Power a Clean Future Ohio

Chart: Grid battery installations soared to a new high in 2025 The U.S. energy-storage sector has grown rapidly over the last few years as solar has expanded, costs have declined, and electricity demand has soared.

“More than 13 gigawatts of energy storage was installed across the U.S. last year, per a new report from the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and BloombergNEF. That’s up from the roughly 12 GW installed in 2024.” https://bit.ly/4rzOZGd

City of Dayton, UD want to fund community-led ideas for climate resilience The city of Dayton and University of Dayton want to see big ideas for community-driven solutions to climate and environmental challenges.

“It’s really targeted for organizations that may have had a hard time accessing federal grant opportunities to begin with. So this particular opportunity, I would say, is relatively independent of the federal political climate,” Pritchard said. https://bit.ly/4qOfqqp

Black Energy Leaders Across Time: Eight Visionaries Who Powered Progress - Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) Black Energy Leaders Across Time: Eight Visionaries Who Powered Progress This Black History Month, join us to honor those who have shaped our energy past and present in the fight for an equitable energy future for all, regardless of race, class, ability...

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is featuring eight Black Americans this month who bettered their communities – and the entire world – by influencing the technologies and policies we rely on to heat and cool our homes and protect our environment.

Check it out: https://bit.ly/4cJMdcO

ICYMI: The EPA announced it is rescinding the 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health, a determination that has underpinned federal climate regulations for more than a decade. https://bit.ly/3OydJjv

Power a Clean Future Ohio condemns the EPA’s decision to repeal the endangerment finding. This decision disregards settled law to benefit major polluters while shifting the financial burden onto communities that can least afford it.

Our statement: https://bit.ly/4awxWOb

More EV Models Offer Deluxe Backup Power Features For Blackouts American drivers now own more than 600,000 EVs that can serve as an emergency power source.

Need a backup generator? If you own an electric vehicle, you might already have one! More than 600,000 EVs across the country can serve as an emergency power source. https://bloom.bg/4qri7hH

Fairfield Sustains

Congratulations to the City of Fairfield for launching an interactive sustainability dashboard to track their progress and increase transparency! Explore the dashboard: https://sustainability.fairfield-city.org/

West Dayton solar farm with 'refreshing' level of support should save city utility customers $42M Gem City Solar will be the largest solar farm in Dayton and should help Dayton customers save on utility bills.

“Based on market trends, the city estimates it will lead to $42 million in savings for program customers…” https://bit.ly/4aK8qpJ

New solar homes in Cleveland offer fresh starts for those transitioning from homelessness: Mission Possible In Cleveland's St. Clair–Superior neighborhood, new energy-efficient homes mark a milestone for a ministry helping the homeless.

"Solar panels on the roof allow the all-electric homes to produce more energy than they use, keeping utility bills low." https://bit.ly/4tjmT3b

“By improving our energy policies to reflect business desires, companies seeking clean, affordable power will invest, expand and innovate in Ohio.”
https://bit.ly/4awpJdN

PCFO’s Maggie Heiser and Nat Ziegler had a great time at the MEEA Midwest Energy Solutions Conference in Chicago this week!

A big congratulations to Anand Natarajan, Assistant Director for the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in Cleveland, who was honored with the Champion of Energy Equity Award!

Solar met 61% of US electricity demand growth in 2025 | Ember

"Solar growth was essential in helping to meet fast-rising electricity demand in 2025." https://bit.ly/3LVvatw

Thank you to all of the PCFO communities, including Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Gahanna, and Lima, for opposing this effort to scale back Ohio’s net-metering system.

Regulators were right to stop AEP from rolling it back. https://bit.ly/4k8msF1

Solar farm that could power 13K Dayton-area homes gets county tax help A multi-million dollar northwestern Dayton solar project approved by Dayton officials and the Montgomery County commission is expected to break ground in 2025.

Exciting update from Montgomery County and the City of Dayton!

"A multi-million dollar northwestern Dayton solar farm that could power more than 13,000 homes in Montgomery County is expected to be operational by 2026." https://bit.ly/49xut2r

Groundbreaking ceremony held for Fairfield’s first solar panel field A groundbreaking ceremony for Fairfield's solar panel field project was conducted Monday at the five-acre site just east of the Groh Lane plant between it and the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League fields.

“Beginning this summer, Fairfield’s electric cost to run its wastewater treatment plant is expected to drop dramatically. That’s when a field containing an array of 3,000 solar panels is expected to go online.” https://bit.ly/4qvyZo1

Scores and A Lists By scoring organizations, CDP incentivizes and guides them on a journey to leadership on environmental transparency and action.

Check it out: the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County were recognized on the '2025 CDP Cities A List' for demonstrating leadership in environmental transparency. https://cdp.net/en/data/scores#cities-a-list

Department of Development awards grant funding to energy efficiency projects This round of funding is going to 10 organizations across nine counties for energy efficiency retrofits

Congratulations to the City of Lancaster for winning a grant to "install LED lighting, update boilers, and complete building envelope upgrades with annual utility savings of 18.3%"! https://bit.ly/49n5Vcs

Ohio’s largest utility pushes to slash rooftop solar compensation The state’s Public Utilities Commission will decide this year whether to keep its solar net-metering rules in place or to dilute them, per AEP Ohio’s…

“More generation on the grid will help limit the amount of price increases we’re seeing,” Flarida explained. ​“Certainly, if we can encourage more distributed energy, that would offset the amount of added power we need on the grid.” https://bit.ly/3LpFMAn

Cuyahoga County marks 500th solar home installation through government co-op program Cuyahoga County cut the ribbon on the 500th home solar installation through the county's Residential Solar Co-op program.

"As more residents see the financial and environmental benefits of going solar, the program will continue to expand, making clean energy more accessible and affordable for residents." https://bit.ly/4jqDgGN

Cuyahoga County solar panel program celebrates 500th home Homeowner Rob Button flipped the switch on Thursday for his new solar panels, marking the 500th home helped by Cuyahoga County’s Residential Solar Co-Op Program.

“You’re looking at a twenty-percent savings on your energy bill over twenty-five years,” Ronayne explained. “So, for us, this is a bottom line ‘good for our climate’ and ‘good for the homeowner.’” https://bit.ly/4qvTUqS

Cuyahoga County celebrates 500 solar-powered homes milestone through co-op program Cuyahoga County marks 500 solar-powered homes through its co-op program with Solar United Neighbors, offering affordable green energy options.

"For us, this is a bottom-line good for our climate and good for our homeowners," Ronayne said. "This is all about affordable green energy here in Cuyahoga County, and the partnership with Solar United, & Yellow Light, & most importantly, our homeowners." https://bit.ly/3L9Nvm8

This year wasn’t without its challenges, but Ohio communities continue to prove that with strong local leadership and collaboration, we can work towards a more sustainable and affordable future. Thank you, and we’ll see you in 2026!

...updates in Columbus, Lima, Maple Heights, Oakwood Village, and Solon, and producing two new video series designed to help communities navigate the changing landscape for clean energy and sustainability. (3/4)

PCFO welcomed new staff to the team, which made it possible to provide more direct support to communities across Ohio. That included co-hosting a Sustainability Tour in Cincinnati and a Sustainability Summit in Ashtabula County, featuring new projects and... (2/4)

As 2025 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank all of you for being a part of this work!

This year, we were thrilled to grow our network with the additions of Springfield, Fairfield, Maumee, and Bowling Green, bringing the total number of PCFO Communities to 54. (1/4)

The City of Bowling Green has officially joined PCFO as our 54th member community!

“Joining Power a Clean Future Ohio enhances our ability to embrace sustainable solutions that make sense for Bowling Green,” said Rachel Sizer, City of Bowling Green Sustainability Coordinator. https://bit.ly/48HUxWO

Athens Mayor Steve Patterson was in Brazil for the COP30 Local Leaders Conference, where he talked about how cities, towns, and villages are stepping up and leading on sustainability.


Thanks for giving PCFO a shoutout on the big stage, Mayor!

Cincinnati’s climate blueprint shows progress as Ohio cities look on Cincinnati leaders say the city’s ambitious Green Cincinnati Plan is moving forward despite financial uncertainty and shifting federal priorities — and they hope the progress can guide communities acr...

"Cincinnati is now halfway through its five-year implementation cycle, and city officials say early progress shows what’s possible when residents, nonprofits, businesses and government collaborate." https://bit.ly/3XhYb4F

“This isn’t blue versus red. This isn’t farmer versus city resident. This is all of us, right? And that’s how change happens, when we start getting together.” – Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne https://bit.ly/3KgLQL1

At the first-ever Ashtabula County Sustainability Summit, local leaders joined community members and students at Kent State University to workshop practical solutions for a more sustainable future. Check it out!