Sourcing Renewables - April 21, 2021
New York City Announces Step Towards Large Renewable Electricity Buy
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on April 20 the signing of a letter of intent committing New York City to buy enough renewable energy to power the city's government operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025.
In partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the joint purchase is part of the city's climate mitigation strategy. The renewable power investment will add value to disadvantaged communities throughout the state and ensure that the city makes a just transition to a clean energy economy.
"Clean energy is directly linked in a fair recovery,” said Mayor Blasio in a statement. "It's about investing in our future and our frontline communities. Today we're taking a major step forward to secure renewable energy for New York City."
Under the agreement, the city of New York intends to purchase a sufficient quantity of renewable energy credits (RECs) to secure 100% of its energy needs from renewable resources while preserving the ability to engage in deep energy retrofits, other energy efficiency measures and deploy renewable distributed energy resources.
The agreement includes the following considerations:
- Only pursue RECs associated with renewable resources that are delivered to New York City.
- New generation and transmission resources that create or exacerbate negative impacts on environmental justice communities will not be considered.
- Involve Canadian hydropower resources in a way that continues to prioritize actions that respect the rights of First Nations and their ancestral territories.
- The City will continue to reduce energy usage using robust energy efficiency measures; any contractual agreements for RECs must complement energy conservation efforts.
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