Clean Energy Communities: How to Make a Municipal Clean Energy Purchase

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Clean Energy CommunitiesHow to Make a Municipal
Clean Energy Purchase

• Bob Wall Director, Energy Market Initiatives,
  CT Clean Energy Fund
• Clean Energy Regional Workshops 2009

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CT Clean Energy Communities

• Program Steps
• Town commits to the 20 by 2010 Campaign and
  makes a municipal town purchase (9 in 2009 13
  in 2010)
• Town commits to EPA Community Energy Challenge
• Reach point threshold for local signups to
  CTCleanEnergyOptions program and clean energy
  systems
• Reward earn clean energy systems (e.g., solar
  PV, solar thermal, wind)

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Preliminary Steps

• Determine annual municipal electricity use
• Period Calendar Year, Fiscal Year, Any 12-month
  period
• Include Town buildings, schools, streetlights
• Gather monthly electric bills (DPW, Bd of Ed,
  Finance) or work with utility account rep
• Provide total usage in kWh to CCEF get free
  cost estimates
• Recommend a line-item in municipal budget
• Remember that electricity use varies over time
  lowering usage also lowers your clean energy
  target (and vice versa)

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What Counts?

1. Sign up one or more town facilities with
   CTCleanEnergyOptions
2. Purchase Green-e certified Renewable Energy
   Certificates (RECs)
3. Install a Class I Renewable Energy System
4. Any combination of the above

Cheshire Town Hall
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CTCleanEnergyOptions

• Contact CCEO Suppliers for Presentation
• Community Energy mark.garrett_at_newwindenergy.com
• Sterling Planet
• kwest_at_sterlingplanet.com
• Pros
• Supports state program
• Earns rebates for signups
• Supports some local renewables
• Carbon claim via RGGI set-aside
• Cons
• More expensive than RECs

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Green-e Certified RECs

• Check options on EPA Green Power Partnership site
• http//www.epa.gov/grnpower/pubs/gplocator.htm
• Pros
• Green-e certified products
• Choose resource mix and location
• Lower first cost
• Rebates may be available from Sterling Planet and
  Community Energy
• Cons
• Potentially less environmental value
• Lacks connection with CCEO program

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Install Clean Energy Systems

• Check technologies and incentives on CT Clean
  Energy Fund site
• http//www.ctcleanenergy.com/
• Pros
• Return on investment
• Truly local resources
• Supports development of industry
• Creates local jobs
• Cons
• High initial capital cost
• Limited technology options
• Potential siting issues

Essex Recycling Center
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Strategy 1 Competitive Supplier

• Town switches to competitive supplier for
  generation service
• Use savings to finance clean energy purchase
• Example
• Town uses 2 million kWh/year
• Town switches from CLP (gen. svc. chg.
  11.9/kWh) to Acme Electric (10.4/kWh)
• Savings 1.5/kWh or 30,000
• Use portion of savings to purchase 9 clean
  energy (180 RECs at 5-13 total cost of 900
  to 2,340)

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Strategy 2 Energy Efficiency

• Town joins EPA Community Energy Challenge and
  pledges to reduce energy use by 10
• Use savings to finance clean energy purchase
• Example
• Town uses 2 million kWh/year
• Through conservation efficiency measures, town
  reduces use to 1.8 million kWh (i.e., 10 less)
• At 16/kWh, town saves 32,000
• Use portion of savings to purchase 9 clean
  energy (now only 162 RECs at 5-13 total cost
  of 810 to 2,106)

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Strategy 3 CCEO Rebates

• Town partners with CCEO Suppliers and gets
  rebates for local customers it helps to enroll
• Use rebates to finance clean energy purchase
• Example
• Town uses 2 million kWh/year
• Town seeks 9 clean energy purchase (180 RECs at
  5-13 total cost of 900 to 2,340)
• Town gets 20-25 rebate per customer enrolled
• Every 50 customers yields rebates of 1,000 -
  1,250

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Strategy 4 Solar PV Savings

• Town would qualify as Clean Energy Community but
  for its failure to make a town purchase
• Use savings from solar PV system to help finance
  clean energy purchase
• Example
• Town would earn a 4 kW solar PV system if it made
  a 9 CE purchase
• PV system would generate 4,800 kWh/year
• At 16/kWh, town would save 768/year nearly
  enough to cover the cost of Green-e certified
  RECs (i.e., 900 _at_ 5/REC)
• Output also counts towards towns CE target, thus
  lowering cost

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Building a Bigger System

• 4kW requires 400 points, which are earned by CCEO
  signups (1 point all signups) or local clean
  energy installations (3 points) (note new
  solar thermal and geothermal systems will count)
• But you can earn bonuses
• Each 5 household participation earns a bonus 1
  kW (does not apply to towns with fewer than 1,000
  households)
• Designation as an EPA Green Power Community earns
  1 kW
• And you can combine with other grants
• Use town money to purchase extra kW at lower cost
  (note CCEF will not allow EECBG contribution
  because of addl costs)
• CCEF has funding to support purchase extra kW
  (50 of cost, up to 8,000)

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Strategy 5 Climate Change Action Plan

• Town pursues comprehensive Greenhouse Gas
  Emission reduction strategies
• Opportunities include
• Increased conservation, efficiency renewables
• Reduced VMTs in town fleet
• Reduced water usage
• Increased recycling
• High performance buildings for new
  construction/renovations
• Use savings from action steps to help finance
  clean energy purchase

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Additional Resources

• Resource Page
• Community Forums
• Program changes
• Town commitment
• Signups
• EPA Challenge
• CIGP
• Sustainability
• Regional Workshop Page
• Web Videos (coming soon)
• Custom Collateral

ctcleanenergy.com/communities
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CCEF Fuel Cell Programs

• On-Site Renewable DG Program
• 14M (all commercial, industrial institutional
  CII)
• Open only to CLP and United Illuminating
  customers
• Federal ARRA State Energy Program (SEP)
• 8M (all CII)
• Open to all Connecticut applicants
• Program Rules and Incentives same in both cases
• Up to 2,500/kW
• Capped at 4,000,000

Middletown High School 200 kW Fuel Cell
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CCEF Solar Thermal Program
Solar Hot Water Collectors
16 kw
Solar Photovoltaic Panels
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Solar Thermal

• Use sunlight to heat domestic hot water
• Typical System Components
• Solar collectors (flat plate or evacuated tube)
• Water tank
• Rack, plumbing, valves, pumps, etc.
• System Considerations
• Demand for DHW (showers, cafeteria)
• Building usage (daily, seasonal)
• Size to meet 50-80 of DHW needs

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CCEF Solar Thermal Program

• Federal ARRA State Energy Program (SEP)
• 4M for commercial or residential projects
• Incentives
• Not-for-profit and governmental projects -- 900
  per MMBtu of predicted system output for October
  through March
• Maximum incentive awarded per installation -
  82,500
• Project Eligibility
• Open to all Connecticut applicants
• Domestic hot water only (no space heating or
  pools)
• Roof must have 15 years of life left

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CCEF Geothermal Program

• Federal ARRA State Energy Program (SEP)
• 5M for commercial or residential projects
• Program pending CCEF Board approval in late 2009
• Incentives
• CII not-for-profit -- 2,000 per ton of
  air-conditioning capacity
• Maximum incentive for CII 100 tons
• Project Eligibility
• Open to all Connecticut applicants

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The Application ProcessSolar Thermal and
Geothermal

• Non-competitive, first come, first served
• Residential system owner must be the applicant
• Commercial system owner must be the applicant
• Installers contract with customer must be for
  full cost
• Incentive Payments made to system owner
• 100 when installed as proposed, commissioned and
  inspected satisfactorily
• Installation variances from application will be
  subject to incentive adjustment

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High Performance Schools Program

• Circuit Rider - education outreach on benefits
  of and incentives for high performance schools
• Contact Bill Leahy/ISE at [phone] or
  leahyw_at_easternct.edu
• Technical Assistance - grants for feasibility
  studies for renewable or sustainable features
• Solar PV Grants - funding for PV systems (25-100
  kW), helps earn LEED points for renewable energy
  and innovation

Barnard Magnet School New Haven
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Bob.Wall_at_ctcleanenergy.com 860.257.2354 www.c
tcleanenergy.com