Transcript Training - Office of the New York State Comptroller

Green Best Practices for
Local Governments
Coraline Falco, Research Analyst
Dave Sears, Examiner
Cornell Municipal Clerks Institute
July 21, 2008
Office of the State Comptroller
Thomas P. DiNapoli
Division of Local Government and
School Accountability
Steven J. Hancox, Deputy Comptroller
Outline
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The issues: cost, carbon, and climate change
Federal, New York State, and regional
initiatives
Local government best practices
Green audits- results and discussion
Resources for local governments
Group discussion
The Issues
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Increasing energy costs
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The reality of climate change
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New York State rates and demand
Relationship to electricity
The plan of attack
AVOID, minimize, mitigate
 REDUCE, reuse, recycle
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Federal, New York State, and
Regional Initiatives
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Federal
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State
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U.S. Climate Change Policy
Energy Star
U.S. Green Building Council LEED
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EPS)
Legislation, executive orders, and other agency
regulations
Regional
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Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
Best Practices: Commitment to
Sustainability
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International definition of sustainability:
“meet the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs”
Commitment on all levels is key to action
Takes many forms
Case studies
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Town of Irondequoit
Onondaga County
Best Practices: Conservation and
Efficiency Strategies
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Audits!
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Plug load audit
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Facility energy audit
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Submeter segments of processes or separate buildings
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Wastewater treatment facility case study
Best Practices: Conservation and
Efficiency Strategies
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Purchase electricity from alternative sources
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Procurement law for local government (GML §§ 103-104)
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Use energy performance contracting
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Voluntarily reduce demand under a load
management program
Best Practices: Alternative Power
Generation
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Reduce reliance on
traditional energy
sources
Zoning and local
permitting
Public power:
municipally-owned
utilities
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Create energy onsite
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Photovoltaics (PV)/
solar panels
Geothermal
District heating and cogeneration
Wind
Case studies
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City of Auburn
Town of Martinsburg
Green Audits: How Can Other
Municipalities Benefit?
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Learn what similar municipalities have done
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What worked best?
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What to avoid?
Usage of Solar Panels
in Municipalities
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OSC released audit in February 2008
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Assessed the effects of installing solar panel
systems in municipalities
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Albany County
Town of Hempstead
Town of Lansing
Town of Woodstock
Town of Rosendale
Village of New Paltz
Audit Objectives
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What is the cost impact of the acquisition and
usage of solar panels on the municipality?
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What is the environmental impact of using solar
panels?
PV / Solar Panels
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The science behind the panels
PV: Different Applications
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Generally implemented to offset general electrical
loads
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Town of Hempstead’s production went to power
HVAC components & lighting in Supervisor’s
office
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New Paltz allocated some of the generation to
power emergency communication equipment
Cost of Installation
Municipality
Albany County
Town of Hempstead
Town of Lansing
Village of New Paltz
Town of Woodstock
Town of Rosendale
COST OF IMPLEMENTATION
Date
Size Total Cost Cost per NYSERDA Municipal
Installed (KW)
KW
Incentive
Cost
1/01/05
40
$ 376,830
$ 9,421
$ 240,000 $ 136,830
1/31/06
40
336,174
8,404
250,000
86,174
12/20/05
22
161,009
7,319
126,620
34,389
9/21/05
15
131,435
8,762
91,390
40,045
8/5/05
17
108,831
6,402
94,120
14,711
6/10/05
10
76,063
7,606
56,575
19,488
Return on Investment
COST SAVINGS AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Municipality
Annual Solar
Payback
ROI after
ROI after 50
Output
Period
40 Years
Years
(kWh)
(years)
Albany County
39,420
25
$ 125,085
$ 229,923
Town of Hempstead
35,405
15
213,221
333,061
Town of Lansing
26,280
13
105,519
161,582
Village of New Paltz
16,790
33
10,455
30,700
Town of Woodstock
16,425
9
70,502
104,685
Town of Rosendale
12,045
0
60,215
84,340
TOTALS:
$ 584,997
$ 944,291
Best Practices
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Lansing used Town labor and equipment during
slow periods
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Woodstock purchased the components themselves
through the contractor
What to Avoid
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New Paltz had additional costs of $4,700 for a
grant writer
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Albany County incurred costs of $12,500 for the
use of a consultant, in addition to the contractor
who was in charge of the project
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Bonding adds costs and decreases the return on
investment
Environmental Impact
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The generation of electricity creates greenhouse
gases which contribute to global warming
 Carbon
dioxide
 Nitrogen
 Sulfur
oxides
dioxide
Greenhouse Gas Reductions
POLLUTION EMISSION EQUIVALENTS (LBS)
Municipality
CO2
N2O
SO2
Albany County
1.6 million
2,000
8,300
Town of Hempstead
2.5 million
2,800
9,600
Town of Lansing
1.1 million
1,300
5,500
Village of New Paltz
400,000
500
2,000
Town of Woodstock
500,000
600
2,500
Town of Rosendale
500,000
600
2,500
TOTALS:
6.6 million
7,800
30,400
How to Proceed
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NYSERDA runs the PV incentive program
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About $12 million in funding
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Offsets costs by up to 60%
Other Funding
and
Technical Assistance
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NYSERDA
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Database of State Incentives for Renewables
and Efficiency
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www.dsireusa.org
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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www.nyserda.org
www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/index.ht
ml
U.S. Department of Energy, Efficiency, and
Renewable Energy
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www.eere.energy.gov/states/state_specific_information.cfm/st
ate=NY
Assessing Green Initiatives
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Measures and performance
Federal
 New York State
 Internal activities- OSC and other remarkable
agencies
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Other goals and the reductions necessary to
meet them
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Union of Concerned Scientists Report
Discussion
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Share your stories
Other resources?
Suggestions
Footprint for this meeting?
For more information on any of these topics,
contact:
Research and Policy Analysis Unit
(518) 486-6519
Statewide and Regional Audit Unit
(518) 438-0093
Office of the State Comptroller
Division of Local Government and
School Accountability
Research Unit
What We Do:
 Review/summarize local government issues
 Prepare executive issue briefings
 Analyze data and highlight trends
 Analyze and summarize legislation
 Analyze selective municipal financial plans
 Provide analytical support to Division and
Agency activities
Office of the State Comptroller
Division of Local Government and
School Accountability
Statewide and Regional Projects Unit
What We Do:
 Conduct performance audits throughout New
York State
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Audits usually focus on a high profile topic
The same audit is conducted at multiple municipalities
Separate letters for each municipality accompany the
“global” summary report
Thank You!