Designing a Community Energy Program
- Community energy programs can take many forms. While one community might successfully conserve energy through energy-efficiency upgrades of its buildings, another community might be equally successful in a program that converts wind into electricity. Designing an energy program in your community will be dependent upon your community’s specific goals, resources, and conditions. However, there are many resources that offer guidelines and step by step approaches to developing a program that meets your community’s goals.
Community Energy Sustainability Plan
- The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) is working in collaboration with Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management (OPM), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the local electric utilities (United Illuminating and Connecticut Light &Power Co), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of non-profit environmental organizations to bring energy, emission and cost savings to Connecticut communities. This initiative provides administrative and technical assistance to communities interested in a planned approach to reducing energy use and cost and addressing energy related environmental and health concerns within their borders. The Institute will assist the community with integrating a number of effective cost saving, energy and environmental programs currently available to energy consumers. (DOC - 2,158 KB); (PDF - 369 KB)
Guidelines for Developing Sustainability Plans for College and University Campuses
- The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) has initiated a project to research, identify and promote effective processes and activities for developing Sustainability Plans on college and university campuses throughout Connecticut. The Institute is developing the capability to provide leadership and resources to Connecticut schools interested in taking a comprehensive sustainability approach that takes into account energy use and cost, greenhouse gases for building systems and transportation, water and sewer conservation, recycling, hazardous waste reduction and disposal and materials procurement. The model being developed will be tested and refined utilizing the Eastern Connecticut State University campus. The process uses a collaborative, integrated, team-based approach engaging administrative staff, students, faculty and technical experts. It targets twelve areas of sustainability activity on typical campuses (DOC - 2,280 KB); (PDF - 233 KB). The model will be available to other universities later in 2003.
- The Sustainable City Project aims to provide local governments with a model for community energy efficiency. The project involves three U.S. cities - San Jose, California; San Francisco, California; and Portland, Oregon - that developed sustainable energy plans that can serve as models for other communities. A publication titled “Sustainable Energy: A Local Government Planning Guide for a Sustainable Future”, which was developed as part of the project, will lead your community through a process of developing a municipal energy plan, and offers energy policies and energy options from the three program cities. The publication is available from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC), P.O. Box 3048, Merrifield, VA 22116. Phone: (800) 523-2929. Publication number LG-10.
- The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives helps local governments adopt a comprehensive energy program. Its website offers information on strategic municipal energy planning, profiles of municipalities undertaking such projects, and information on why these energy programs are important to your community.
- The Energy Group at Tellus Institute provides expertise on the technical, economic, environmental, regulatory and policy aspects of energy planning. Its web site includes link to information about the technical and policy issues the group address, including energy and the environment, demand-side management, the Eco-Efficiency Initiative, and others. There also are links to recent studies, reports, and publications related to these topics, as well as newsletters that contain research papers and information on work in progress.
- The Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Community Energy Cooperative is partnership between CNT and Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). Under the aegis of this regional coop and its relationship with ComEd, neighborhood-based organizations are running programs that achieve peak load reduction, increased energy efficiency, improved system reliability and that eventually install microgrid technology as an alternative, place-based and sustainable source of power.
Case Studies
- Cities and Counties: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
Presents 10 case studies of innovative communities that have implemented sustainable development programs. Several of these programs include an energy component.
- West Virginia Energy Action Plan
In August 2002, the Governor's Energy Task Force unveiled a new, groundbreaking energy action plan for the state, which calls for the continued use of the state's coal and natural gas resources, while also urging the development of new energy and environmental technologies, energy efficiency measures, and the use of renewable energy forms.
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