1. Power Within Defining the goals, overcoming the barriers and achieving 100% renewable energy for cities Renewable Cities Global Learning Forum Vancouver, Canada May 14, 2015 Joyce McLaren – NREL William Dolan – City of Aspen

2. History of Renewables

3. The Aspen Idea

4. 100% Renewable Energy by 2015 Community GHG Reductions Below 2004 Baseline of: – 30% by 2020 – 80% by 2050 Environmental Goals

5. Hydro (Basalt, CO)

6. Hydro (Aspen, CO)

7. Wind (NE, SD)

8. Solar (Aspen, CO)

9. Hydro (Ridgway, CO)

10. Landfill Gas (IA)

11. Renewable Supply and Total Demand

12. Energy Mix 2014

13. Project Controversy

14. Lay the Groundwork Review current status of EE and RE. Clarify goals and objectives. Steps towards 100% Renewable Energy Select a Path Forward Decide which programs/projects to pursue. Research the Options Understand the options. List pros, cons, risks.

15. Lay the Groundwork TASKSDECISIONS Define the starting point. How much RE do we have currently? Existing EE programs? Other supportive policies/programs? Are they successful? Define the goal. RE as % of consumption? By what year? % emissions reduction? Baseline year? Target year? Method to calculate reductions? When will decisions be made? Action taken? Define renewable resources. What technologies are eligible? Biomass? Hydro? Landfill gas? Municipal Solid Waste? Renewable Energy Credits? Other compliance? Define other priorities. Local RE? New RE capacity? Technology preferences?

16. “Create a plan to generate and/or purchase 100% of Aspen Electric’s electricity from renewable energy resources or as close to it as feasible.” City of Aspen Canary Initiative Climate Action Plan 2007 What Constitutes Renewable Resources / Technologies? Define the goal

17. Renewable Solar Wind Geothermal Hydro (small & existing) Considered on Individual Project Basis Biomass Landfill Gas Sewage Gas Direct Biogas Municipal Solid Waste-to-Energy Coal Mine Methane Non-renewable Natural Gas Nuclear Coal Oil Aspen City Council Definition of Renewable Energy Define “Renewable” Resources

18. bundled REC = electricity + REC unbundled REC = REC w/o electricity Are RECs renewable resources? Aspen’s policy: Limit unbundled REC use to <10% of annual load e.g. use as a buffer to maintain 100% RE year-to-year

19. Aspen City Council’s Renewable Energy Priorities Define the priorities

20. Lay the Groundwork Review current status of EE and RE. Clarify goals and objectives. Steps towards 100% Renewable Energy Select a Path Forward Decide which programs/projects to pursue. Research the Options Understand the options. List pros, cons, risks.

21. Identify the Options TASKSDECISIONS Identify the limitations What variables can we not control? Contract limitations? Decision-making authority? Identify the options What is the universe of options? Think outside the box. Identify how the options meet the predetermined priorities. How well does each option meet the predetermined priorities? Select a ‘short list’ of preferred options that best meet the priorities. What are the tradeoffs of the options?

22. Short Listed Options Distributed PV/Community Solar CCEC Hydro Project Des Moines Landfill Gas via MEAN New Wind Contracts Second-Tier Options Buy more hydro from WAPA Olmstead Hydro (2017) Buy more hydro from Ridgway (2023) Third-Tier Options Gas fuel cell using biogas contract Coal Mine Methane New Utility Contract Micro-hydro in Aspen DG biomass or Anaerobic digestion Geothermal Irrigation Ditch Hydro Landfill Gas in Pitkin County Aspen’s Renewable Energy Options Identify the options

23. Identify how the options meet priorities Aspen’s EE Options

24. Aspen’s RE Options and Priorities Identify how the options meet priorities

25. Proposed Energy Mix 2015

26. Decisions are more difficult and controversy is more likely in the absence of clearly defined goals and priorities. There are multiple options to achieve a goal and address priorities. Each option has different pros, cons, costs, risks, tradeoffs. Identify them and use them to focus the discussion during the decision-making process. Avoid the tendency to focus on one resource, technology, pathway or project too early. Think outside the box. Develop a transparent decision-making process that is clearly prescribed and leads to a final decision. Project’s technical merit does not solely define success. Public support essential. Lessons Learned

27. Socio-Political – Lack of clear goals, definitions, direction – Political division – Public acceptance/Discontent/Division – Over-enthusiasm (disorganized action) Utility – Utility not on board with renewable development – Insufficient utility infrastructure – Communication delays/interconnection issues Resources – Scarcity of renewable resources – Lack of funding – Lack of technical information/knowledge/expertise Categories of Barriers

28. Joyce.McLaren@nrel.gov William.Dolan@cityofaspen.com Thank You!

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