Renewable Energy

Final Project: Powering Cities to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change

The issue:

Energy supply is intrinsic to global economic and social progress and it is a critical
component of urban security and resilience. Cities, in particular, account for more
than 75 % of global primary energy use and more than 70% of greenhouse gas
emissions making them a core driver of climate change. Precisely because they are
such big GHG emitters, cities can be at the forefront in tackling climate change by
leading the switch to clean energy. Over the last five years, more cities around the
world have started setting and acting upon their renewable energy goals. This will be
critical if each country is to achieve its Paris Agreement commitments, given the
current lack of federal action on most of them.

Cities around the world are increasingly shifting to renewable electricity. More than 80
UK towns and cities have now committed to switching to 100% clean energy by 2050.
Momentum is also growing in the US with 58 cities and towns now committed to
transition to 100% clean, renewable energy (including the big cities of Atlanta and
San Diego). This is a hugely important trend given that cities are responsible for 70%
of energy-related CO2 emissions.

The purpose:

The main objective of this project is to, for a given city (your choice) provide a plan or
a framework to reduce GHG emissions and fossil fuel dependence from the
energy sector.

To do so, you will need to:

1) Choose the city that interest you the most.

a. It needs to be a city in which strongly depends on fossil fuels for energy
production.
b. Any city in Ecuador or any other developing country will be a great option.
c. Make sure there is enough information (energy demand and supply, area
characteristics, etc.) for the city you choose.
d. The smaller the city the easier and more realistic creating a plan will be.
2) Choose the sector you want to analyze.
a. Due to the length of the course I highly recommend to focus in only ONE
sector.
b. I highly recommend to focus (taking into account information available)
either on the transportation sector or electricity production.
3) Information recompilation and analyses of the energy consumption for that
sector.
 a. Local and National energy supply and demand by source and type.
b. Understand the energy mix and overall environmental impact.
4) Information recompilation and analyses of the characteristics of your study
area
a. Key information includes: location, meteorological and atmospheric
conditions, hydrogeology characteristics, local population and growth
trends, etc.
b. Locate new possible sources of renewable energy to meet demand (most
likely increasing demands)
5) Get familiarized with successful plans and projects implemented in other
cities that are now considered green cities (i.e., Stockholm, Copenhagen,
Vancouver in BC, Canada, Vienna in Austria, Singapore, Portland in OR,
USA, Cape Town in Africa, Curitina in Brazil, Amsterdam in the Netherlands,
etc.). This will help you have an idea on how to proceed and what to look.
6) Propose a plan/framework that will help your city become greener and
resilient.
a. Make sure to provide calculations and numbers (i.e., power production,
cost benefit analysis, emission reductions, etc.) to support your ideas.
b. The plan has to be as realistic as possible. If you are able to reduce the
fossil fuel dependence of a city to 50/50 or even 60/40 it is already a great
job. I don’t want to see “theoretical or unrealistic” goals/alternatives (i.e.
all transportation is going to be hydrogen fuel sourced), I want to see
“realistic and doable” goals/alternatives (i.e. considering the location, area
characteristics and local economy what could be done).
c. While the policy part is key for any plan or framework like this one, and in
most cases a big challenge, I don’t want your plan to focus on how to
change policies. Please do mention what needs to change for your plan
to work, but it is not necessarily to mention how you plan to do that. For
the purpose of this class and given the time we have for the project, I
want you to focus only in the infrastructure.
7) Please see recommended articles (last section below) to gain a better idea of
the project.

Written Report

Format: You must use size 11, and 1.5-spaced on a A4 size paper for every written
assignment. You must cite and make references when needed. Written reports with
more than 25% similarities will not be graded and automatically will have an F on the
report. Please make sure you cite your work properly.

Sources and evidence: scientific papers, articles in high-quality publications (e.g. peer
review articles, Scientific American, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, books).

Citation Style: You can use any format you want as long as you use the same format
throughout the entire report. Recommended:
  MLA
 APA (American Psychological Association). Requires both in-text citations
and a reference list. For every in-text citation there should be a full
citation in the reference list and vice versa. For more information:
https://www.library.cornell.edu/research/citation/apaq

Grading: Please see rubric in the D2L under the Written Report assignment for
grading details.

Presentations

Presentations: 15-minute presentation and 5 minutes for questions. Make sure you
plan accordingly to the time given since you will not be able to keep presenting once
you hit minute 15. The order of presentation will be determent by drawing numbers.

Grading: Please see rubric for grading details.

Additional Information

1) Renewable energy in cities. A report that explores potential for urban communities
to scale up renewables by 2030, based on estimated energy use 3649 cities
around the world. The report outlines 3 priority areas where cities can take action:
renewable energy in buildings (for heating, cooling, cooking, and appliances);
sustainable options for transport (electric mobility and biofuels); and creating
integrated urban energy systems. Document found here:
https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2016/
IRENA_Renewable_Energy_in_Cities_2016.pdf

2) The Worlds’ Renewable Energy Cities. Report that provides data about 100 cities that
now are sourced at least 70% of their city-wide electricity from renewables. Please
see more info here: https://www.cdp.net/en/cities/world-renewable-energy-cities

3) Renewable Energy Goals: Committing to 100% clean, renewable energy is a first

step on a city’s path to renewable energy transition. Here are some things you should
consider when developing you plan/strategy.

 Community-wide Electricity Use: A full transition of the electricity sector to

clean, renewable energy;
 By 2035: A target year for when this commitment will be achieved no later than
2035 for electricity and 2050 for all energy sectors;
 Ensure Justice, Equity, Affordability, and Access: A commitment should
include measures that prioritize equity affordability, and access for all members
of the community, prioritizing low income communities, environmental justice
communities and communities burdened by the fossil fuel industry.
  Clean and Renewable Resources Only: This includes carbon and pollution free
energy sustainably collected from renewable sources including wind, solar, tidal,
and geothermal. Low-impact, small hydro and some forms of biomass may be
included after being evaluated for sustainability and environmental justice
implications. Nuclear can also be included. Natural gas, coal, oil based, or any
other forms of carbon-based energy production are not included as clean or
renewable sources of energy.
 A Transparent and Inclusive Planning and Implementation Process ensuring
that the community members and local businesses have an opportunity to
participate.

 A Local Generation Goal: A goal for how much of the community’s energy
needs will be met by local, distributed generation. Cities must engage with large
energy users to aggregate demand for renewable energy and encourage their
utility to increase renewable energy supply

 Commitment to Collaboration: A commitment to work with surrounding

communities in achieving aligned clean energy and equity goals;

4) Real challenges of getting to 100% renewable.

 Economic. Take into account that investing in renewable energy makes
increasing economic sense and cities are responding to this new market reality.
 Technological. Being a “renewable electricity city” means producing or
procuring enough clean electricity to cover a city’s needs. Given the location-
specific and variable nature of renewable energy technologies, energy storage
can also be a significant challenge.
 Political. A lack of political leadership can be a significant barrier to progress on
renewable energy. A clear and compelling vision is needed to engage citizens
and other stakeholders. It is vital to focus on the full 360-degree benefits of
renewable energy, such as clean air, energy security, job creation and attracting
new business.