About the NECSC
Steps Toward Community Sustainablity
Energizing Sustainable Cities: The Power of Planning and Design
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Phone: 619-476-5323
Email: info@necsc.us
Relevant Pre-History
The NECSC was formally initiated in 2006, however, it is built upon more than 4 years of successful collaborative initiatives among the founding entities and their partners. Just a few of those initiatives are described below:
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Sustainable Energy Management Plan for the City of Philadelphia
GTI's Sustainable Energy Planning Office (SEPO) engaged in a research effort to produce a sustainable energy management plan for the City of Philadelphia. This plan identified opportunities to maximize progress towards the city's established goals and priority initiatives while increasing energy efficiency and diversity, and decreasing the release of energy-related pollutants into the local and global environment. The plan examined current departmental and city-wide efforts pertaining to energy use and sought ways to integrate them for increased effectiveness, while also evaluating opportunities to use cleaner energy sources, technologies and management practices.
GTI produced the plan in concert with a comprehensive set of city stakeholders, including the city's Municipal Energy Office, Managing Director's Office and functional departments. The project's four project phases entailed:
- Developing a city-wide definition of sustainable energy management (SEM) and metrics to measure it across all city departmental operations
- Surveying all city departments to document current departmental program alignment with the newly established SEM objectives
- Evaluating all relevant departmental initiatives to enhance their alignment with SEM objectives and identify opportunities for new programs and/or collaborations, including a general cost-benefit analysis of such opportunities
- Formulating a near- to mid-term deployment plan, including cost estimates, for prioritized program and technology initiatives in the building, transportation, economic development, and energy management sectors.
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Sustainable Urban Energy Feasibility Studies for Oahu, Hawaii
Together with Hawaii's gas utility, The Gas Company, GTI's Sustainable Energy Planning Office initiated two projects designed to help meet the priority objectives outlined in Hawaii's Energy Plan, which included increased energy security, energy efficiency and resource diversification. In partnership with a consortium of local planners and administrators, including the University of Hawaii, the "Rebuild Hawaii" Program, and the City and County of Honolulu, these projects investigated the feasibility of selected sustainable energy approaches, including distributed generation (DG), cogeneration, and combined cooling, heating and power (CHP) for some of Hawaii's larger municipal communities on Oahu.
Specifically, opportunities for DG, CHP and solar energy systems deployment were assessed at representative buildings at the University of Hawaii - Manoa, and the feasibility of on-site power generation with heat recovery, using bio-gas generated from anaerobic sludge digestion processes, was investigated at viable Oahu wastewater treatment facilities.
These projects presented opportunities for studying the feasibility of integrating sustainable energy applications, such as waste-to-energy and solar energy systems, with the use of natural gas, synthetic natural gas (SNG), and other gaseous fuels such as propane, at wastewater treatment facilities and institutional buildings.
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U.S. Competition for Metropolitan Energy Design
GTI organized and conducted the U.S. Competition for Metropolitan Energy Design in 2001 and early 2002. The objectives of the competition were to solicit the most innovative current approaches to sustainable energy planning and management in the nation, and to identify the "subject city" for the U.S. entry to the International Competition for Sustainable Urban System Design. Twenty-five major cities were invited to participate in the competition. Seven were selected as finalists by a panel of nationally recognized energy, environmental and planning experts. They are identified below by the subject category they led in the competition.
Technologies - Austin, TX
Austin was recognized as the category leader for its installation of a high-efficiency, natural gas-fed fuel cell (200 kW), with a heat recovery system that warms water – and replaces a less efficient boiler system at a commercial center. Additionally, Austin has initiated a traffic signal light retrofit project, replacing conventional lights with light emitting diode (LED) displays across the city with an anticipated power savings of 8.6 million kWh annually. Another innovative policy is “environmental dispatch” of the central power generating plants. To reduce plant emissions during ozone season, Austin Energy shifts power production to their newest gas-fired plant, away from older power plants.
Alternative Transportation Fuels, Mass Transit - Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga led this category for its international reputation as a leader in the investigation and use of alternative transportation technologies and for its fleet of electric hybrid buses. The development of this hybrid shuttle has reduced emissions, stimulated tourism and retail sales, generated more than 100 regional jobs, and increased ridership (carrying more than six million passengers in the past ten years). The Series Hybrid bus was pioneered by locally-based, Advanced Vehicle Systems Inc., and can be fueled by gasoline, diesel, soybean diesel, propane, and compressed natural gas.
Electricity Generation - Chicago, IL
Chicago’s Energy Plan of 2001 established the city as the leader in the competition’s electricity generation category. Specifically, the plan commits the city to the goal of meeting its projected 2010 energy demand (a 20 percent increase over the 2000 demand) with a combination of energy management, cogeneration (application of energy generation process heat for simultaneous space heating and cooling), distributed generation technologies and renewable resources. This strategy is expected to reduce air pollutants and losses due to inefficiency. The Energy Plan of 2001 also calls for a clean-up of existing coal-fired power plants to further reduce pollution and inefficiency while retaining low-cost coal-fired power.
Alternative Transportation Fuels, Fleets and Infrastructure - Denver, CO
Denver led this category for its long-standing commitment to the use of alternative fuels and vehicles that today has resulted in a fleet of 240 vehicles fueled by natural gas, propane and electricity. Additionally, Denver’s work in the development and use of “Hythane” (15 percent hydrogen and 85 percent natural gas) has earned it the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Award, only the second city to receive the honor. Future plans include the conversion of school buses and airport shuttles to alternative fuels, as well as continued development of an alternative fuels infrastructure.
Renewable Resources - Portland, OR
Portland led this category through its aggressive use of renewable energy resources, particularly wind, and its plans to progressively meet more of its future energy demand with renewables (10 percent by 2003, and 100 percent by 2010). Additionally, in 2000, Portland created an Office of Sustainable Development (OSD) to oversee energy issues, recycling, and to promote "green" building. With the establishment of the OSD, Portland has created an institutional foundation with formal policies and programs upon which to build a more sustainable community.
Energy Efficiency - Seattle, WA
Seattle has long been considered a national leader in this energy efficiency, and its advanced energy efficiency plans and programs ensured its place as the category leader in this competition. Since 1977, energy conservation has been the new energy source of choice. Through its ownership of the local power utility, Seattle City Light, the city uses power rate structures to encourage end-user conservation through unmistakable consumer price signals for increased energy use. The utility also provides a financial resource base for energy efficiency improvements within the community.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction - Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Region, MN
Although both Minneapolis and St. Paul have greenhouse gas reduction programs in place, the latter city was one of the nation’s first to establish a metropolitan initiative specifically designed to reduce the city’s contribution to greenhouse gas production and global warming. St. Paul’s ongoing initiative is the Environmental-Economic Partnership Project (E-EPP). The E-EPP has developed an overall energy conservation and carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction strategy and an implementation plan. Together, these initiatives reduced CO2 emissions in the metropolitan area by more than 460,000 tons in 2001 and costs by $41 million. Together with the Minneapolis greenhouse gas reduction program, St. Paul is helping the entire planet breathe a bit easier.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area also was recognized for its extra-competition entry describing its programs for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
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| San Diego, the overall winner |
U.S. Competition for Metropolitan Energy Design – Overall Winner - San Diego, CA
The overall winner of the U.S. competition is the City of San Diego, so recognized for the highest degree of integration between all of the elements that comprise a sustainable energy plan, and for significant achievements in each of the competition’s categories. The San Diego submission to the U.S. Competition was compiled by the San Diego Regional Energy Office (SDREO) and focused on a metropolitan region-wide energy planning process that included a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive assessment of the region’s gas and electric energy infrastructure. Energy self-reliance was established as an overall goal for the planning process, which began with a focus on conservation and efficiency strategies to reduce the demand for energy. In addition, SDREO included a focus on advanced technologies such as solar and fuel cells for power generation, a variety of clean transportation strategies, and energy efficient land use plans to reduce energy related emissions, curb urban sprawl and revitalize the region’s commercial centers.
Energizing America's Cities Conference
On September 19th and 20th, 2002, GTI, through its Sustainable Energy Planning Office (SEPO), held the first national conference devoted exclusively to sustainable metropolitan energy planning, presenting the latest thinking on technologies, policies and programs designed to create more livable urban communities. The event provided a venue for some of the nation's top public and private sector leaders to discuss the challenges that cities face in meeting growing energy demands while also maintaining or improving environmental quality.
Speakers included:
- David Garman, the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
- John Rowe, Chairman, President and CEO, Exelon Corporation
- Skip Laitner, Senior Economist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Tom Casten, CEO, Private Power, LLC
- Martin Hoffert, Author and Energy Futurist
The Chicago conference also served to showcase the results of the first U.S. Competition for Metropolitan Energy Design, held by GTI during 2001 and early 2002. The seven cities chosen as finalists in that competition presented their plans and programs. In addition, the overall winner-San Diego, California-was recognized as the focus for creation of the official U.S. entry to the International Competition for Sustainable Urban System Design. GTI presented the official U.S. entry to a global symposium on sustainable urban design at the 22nd World Gas Conference in Tokyo, Japan, in June 2003.
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U.S. Entry to the International Competition for Sustainable Urban System Design
The International Competition for Sustainable Urban System Design (IC-SUSD) was initiated in 2001 to stimulate new thinking and practices in urban design, planning and management that could result in more livable cities around the world. Initiated by the International Gas Union (IGU), the competition invited nine nations in seven geographic regions to select one city of at least 100,000 in population to serve as the subject for their design entries.
Each design was to include a "Total Energy & Environmental System," one that could accommodate future urban growth and development without having an adverse impact on natural resources or emitting greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
These total systems were to integrate state-of-the-art energy, emissions, effluent and solid-waste control technologies along with transportation, building and infrastructure design elements, in such a fashion as to render the communities sustainable 100 years into the future.
In addition to the future design components of the entries, each was to include a practical "roadmap" outlining the institutional, economic, social and technological action steps that could lead a community towards sustainability in the short-term (next 5-30 years). The competing nations and their selected cities included:
- Argentina/Buenos Aires
- Canada/Vancouver
- China/Changshu
- Germany/Berlin
- India/Goa
- Japan/Tokyo and Mishima
- Russia/Vologda
- United States and Mexico/San Diego and Tijuana
The U.S. entry also included a technical resources guide for all American cities, entitled "A Blueprint for Urban Sustainability: Integrating Sustainable Energy Practices into Metropolitan Planning."
The guide contains innovative approaches to sustainable energy planning, derived from the seven finalist cities in the preliminary U.S. competition, staged in 2001 to select the subject city for the U.S. entry. It also provides information on clean power generation, distribution and use technologies, alternative transportation fuels and fleets, energy-efficiency programs and practices, financing for municipal sustainability, and emergent and future technologies.
The international teams submitted their entries to a jury of internationally recognized energy, environmental, urban planning and management experts in February of 2003, and subsequently defended their designs at the 22nd World Gas Conference in Tokyo, Japan, in June of 2003.
The conference, entitled "Catalyzing an Eco-Responsible Future," also featured a public exposition of the designs and a symposium on sustainable urban development that was attended by leaders from government, industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations from around the world. The IGU intends to produce a compendium of all of the designs and to make them available to metropolitan communities around the world.
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Distributed Generation and Cogeneration Strategy for the Chicago Energy Plan
GTI worked with the City of Chicago to explore the barriers to and opportunities for implementing the distributed generation and cogeneration components of the Chicago Energy Plan. The Chicago Energy Plan is an innovative and goal-oriented energy plan for the future that addresses the need to protect consumers as well as the economic concerns of businesses, by utilizing distributed generation, cogeneration, renewables and energy efficiency to meet electrical load growth.
The plan provides for increased energy security and reliability and outlines technology deployment strategies to reduce emissions and waste from energy production and consumption. Specifically, among other measures, it establishes a goal of meeting 22 percent of projected growth in electricity demand from distributed generation and 25 percent from cogeneration. In its work with the City of Chicago and a wide array of other stakeholders, GTI developed an approach and recommended strategies for realizing the goals and targets established by the plan through a comprehensive review and analysis of existing challenges to implementing the plan.