Renewable Energy Procurement Strategies to Reach Clean City Goals

Cities have some of the most impact potential for carbon reductions nationwide and are increasingly making commitments to 100% renewable energy purchasing, carbon neutral and even “net zero” futures. How do various strategies for reaching these goals play out in different geographies and under differing regulatory pressures? This webinar brings together leading municipalities to discuss strategies that have worked, and precautions for what to avoid.

Among the varied energy purchasing options discussed are RECs, PPAs, VPPAs, green tariffs, city-utility partnerships, competitive suppliers, CCAs, on-site, community solar, and the environmental claims that can result from these options.

SPEAKERS
• Lara Cottingham, Chief of Staff & Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Houston
• Ashley Rosia-Tremonti, Sustainability Manager, City of San Diego
• Chris Kent, U.S. EPA, Green Power Partnership
• Michelle McGinty, Center for Resource Solutions (Moderator)

Transcript

1. RENEWABLE ENERGY PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES TO REACH CLEAN CITY GOALS Michelle McGinty MANAGER, Program Outreach
2. Agenda. PAGE 2 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction to Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) and Green-e® 2. Panelist Introductions: • Lara Cottingham, Chief of Staff & Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Houston • Ashley Rosia-Tremonti, Sustainability Manager, City of San Diego • Chris Kent, Program Manager of Green Power Partnership, U.S. EPA 3. Discussion & Questions
3. Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) creating policy and market solutions to advance sustainable energy since 1997. • Renewable energy and climate policy • Clean Energy Accounting Project (CEAP) • Renewable Energy Markets annual conference • Green-e® certification for suppliers and users of renewable energy, carbon offsets and biomethane in the voluntary market • Expert assistance resource for renewable energy buyers About Center for Resource Solutions PAGE 3 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
4. Buyer protections for voluntary renewable energy purchases • Green-e® Energy Standard and Code of Conduct • Third-party Audit of: o Sale/Contract and Supply o Seller • Independent Governance Board Green-e® is cited by: Green-e® Energy Certification PAGE 4 © 2019 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. Green-e® Energy Certified Retail Sales by Product Type (MWh)
5. Green-e® Program types: • CCAs • REC purchasing • Utility Green Pricing / Green Tariffs • Competitive Electricity Programs • PPAs • Community Solar • Landlord-Tenant – NEW! • EV Charging Networks - NEW! Green-e® Helps Cities Across Procurement Methods © 2019 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. • County of Santa Clara, CA • County of San Mateo, CA • City of Santa Monica, CA • District of Columbia, DC • Chicago Park District, IL • City of Boston, MA • Montgomery County, MD • City of Rockville, MD • Ulster County, NY • City of Columbus, OH • Franklin County, OH • City of Portland, OR • City of Oak Ridge, TN • City of Austin, TX • City of Dallas, TX • City of Houston, TX • City of Irving, TX • Park City, UT • Salt Lake City, UT • Arlington County, VA • City of Alexandria, VA • City of Bellingham, WA • Forest County Potawatomi Community, WI Example of Cities Who Have Sourced Green-e®
6. 2021 September 27-30, 2021 Online
7. PAGE 7 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. Contact Michelle McGinty MANAGER, PROGRAM OUTREACH michelle.mcginty@resource-solutions.org 415.568.4285
8. 1 June 2021 Lara Cottingham, Chief Sustainability Officer HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
9. Source: World Bank Group 2 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 2015 Memorial Day Flood, 2016 Tax Day Flood, 2017 Hurricane Harvey, 2018 4th of July Flood, 2019 Tropical Storm Imelda, 2021 Winter Storm Uri… Low vs High Emission Climate Projections: 1970-1990 2050 2100 High Temp 99 104 - 106 104 - 109 Days above 100 1 day 12-23 days 14-54 days Nights above 80 .6 nights 20-50 nights 30-96 nights Heat Wave Length 2.5 days 15 – 27 days 19 – 47 days Annual Rain Fall Average remains the same, but extremes range from 5 to 110 inches CLIMATE IN HOUSTON
10. 3 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN BASELINE EMISSIONS
11. A science-based, community-driven strategy for Houston to reduce greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead a global energy transition. 12 goals, 12 targets, 36 strategies, and 96 actions • Advance mobility and transportation safety • Improve air quality • Reduce energy costs • Address environmental justice concerns • Create resilient, equitable communities • Spur regional economic growth COMMUNITY BENEFITS: 4 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
12. 5 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN A DATA AND STAKEHOLDER-DRIVEN PROCESS • Complementary Initiatives • +30 town hall meetings • 25 working group meetings • 500+ one-on-ones • 700+ comments from 400 individuals and organizations
13. 6 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
14. • 1,034,399 MWh of renewable electricity annually through NRG Renewable Select plan • Estimated $9.3 Million Reduction in its Annual Electricity Bill • Estimated Total Savings of $65 Million Over Seven Years • #1 Municipal User of Renewable Energy in the US • 5 years earlier than CAP goal • Create a new, third-party utility-scale solar facility in Texas that is dedicated to City operations** • In addition to 50MW PPA with NRG in Alpine, TX PARTNERSHIP WITH NRG: 7 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 100 RENEWABLE COMMITMENT
15. 8 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN SUNNYSIDE SOLAR FARM • Winner of the 2019 C40 Reinventing Cities Competition • 50 MW utility scale/2MW community solar • Enough electricity to power 5,000 homes annually • Transform the former 240-acre landfill in Sunnyside into a multi-component asset for historically underserved community • Largest urban solar installation in US = $70M private sector investment • 120 Million pounds of CO2 off-set per year • Environmental and flood protection • Solar training and education center • Agricultural Hub and community benefits SUNNYSIDE ENERGY PARTNERSHIP • Address long-standing environmental justice concerns • Community revitalization: sustainability + resilience = complete community • Target construction and commercial operation date 2022
16. 9 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN QUESTIONS? CONTACT INFORMATION: LARA COTTINGHAM CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER LARA.COTTINGHAM@HOUSTONTX.GOV 832-393-8503 THANK YOU! Learn more: WWW.GREENHOUSTONTX.GOV HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 9
17. Climate Action and Renewable Procurement Ashley Rosia-Tremonti, Program Manager
18. • The City adopted a qualified Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2015 • Set a goal to avoid 50% of GHG emissions by the 2035 with a 2010 baseline • The CAP includes 5 strategies: • Energy and Water Efficiency • Clean and Renewable Energy • Mobility • Zero Waste • Resiliency • We are currently updating our CAP and anticipate a draft for review in September 2021. The Climate Action Plan
19. Goals 25%
20. Goals On-Road Transportation 55% Water 1% Wastewater & Solid Waste 3% Electricity 21% Natural Gas 20% 2019 CITY OF SAN DIEGO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS SOURCE: 2020 CLIMATE ACTION PLAN ANNUAL REPORT
21. • The CAP established a goal to achieve 100% renewable energy consumption Citywide by 2035 • The pathway to achieving this was “A CCA or another program” • In 2017, the City issued an RFP for another program and simultaneously developed a feasibility study for launching a CCA. • The results of the process lead to the decision to form a Joint Powers Authority CCA with 4 other cities within the region. • Service for Municipal customers launched on March 1, 2021. Commercial customers will have their service launch in June 2021 and Residential customers will begin service in early 2022
23. Defining Climate Equity Sustainability Department • Driven by stakeholders • Addressing historical inequity • Fairly sharing benefits and burdens
24. Climate Equity Index Sustainability Department • Five categories of access to opportunity: • 0-20, Very Low Access • 20-40, Low Access • 40-60, Moderate Access • 60-80, High Access • 80-100, Very High Access
25. Sustainability Department Indicators * CalEnviroScreen 3.0 Indicators Environmental •Flood Risk •Fire Risk •Tree Coverage •Urban Heat Island Index •Toxic Release from Facilities* •Clean Up Sites* •Hazardous Waste Generators and Facilities* •Solid Waste Sites and Facilities* •Ozone* •PM2.5* •Diesel PM* •Pesticide Use* •Drinking Water Contaminants* •Groundwater Threats* •Impaired Water Bodies* •Proximity to Community Recreation Areas Health • Asthma Rates* • Cancer Fatalities • Healthy Food Access • Low Infant Birth Weights* • Cardiovascular Disease* Housing • Housing Cost Burden • Overcrowdedness Mobility • Traffic Density* • Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure • Pedestrian Access • Commute Burden • Transportation Cost Burden • Disability • Street Conditions • Bikeability • Access to Public Transit Socioeconomic • Unemployment* • Educational Attainment* • Linguistic Isolation* • Digital Access • Median Income • Poverty Rate* • Change in Income • Energy Cost Burden • Solar Photovoltaic Systems
26. Sustainability Department 54% 94% 83% 77% 50% 35% 46% 6% 17% 23% 50% 65% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Citywide Very Low (0-20) Low (20-40) Moderate (40-60) High (60-80) Very High (80-100) People of Color Non-People of Color A disproportionate percent of people of color are concentrated in certain census tracts
27. Thank you! Ashley Rosia-Tremonti, ARosia@sandiego.gov
28. Green Power Partnership June 2021 Local Government Green Power Communities Christopher Kent kent.christopher@epa.gov
29. What is the Green Power Partnership • EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that recognizes organizations using green power to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use • Specifically offer: • Technical assistance • Recognition platform to help to promote and publicize your Green Power use • Networking with other organizations https://www.epa.gov/greenpower
30. Who are Green Power Partners • Organizations that are leaders in both sustainability and energy • Partners include: • Fortune 500 corporations • Higher Education institutions • Federal, State and local governments • All sized businesses • Non-profits • Currently +700 Partners • +100 Green Power Communities • +70 billion kWh used annually
31. GPP – Local Government – GP by Supply
33. GPP – Local Government – GP by Resource
35. Green Power Communities
36. https://www.epa.gov/repowertoolbox/renewable-energy-project-development-resource-directory
37. • Solar Project Portal Home Page • Platform recognizing municipalities seeking to develop solar projects • Provides examples of milestones achieved by other municipal governments • Project Development Pathway & Resources • Identifies in detail the 7 steps of project development • Offers key resources to assist achieving each step, including: • Guidance documents and publications • Training videos • Tools and templates • Examples of RFPs and solicitations • Examples of selection rubrics https://www.epa.gov/repowertoolbox/local-government-solar-project-portal Local Government Solar Project Portal
38. PAGE 1 © 2021 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved. Contact Michelle McGinty Center for Resource Solutions MANAGER, PROGRAM OUTREACH michelle.mcginty@resource-solutions.org 415.568.4285 Lara Cottingham City of Houston CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER lara.cottingham@houstontx.gov 832-393-8503 Ashley Rosia-Tremonti City of San Diego SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM MANAGER ARosia@sandiego.gov Christopher Kent U.S. EPA PROGRAM MANAGER, GREEN POWER PARTNERSHIP kent.christpher@epa.gov