Tag: – Works in Progress

Concord, New Hampshire, USA

Concord, New Hampshire, USA

  • Target: 100% renewable electricity by 2030, 100% clean energy in all sectors by 2050
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Solar and wind power
  • Implementation: The state capital of Concord has received strong support from public, private, and faith-based sectors in its goal to achieve a clean energy future, joining three other New Hampshire cities in this quest. The city has begun the planning process to achieve its clean energy goals. On July 9, 2018, the Concord City Council voted unanimously to work toward 100% clean and renewable energy. The resolution already received plenty community support, with endorsements from the State Employees Association, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord, the Chamber of Commerce, and the editorial board of The Concord Monitor. The capital’s largest private sector employer, Concord Hospital, was also supportive of the initiative. Concord’s resolution states that Concord Energy and the Environment Advisory Committee will work with the city government to create a stakeholder committee that will help shape Concord’s strategic energy plan. This measure is intended to ensure that every part of the Concord community is able to offer input on the plan, which the city plans to gather through public meetings. Within the first year, the Energy and Environment Committee will lead the development of a strategic plan to establish feasible pathways to complete the transition to 100% clean energy.The city has already taken steps in implementation. It is planning the development of a large solar photovoltaic facility on the city’s closed landfill. It is developing changes to the local zoning ordinance to accommodate the siting of solar projects. It is investigating opportunities to use New Hampshire’s Volkswagen settlement money to invest in electric-vehicle charging infrastructure in the city. It is engaging in discussions with major city institutions, local gas and electric utilities, and state policymakers about how best to achieve the adopted renewable energy goals. Concord is also making use of statewide legislation that promotes clean energy for all New Hampshire residents. These measures include tax incentives for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits, as well as net metering for homeowners using solar- or wind-generated power.
  • Population: 43,412 (2018)
  • Area: 67.5 sq mi (174.8 km2)
  • Link: 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY GOAL STRATEGIC PLAN
Concord, New Hampshire, USA

Cook Islands

Cook Islands

  • Target: Eliminate carbon emissions by 2020.
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Solar photovoltaic arrays
  • Implementation: The Cook Islands depend heavily on imported fuels and the cost of electricity based on these fuels is very high. Although nearly all households in the Cook Islands are connected to grid electricity, only 5.5% of households have additional solar photovoltaic systems installed, and 1% use small diesel generators. Several actions have taken place throughout the islands to increase the uptake of renewable energy. In the country's south, the Asian Development Bank's Ordinary Capital Resources has loaned US$11.19 to help fund solar projects. The EU has invested US$7.26 million, and the Cook Islands government has added an in-kind contribution of US$5.83 million. The total funding for the build out comes with an installation target in megawatts. The solar projects is expected to save 1.09 million liters of diesel consumption annually, and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2,930 tons. This project will assist the Cook Islands government’s Office of the Energy Commissioner and the Renewable Energy Development Division in developing an energy efficiency policy implementation plan. In May 2015, the Government of New Zealand announced the completion of solar array projects in Rakahanga, Pukapuka, Nassau, Palmerston, and on the northern Cook islands of Penrhyn and Manihiki, where solar photovoltaic panels are expected to provide over 95 per cent of the electricity needs for the villages they connect to and deliver power to more than 230 homes and public buildings.
  • Population: 17,379 (2016)
  • Area: 236.7 km2 (91.4 sq mi)
  • Link: COOK ISLANDS RENEWABLE ENERGY
Cook Islands

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark

  • Target: Carbon neutral capital by 2025
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Windpower, solar energy, biomass cogeneration plants, biogas and hybrid buses, electrical and hydrogen-powered cars, and energy retrofitted buildings.
  • Implementation: The city of Copenhagen, Denmark, aims at be a carbon neutral capital by 2025. In 2014, the city received the European Green Capital Award and in 2013 the Climate Leadership Prize. In 2009, Copenhagen City Council adopted a 2015 climate plan for the city, which resulted in a reduction of CO2 emissions by 21% by 2011 in comparison to 2005 figures. To reach the 2025 carbon free target, the city will focus on four main areas: energy consumption, energy production, mobility, and city administration initiatives. It includes the construction of land and offshore wind turbines, energy retrofitted buildings, implementation of Low-Energy Construction in all buildings, and promotion of solar energy. In addition to that, the city plans the switch from coal to biomass in heat and power plants, geothermal plant, more renewable energy in the country´s electricity grid, and the obligation of energy companies to save energy. The capital is also taking into account the stricter European regulations on fuel efficiency, the promotion of cycling, biogas and hybrid buses, and the introduction of electrical and hydrogen-powered cars. The city administration is reducing its own energy consumption in its buildings by 40% in comparison to 2010, and is fuelling all city administration vehicles with electricity, hydrogen, or biofuels.. The constant evaluation and follow-up of the city's Plan is secured through the preparation of an annual report and meeting of various stakeholders for dialogue and benchmarking. In addition to that, three general evaluations of the plan would occur: in 2015-2016 to evaluate the period 2013-2016, in 2019-2020 to evaluate the period 2017-2020, and in 2025-2026 when the final evaluation of the plan will take place.
  • Population: 777,218 (city), 2,057,737 (metro) (2018)
  • Area: 178.46 km2 (68.90 sq mi)(city), 1,767.52 km2(682.44 sq mi)(metro)
  • Link: Carbon Neutral Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark

Costa Rica

Fortuna, Costa Rica

  • Target: Achieve 100% RE in the electricity sector and to be ‘carbon neutral’, by 2021.
  • Status: In progress - In 2017, Costa Rica supplies around  93% of its total electricity needs from renewable energy sources, mostly from domestic hydro.
  • RES: Hydropower (majority share), solar, biogas, geothermal and wind power.
  • Implementation: Since decreasing rainfall in the future will pose a risk to the electricity system, Costa Rica is diversifying its electricity mix by developing other forms of renewable energy, such as solar, biogas, geothermal, and wind power. The plan is for the state-owned The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) to purchase power from independent power producers in Costa Rica over 15-year contracts. This will mean a gradual decentralization of the electricity system. The country is also encouraging the broader adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), given that transportation represents approximately 44% of final energy consumption. Targeted incentives for the import and sale of EVs as well as for the development of charging infrastructure is offered by the government. 
  • Population: 4,857,274 (2016)
  • Area: 51,100 km2(19,700 sq mi)
  • Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/25/costa-rica-plan-decarbonize-2050-climate-change-fight
Fortuna, Costa Rica

Del Mar, California, USA

Del Mar, California, USA

  • Target: 100% renewable electricity by 2035
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Solar energy
  • Implementation: Del Mar is a small coastal city in San Diego County, California. In June 2016, its City Council committed by vote to transition the community to 100% renewable electricity by 2035 as part of a municipal climate action plan. The plan includes an interim target of 50% renewable electricity by 2020. Del Mar's 100% renewable electricity goal is in line with the energy goals of neighbouring City of San Diego, as well as the state goal of 80% greenhouse gas emissions reductions below 1990 levels by 2050. This goal also aims to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 50 percent below the city's baseline 2012 values by 2035.

    To achieve 100% renewable electricity, the city is exploring the adoption of a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program with either local cities or San Diego County. CCA is a state law in California and several other US states that allow local governments in Investor Owned Utility (IOU) territories to aggregate their community's bulk buying power to procure electricity at best rates on the wholesale market or through direct contracts with power producers, and in turn sell it back to constituents. The IOUs continue to manage and charge fees for grid services. This method has been shown to help local communities procure higher shares of renewable electricity and offer it to their residents and commercial customers at a lower rate than their local IOU.

    The City of Del Mar aims to achieve 91% of their renewable electricity supply with a combination of utility scale procurement and distributed solar PV, and the rest using Renewable Energy Credits. Other strategies include encouraging the local IOU (SDG&E ) to achieve 100 percent renewable energy procurement by 2035, installing solar PV on new City Hall and other City facilities, with battery storage systems; introducing EV charging stations and replacing the municipal fleet with e-vehicles.
  • Population: 4,365 (2016)
  • Area: 1.78 sq mi (4.60 km2)
  • Link: https://www.delmar.ca.us/680/Go-Green-Del-Mar
Del Mar, California, USA

Denmark

Copenhagen, Denmark

  • Target: Phase out fossil fuel use entirely in all energy sectors (including transportation) by 2050.
  • Status: In progress - In 2011, the share of renewable energy in the transportation mix was less than 1%, compared to a share of approximately 40% in the electricity mix.
  • RES: Wind and solar power, combined heat and power systems, renewable forms of heating such as solar thermal, ground-source heat pumps, and wood-based biomass.
  • Implementation: Denmark’s domestic energy policy aims at 100% transition of the energy system toward renewable energy technologies by significant expansions of wind and solar power as well as the continued installation of combined heat and power (CHP) systems. In the heating sector, Denmark is expanding the use of biogas, solar thermal, ground-source heat pumps, and wood-based biomass. It plans to increase the use of electric vehicles and public transit. Denmark is relying greatly on fiscal policies (feed-in tariff, a net metering framework, environmental taxes) to achieve its 100% renewable energy objectives. There are taxes on fossil fuels and carbon pollution. This increases the costs of gasoline, diesel, coal, and heating oil but makes the use of local, renewable sources of energy more attractive. There are also tax incentives or cash grants to encourage specific technologies, such as electric vehicles. Also is a focus on energy efficiency which correlates to current EU plans (20% reduction in energy use by 2020). This means increasing energy efficiency in existing buildings via extensive retrofitting and raising the standards on all new construction. To increase broader electrification, Denmark is also converting its wind resources into thermal form (e.g. feeding wind power into the district heating system and into on-site water heaters) as well as into battery storage for the transport system. Solar thermal technologies will supply heat directly into the country’s district heating systems. Denmark also plans to expand the use of renewable energy in its island regions, such as the Faroe Islands. Expansion of transmission links with neighbouring Germany and Sweden will allow more imports and exports of renewable electricity. Good public support for the 100% strategy has been due to a high level of energy and environmental awareness among its citizens and its politicians, cultivated since the 1973 oil crisis (and even before). Denmark also benefits from a small population, a highly educated workforce, and a number of reputable private and public organisations to support the strategy's implementation. Denmark expects planned investments to be around EUR 750 Million, with savings in energy costs of around EUR 920 Million, both by 2020.
  • Population: 5,806,015 (2018)
  • Area: 2,220,930 km2(857,510 sq mi)
  • Link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/10/denmark-wind-windfarm-power-exceed-electricity-demand
Copenhagen, Denmark

Denton, Texas, USA

Old Courthouse, Denton, Texas, USA

  • Target: 100% renewable energy
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Community and utility-scale solar installations and energy storage.
  • Implementation: The City of Denton was the second municipality in Texas to commit to transition to 100 percent renewable sources of energy. It began with the City Council revising its Renewable Denton Plan, to include the goal of producing enough energy from renewables to meet 100 percent of its electric needs from contracts with solar and wind developers by 2020. A copy of Denton’s ordinance and staff presentation on the energy plan can be seen here and here. By transitioning to renewable energy, the city aims to save people money on their bills, giving the impetus for city leaders and Denton Municipal Electric to dramatically reduce their reliance on  the Gibbons Creek coal plant, as well as ensuring their next renewable energy investments.
  • Population: 113,383 (2010)
  • Area: 89.316 sq mi (231.33 km2)
  • Link: Denton Municipal Electric (DME)
Old Courthouse, Denton, Texas, USA

Denver, Colorado, USA

Speer Boulevard, Denver, Colorado, USA

  • Target: 100% clean electricity city-wide by 2030 and 30% by 2020 for investor-owned utilities (state targets), 55% renewable energy by 2026 (electric utility - Xcel Energy target)
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Solar energy, electric mobility
  • Implementation: The City of Denver is teaming up with utility provider Xcel Energy to invest in a greener future for all. In a state historically dominated by coal and fracked gas, Colorado consumers are now demanding more sustainable energy. Xcel Colorado (Public Service Company of Colorado or PSCO) is laying out major investment plans for clean energy infrastructure. When Denver joined nine other Colorado communities in July 2018 in making the commitment to transition to 100% clean, renewable electricity by 2030, it came on the basis of a Climate Action Plan created in 2015 that pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. Under the leadership of Mayor Michael Hancock, the 80x50 Climate Action Plan would go beyond clean power. It would incorporate strategies for land use and development, home and business efficiency upgrades, and mass transit planning to meet the city’s 80% carbon reduction goal. The plan also includes provisions for a community solar program, a net-zero building code for new construction by 2035, and a fleet of 100% electric light-duty vehicles, taxis, and car shares by 2050.Reaching these goals will require strong strategic partnerships. Denver has received support from more than 50 nonprofits and businesses for its clean energy plans. Organisations include the Working Families Party, the Colorado Latino Forum, the Denver NAACP, the Democratic Party, and the Denver Labor Federation. The local utility, PSCO, has recently finalized encouraging agreements with Colorado communities. Given that Denver accounts for 25% of Xcel’s retail sales, the city has been able to act on community pressure urging the utility transition to clean energy. Xcel has since announced plans to replace two units at Colorado’s largest coal plant with a $2.5 billion investment in clean energy generation. The plan is expected to save more than $213 million, while reducing carbon emissions by 59%. By 2026, Xcel plans for 55% of the energy they generate in Colorado to come from renewable sources. As a model for the rest of the country, Colorado is the first state in which the renewable portfolio standard is set by public vote, rather than by legislation; its abundant wind and solar resources make the transition to clean energy both affordable and logical.
  • Population: 716,492 (2018)
  • Area: 154.97 sq mi (401.36 km2)
  • Link: American Cities Climate Challenge: Denver
Speer Boulevard, Denver, Colorado, USA

East Hampton, New York, USA

Maidstone Golf Club, East Hampton, New York, USA

  • Target: 100% renewable energy to meet electricity demand by 2020, and heating and transportation demand by 2030.
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Solar energy and wind power.
  • Implementation: The town of East Hampton, New York is located in Suffolk County on the eastern end of Long Island's south shore. In May 2014, its Town Board voted unanimously to set the 100% goal, making it the first municipal government on the East Coast of the United States to set such a bold target. The goal was motivated by the need to address rising summer peak demand for electricity and to reduce the need for controversial, unattractive new transmission lines that were beginning to go up in the region. By improving energy efficiency and developing local renewable energy, money and jobs in the local economy would also be better ensured.

    The decision was in line with both state and local policy. According to the New York State Executive Order, climate change is to be mitigated by cutting greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors by 80 percent by 2050. In October 2013, the East Hampton Comprehensive Energy Vision was adopted which set specific energy efficiency and renewable energy targets and timelines.

    East Hampton is using available incentives for local renewable electricity development. The local utilities Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and PSEG Long Island (PSEG-LI) offers a 100 MW solar Feed-in-Tariff with a 7 cents per kwh if a minimum of 40 MW of solar proposals were received for the area. Additionally, LIPA/PSEG-LI had issued a 280 MW Request for Proposals (RFP's) for renewable generation.  The Town issued RFP's for solar proposals on town-owned land and received about 70 MW worth of proposals under both the feed-in tariff and the RFP. By May 2014, LIPA/PSEG-LI had already selected 32MW of solar proposals to be located in East Hampton.

    Wind farms by off-shore wind energy development group Deepwater One are estimated to supply Long Island with over several hundred MW of power. And if all of the projects selected by the town and the proposed offshore wind farm get constructed, the combined energy production from these facilities is estimated to be greater than the East Hampton's annual electricity consumption of 310,000 MWh. Included in this calculation is only 21% of the offshore wind farm's output as it would be shared by five East End towns.

    In May 2018, the renewable energy initiative 'Energize East Hampton' was launched to help connect residents and local businesses to programs that help them reduce their energy consumption, and as a result, lower their energy bills. The program also includes a Solarize campaign, which is supported by the State’s NY-Sun initiative with the aim of increasing the number of grid connected rooftop solar PV systems in East Hampton. Residents and businesses can install rooftop solar PV systems at a discounted price offered via the campaign.
  • Population: 22,009 (2016)
  • Area: 386.55 sq mi (1,001.15 km2)
  • Link: http://energizeeh.org
Maidstone Golf Club, East Hampton, New York, USA

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Mount Sequoyah, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

  • Target: 100% clean energy city government operations by 2030, city-wide by 2050
  • Status: In progress
  • RES: Solar energy
  • Implementation: As the first city in Arkansas to commit to 100% clean energy, Fayetteville is leading the state in committing to clean energy goals. The City Council adopted the 100% target by7-1 in January 2018. Its mayor, Lioneld Jordan, took the pledge for the city further by adopting a community-wide 100% clean energy commitment as part of the city’s Energy Action Plan, which outlines bold steps to transition the city to 100% renewable energy sources by 2050. The plan lays out goals and strategies for energy efficient transportation, buildings, waste management, carbon emissions reduction, and more. The mayor’s vision is supported by the University of Arkansas, home of the Razorbacks and the city’s largest employer. The city is also continually exploring clean energy solutions with its existing utility companies, Ozarks Electric and SWEPCO. It is simultaneously looking at solar investments and other energy- efficient upgrades for municipal buildings. It is also launching a bike-share program, strategizing to increase urban tree planting, and working out how to use funds from the Volkswagen settlement to invest in electric-vehicle charging stations for its downtown area.
  • Population: 86,751 city, 549,128 metro (2018)
  • Area: 55.41 sq mi (143.50 km2)
  • Link: http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/3234/Climate-and-Energy
Mount Sequoyah, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
  • (Farmers utilising solar in southern Arkansas)