Dive Summary:

• The City Council in Palo Alto, Calif., voted unanimously on Monday to approve a 100% carbon-free portfolio for the city's electricity needs.
• The Utilities Advisory Commission had already approved the plan, which would rely on sources such as wind, solar, renewable gas from landfills and hydro-electric generation, Palo Alto Online reports, with Palo Alto seeking new contracts and purchasing "renewable energy certificates" to cover additional needs.
• The move comes as the latest development in an ongoing pursuit of clean electricity for the city, which began with a 2007 report from the Palo Alto's Green Ribbon Task Force.

From the article:

"... While 'consent' items typically get approved with no discussion, Councilman Pat Burt wavered from the typical process to recognize what he called 'a really significant event.' Burt said he has heard for a long time from many people across the country and from other nations that getting 100 percent clean electricity is 'unimaginable and unobtainable' without high costs. By moving ahead with the plan, the city is proving these naysayers wrong, Burt said. Palo Alto, he said, has 'disproved the claim' that a strong economy and clean energy are 'mutually exclusive ambitions.' .."