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
   

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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
   

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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.
   

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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
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   4
   © 2019 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
   Green-e® Energy Certified Retail Sales by Product Type (MWh)
   

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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®
   

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6. 2021
   September 27-30, 2021 Online
   

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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
   

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8. 1
   June 2021
   Lara Cottingham, Chief Sustainability Officer
   HOUSTON CLIMATE
   ACTION PLAN
   

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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
   

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10. 3
    HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
    BASELINE EMISSIONS
    

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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
    

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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
    

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13. 6
    HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
    

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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
    

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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
    

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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
    

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17. Climate Action and Renewable Procurement
    Ashley Rosia-Tremonti, Program Manager
    

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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
    

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19. Goals
    25%
    

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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
    

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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
    

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23. Defining Climate Equity
    Sustainability Department
    • Driven by stakeholders
    • Addressing historical inequity
    • Fairly sharing benefits and burdens
    

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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
    

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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
    

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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
    

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27. Thank you!
    Ashley Rosia-Tremonti, ARosia@sandiego.gov
    

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28. Green Power Partnership
    June 2021
    Local Government
    Green Power Communities
    Christopher Kent
    kent.christopher@epa.gov
    

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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
    

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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
    

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31. GPP – Local Government – GP by Supply
    

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33. GPP – Local Government – GP by Resource
    

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35. Green Power Communities
    

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36. https://www.epa.gov/repowertoolbox/renewable-energy-project-development-resource-directory
    

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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
    

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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
    

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