Power Generation and Acquisition (Green Power).
1. Conduct an inventory of all locations within the city where increased renewable energy generators, and energy storage, can be achieved:underutilized open spaces, brownfields, rooftops and parking areas of large commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, farmland (for agrivoltaics), water body surfaces (for floatovoltaics), etc.
2. Commit to achieving 100% renewable energy in all City operations by a specific year.
3. Encourage what is generally referred to as distributed green energy (solar and wind) in all sectors of the city, as well as community solar/wind. Microgrids, district heating, and distributed energy storage should be included here as well. Some level of education of the general public as to the benefits of these technologies should precede the encouragement.
4. Strive to have your city become a recognized SolSmart community. SolSmart is a program that is funded by USDOE, whose goal is to make it faster, easier, and more affordable to go solar. Its designations are Bronze, Silver, and Gold. www.solsmart.org .
5. Cities should look to join with neighboring communities to purchase renewable energy in bulk at wholesale prices. “Banding Together: How Aggregation Helps Cities Buy Renewables at Scale” www.cleantechnica.com 8/18/21. “Large-scale Renewables Aggregation Cohort – Building Renewables Aggregation Knowledge” www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L4XUe6xZ7k. “Procuring Large-Scale Renewables Through Aggregation: a Guide for Local Governments” www.rmi.org . and “Rose to Valfortore: The Example of Small Villages” (Italy) www.the-beam.com .
6. Regional authorities, such as counties, and regional planning agencies can assist the communities they serve in coordinating the purchase of renewable power at wholesale prices. “Southern Maine Solar Collaborative” www.smpdc.org/solar.
7. School boards should be encouraged to enter into solar electricity production arrangements with area solar developers. PV installations would be mounted on both rooftop and ground sites.
8. Approach owners of commercial and multifamily residential properties to initiate solar and other renewable energy installations – such as VAWT – on their roofs and parking lots and garages.
9. City governments need to push their regional electric utilities to retire their fossil fuel generating plants and to add more renewable energy assets to their grids.
10 A city with a river whose current remains strong throughout the year can look into generating clean renewable power via the RivGen Power System, from ORPC of Portland ME. “New Resource for Microgrids – River Currents”. www.microgridknowledge.com 1/9/23 and www.orpc.co
11. An entire smaller city or town can operate successfully as a microgrid within the grid of its regional utility. “Solar Plus Storage Microgrid Now Operating in Hot Springs, NC” www.tdworld.com 2/2/23.
12. Make sure that your city uses such technology as Smart Grids and Smart Meters. A Smart Grid uses technology to enhance the communication, automation, and connectivity of the various components of the power network. The Smart Meters collect data on energy use and help power plants to better predict and respond to periods of peak demand. It is estimated that SG and SM could cut energy use and CO2 emissions by 12%. “How Smart Grid is Revolutionizing Cities” www.smartcitiesdive.com “Smart Meters For the Cutting Edge Smart Cities” www.smartcity.press/how-smart-meters-reduce-electricity-cost .
13. Host a community “Solarize” campaign, similar to the one in Cambridge MA. It allows residents to benefit from group discounts and affordable solar financing. “Sunny Cambridge Launches”. www.cambridgema.gov 4/8/16.
14. Community climate action activists can consult the Sierra Club’s Activist Toolkit for guidance in leading their city or town to achieving 100% clean energy. www.sierraclub.org/clean-energy-toolkit
15. Pursue creative finance and management scenarios to get solar built on city government properties, including schools. Example: “New Jersey School District Gets 390 kw of Solar Power on Two Schools”. www.cleantechnica.com 8/3/22.
16. Individuals and groups advocating for increased renewable energy projects need to know how to proceed to ensure maximum chances for success. “Reducing Local Opposition to Renewables”. www.cleantechnica.com 6/9/22. “Sources of Opposition to Renewable Energy Projects in the United States”. www.sciencedirect.com
