Renewable Energy – Above Green

(6 points)

Intent

To reduce the environmental and economic harms associated with fossil fuel energy and reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by increasing self-supply of renewable energy, use of grid-source renewable energy technologies and carbon mitigation projects.

Requirements

Cities or communities may choose one or more strategies for procuring renewable energy (such as solar PV, wind, geothermal, micro or small scale hydro, or biomass) from the categories below. Points are based on percentage of total city electricity consumption from EN Prerequisite Energy Performance met by the specific strategy as per Table below. Points achieved in each category may be added for up to a total of 6 points.

On-site Renewables- Includes on-site nonpolluting renewable energy generation, which will be owned, leased or subsidized by the city, utility, or energy provider. Local renewables should be planned and designed to cater to the phase-wise development of the city to ensure that the requirements are met at each phase.
New Off-Site Renewables- Includes large scale renewable energy plant with a minimum capacity of 1 MW, to meet the energy needs of the city. Plant maybe located within or outside the city boundary and should be owned or leased for a period of fifteen years by the city development authorities. Large scale renewables should be planned and designed to cater to the phase-wise development of the city to ensure that the requirements are met at each phase. The plant built within the last year or contracted prior to renewable energy project development. A new or on-going Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) between the city/ community, utility and/or renewable energy provider is acceptable.
Existing Off-Site Renewables- Includes renewable energy procured from an existing renewable energy provider or utility (Contract not required).
Green-e Certified RECs and Carbon Offsets- Includes green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), and/or carbon offsets purchased by the city to mitigate the environmental impacts of city energy consumption; if purchased by the utility or energy provider, RECs and Carbon Offsets must be prorated as per the city’s annual energy share in the utility’s generation. RECs and carbon offsets must be Green-e certified. Carbon offsets must be purchased from recognized GHG reduction projects within the country where the city is located. For this purpose, engage in a contract for qualified resources that have come online since January 1, 2005 , for a minimum of fifteen years to be delivered annually. Contract for qualified resources that have come online since January 1, 2005, for a minimum of fifteen years to be delivered annually. If RECs or carbon offsets are purchased by the utility serving multiple cities, these must be prorated as per the city’s annual energy share in the utility’s generation.
RECs and Carbon Offsets- Includes other Renewable Energy Credits and Carbon Offsets purchased by the city; if purchased by the utility, RECs and Carbon Offsets must be prorated as per the city’s annual energy share in the utility’s generation.

Prosumers, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) or other aggregated consumers with a minimum on-grid capacity of 2 MW renewables which will be owned and operated by consumers may be included in the calculations based on whether these are on-site or off-site renewables. Environmental benefits of the procurement must be retained by the city, utility or service provider. All off-site qualifying resources must be contracted, owned, or leased for at least 15 years. Table 7. Points for Renewables Procurement

Points	On-Site Renewables	New Off-Site Renewables	Existing Off-Site Renewables	Green-e Certified: RECs and Carbon Offsets	RECs and Carbon Offsets
2	2%	20%	60%	100%	150%
3	6%	40%	80%	200%
4	15%	60%	100%	300%
5	35%	80%
6	60%	100%