Abstract
In March 2015, the City of Vancouver, Canada, tabled a commitment to source the city’s energy from 100 percent renewable sources by 2050. The plan passed unanimously in November, and Vancouver has been generating international buzz ever since. (See also City View: Vancouver, page 171.) With this commitment, Vancouver joins the ranks of other forward-thinking cities such as Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway, in transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy community-wide. Toward this end, collaborative efforts among like-minded cities—such as the 100% RES Communities and RES Champions League in Europe, and the Global 100% RE initiative worldwide—also have sprung to life.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
- 1.
City of Vancouver, Renewable City Strategy (Vancouver: November 2015); Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), Renewables 2015 Global Status Report (Paris: 2015).
- 2.
REN21, Renewables 2015 Global Status Report.
- 3.
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (Abu Dhabi: 2009); Nuclear Energy Institute, “Protecting the Environment – Nuclear Energy Institute,” www.nei.org/Issues-Policy/Protecting-the-Environment, viewed November 19, 2015.
- 4.
Michael Cooper and Dalia Sussman, “Nuclear Power Loses Public Support in New Poll,” New York Times, March 22, 2011; Damian Carrington, “Dip in Nuclear Power Support After Fukushima Proves Shortlived, The Guardian (U.K.), January 18, 2012; “Japan Turns on Nuclear Power Four Years After Fukushima,” Al Jazeera, August 11, 2015; Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg, “Die Energiewende 2011,” www.lpb-bw.de/energiewende.html, viewed November 19, 2015.
- 5.
REN21, Renewables 2015 Global Status Report; Rowena Mason, “Most of Britain’s Major Cities Pledge to Run on Green Energy by 2050,” The Guardian (U.K.), November 23, 2015. Note that targets and achievements are continually evolving. Table 10–1 from the following sources: City of Vancouver, Renewable City Strategy; REN21, Renewables 2015 Global Status Report; Malmö stadsbyggnadskontor, Energistrategi för Malmö (Malmö: 2009); Go 100% Renewable Energy website, go100percent.org; City of Austin, Community Climate Plan (Austin: 2015); City of Amsterdam, 2040 Energy Strategy (Amsterdam: February 2010).
- 6.
Zachary Shahan, “California Now Has 1 Gigawatt of Solar Power Installed,” CleanTechnica.com, November 11, 2011; John Farrell and Matt Grimley, Public Rooftop Revolution (Washington, DC: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, June 2015).
- 7.
China and Chandigarh from REN21, Renewables 2015 Global Status Report; Rhonda Winter, “Israel’s Special Relationship with the Solar Water Heater,” Reuters, March 18, 2011; Bärbel Epp, “Austria: Solar Thermal to Breathe New Life into Vienna’s Urban Development,” SolarThermalWorld.org, November 4, 2014.
- 8.
Justin Gerdes, “Copenhagen’s Ambitious Push to be Carbon Neutral by 2025,” Yale Environment 360, April 11, 2013; Lily Riahi et al., District Energy in Cities: Unlocking the Potential of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (Paris: United Nations Environment Programme, 2015).
- 9.
ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability and IRENA, Dezhou, China: Green Economic Development with Renewable Energy Industries (Abu Dhabi: 2012).
- 10.
City of Melbourne, “Melbourne Unites to Support Renewable Energy,” press release (Melbourne: November 30, 2015).
- 11.
Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), “Solar/Green Cities,” http://mnre.gov.in/schemes/decentralized-systems/solar-cities/; MNRE, “State-wise Status of Solar Cities as on 19.08.2015,” http://mnre.gov.in/file-manager/UserFiles/State-wise-status-of-Solar-Cities.pdf.
- 12.
REN21, Renewables 2015 Global Status Report; Community Power Project, “What Is Community Power?” (Brussels: December 2013); American Public Power Association, “Public Power: Shining a Light on Public Service” (Washington, DC: May 2013).
- 13.
Renewable Cities, Final Report Global Learning Forum, May 13–15, Vancouver, B.C. (Vancouver: 2015).
- 14.
Sam Orr, Ayman Fahmy, and Dinos Hadjiloizou, “Leading Canada by Example: University of British Columbia Invests in Greener Infrastructure,” District Energy (International District Energy Association), Second Quarter 2014; Advanced Manufacturing Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, “Minimize Boiler Short Cycling Losses,” Steam Tip Sheet #16 (Washington, DC: January 2012).
- 15.
Renewable Cities, “In Conversation – Leshan Moodliar (Durban) & Danielle Murray (Austin),” YouTube video, July 7, 2015, https://youtu.be/CO87ZZHX6SA.
- 16.
Danielle Murray, “Fair Rate Setting for a Renewable Future,” presentation at Renewable Cities Global Learning Forum, May 13–15, Vancouver, Canada, http://forum.renewablecities.ca/presentations/sessions/Renewable-Cities-Danielle-Murray.pptx.
- 17.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Solar Power Purchase Agreements,” http://www3.epa.gov/greenpower/buygp/solarpower.htm.
- 18.
John Duda, “Energy, Democracy, Community,” Medium, August 3, 2015.
- 19.
Ibid.
- 20.
City of Copenhagen Technical and Environmental Administration, CPH 2025 Climate Plan (Copenhagen: September 2012); Laura K. Khan et al., “Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 24, 2009.
- 21.
Will Sloan, “Revving Up the Electric Car,” Ryerson University News, July 28, 2014, www.ryerson.ca/news/news/General_Public/20140728-revving-up-the-electric-car.html; California Independent System Operator, “What the Duck Curve Tells Us About Managing a Green Grid,” 2013, https://www.caiso.com/Documents/FlexibleResourcesHelpRenewables_FastFacts.pdf.
- 22.
Renewable Cities, Final Report Global Learning Forum.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Worldwatch Institute
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Agar, B., Renner, M. (2016). Is 100 Percent Renewable Energy in Cities Possible?. In: State of the World. State of the World. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-756-8_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-756-8_13
Publisher Name: Island Press, Washington, DC
Print ISBN: 978-1-61091-569-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-61091-756-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)