Fall 2012

 

Small Cities Climate Action Partnership

Since 2008, Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) has been leveraging diverse funding sources from local to utility to federal to build an innovative partnership between small cities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that want to take action to address climate change in their communities, but lack the resources to do so. This innovative partnership currently includes seven local governments: the Cities of Albany, Benicia, El Cerrito, Moraga, Orinda, Piedmont, and San Pablo.

Within this partnership, SEI serves as a “climate manager-at-large” providing direct support to the partner cities in pursuing their climate action goals. Through this program, SEI has helped the Cities of El Cerrito and San Pablo develop Climate Action Plans, implemented a commercial and residential energy incentive program, and facilitated a group purchase of solar PV systems. These and other projects already underway are estimated to save the partner cities over $1 million over the next 5 years.

With funding from PG&E, SEI has just completed an intensive year-long energy management program that helped all the partners establish energy management tracking and reporting mechanisms. Several of the participants are hoping to adopt reinvestment funds to sustain this important work.

This partnership found a way to help small local governments that are lacking sufficient resources, staff, and funding tackle climate change. This partnership has provided a forum for small municipalities to come together and share ideas and opportunities, discuss challenges they are facing, and brainstorm potential solutions to address those challenges. Moreover, this partnership has enabled local governments who were once considered “laggards” to become active players and even leaders in climate protection. 

For example, for the City of San Pablo municipal solar PV was a fairly low priority on their list of interested projects. However, after multiple meetings discussing the possibilities and benefits of collaborative solar PV purchasing with the other city partners and after reviewing the results of a solar feasibility study conducted by Optony, Inc., not only is San Pablo moving forward with PV installations on six of its facilities, the City is installing the largest cumulative kW of PV among the partners (365 kW-DC). These solar systems are projected to save the City about 470,000 kWh and almost $100,000 in electricity costs annually. Similarly, the possibility of implementing a municipal reinvestment program to fund energy efficiency projects was also a low priority item for San Pablo. However, after discussions with other city partners, San Pablo is looking to implement a municipal reinvestment mechanism in the near future. 

This partnership has made it possible for small local governments to become leaders in addressing climate change and implement climate protection measures that they would not have pursued on their own. Because of this partnership’s success, in the coming months, SEI will be looking to spread the word and share these stories and best practices with other small municipalities in California, in hopes that it will also help them address similar challenges and assist them in successfully tackling climate change. 

To learn more, visit: http://www.seiinc.org/index.php/programs/sustainable-communities/item/540-small-cities-climate-action-partnership