible. We're seeing widespread support from civic leaders and ordinary citizens for Massachusetts to go big on clean energy. We're seeing some action from officials at the State House, but we need to see a lot more.

When the next legislative session kicks off in January, we're ready to work with legislators and the Governor to put Massachusetts on track to 100 percent renewable energy. Our health and our children's future depend on it.

Ben Hellerstein is state director of Environment Massachusetts