Sustainable Energy Sources
How towns choose to use energy—and where it comes from—
can have a significant cumulative impact that can help shape energy markets.
Municipal buildings, parking garages and storage depots with large roofs may be ideal candidates for solar installations that can provide electricity and hot water. New financing tools can allow towns and cities to benefit from sustainable energy systems with little or no capital investment.
Athens-Clarke County, GA, has set a goal of 100% clean and renewable electricity for all municipal properties, government operations, and community-wide buildings by 2035, and to meet community electricity demand with 100% clean and renewable electricity by 2050.
Taking advantage of hundreds of hot springs, the City of Boise, ID, is home to the largest geothermal heating system in the nation, delivering naturally heated 177° water through a network of pipes to warm nearly 500 Boise businesses, government buildings and homes, as well as hospital and university buildings, City Hall, and a Y.M.C.A.
Burlington, VT, was the first city to get almost all of its energy from renewables, a combination of hydro, wind, and solar.
Peterborough, NH, residents voted in 2021 to commit their town to a goal of using 100% renewable energy for electricity by 2030 and, for all other purposes (primarily transportation and heating and cooling) by 2050. The Peterborough Renewable Energy Project (PREP) is the result.
Rock Port, MO (population 1,263), was the first U.S. city to operate solely on wind energy.
A large solar array atop the old landfill and a wind turbine in the town of Scituate, MA, provides 100% of the town's energy needs.
Resources
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to moving renewable energy resources into the marketplace. IREC emphasizes education and outreach, stakeholder coordination, technical assistance, workforce development, the adoption and implementation of uniform guidelines and standards, consumer protection and building networks to share experience and information.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides detailed information about green power companies, new green products, consumer protection issues, and governmental policies affecting green power markets. The website is operated and maintained by the US Department of Energy.
The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing energy efficiency and the use of solar energy and other sustainable technologies in the US.
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association is the Northeast's leading organization of professionals working in sustainable energy, whole-systems thinking and green technologies.
References
[1] Dincer, I (2000). Renewable energy and sustainable development: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 4(2), 157-175.
[2] Bacher, J., & Nolon, J. (2015). Zoning for Solar Energy: Resource Guide (Rep.). New York, NY: Pace University School of Law, 2-28.
[3] New York City Mayors Office of Sustainability (2018) Green Buildings and Efficiency, Financing and Incentives. http://www.nyc.gov/html/gbee/html/incentives/solar.shtml
[4] Glemarec, Y. (2012). Financing off-grid sustainable energy access for the poor. Energy Policy, 47, 87-93.
[5] Sarzynski, A., et al. (2012). The impact of State financial incentives on market development of solar technology. Energy Policy, 46, 550-557.