Sustainability Council

City of Lowell – Sustainability Council Lowell Sustainability Council Minutes Thursday, August 26, 2021, 6:30 pm Mayor’s Reception Room, City Hall Second Floor, 375 Merrimack Street Or Via Zoom Meeting: https://lowellma.zoom.us/j/88003178441?pwd=QjdLQ2xWamU1YmxERUYzQmRoZHFvdz09 Or use the dial-in number (877) 853-5247 and input the following when prompted: Meeting ID: 880 0317 8441 Passcode: 712332 I. Minutes for Approval July 22, 2021 II. Guest Presentations a. Big Belly Solar Ethan McElwain III. Continuing Business a. Priorities and Action Plan for the Lowell Sustainability Council Member C. McCarthy – Continued from July 22 b. Community Choice Aggregation M. Hondros-McCarthy – Continued from July 22 c. Proposed Recommendation: Inventory and Mitigation of Heat Islands Chair Mason – Continued from July 22 d. Net Zero Code Initiative Chair Mason – Continued from July 22 IV. Subcommittee/Working Group Reports a. Lowell High School Subcommittee Report Chair Mason V. New Business a. Energy Efficiency Member Wambui Ekop b. New Business and Upcoming Events from Sustainability Council Members VI. Adjournment  Lowell Sustainability Council The City of Lowell • Department of Planning & Development JFK Civic Center • 50 Arcand Drive • Lowell, MA 01852 P: 978.674.1413 • F: 978.970.4262 Jay Mason Chair In Lowell Sustainability Council RECOMMENDATION Date: August 26, 2021 Subject: CCA Contract Renewal Recommendation: The Lowell Sustainability Council Recommends the City to continue to include at least 45% additional local renewable content sources from MA Class 1 RECs in its upcoming CCA contract renewal Dear Mayor Leahy and Members of the City Council: The Lowell Sustainability Council (LSC) recommends that the City continue its commitment to include, at minimum, an additional 45% renewable energy content above what is mandated by the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard. The 45% renewable energy content should continue to be supplied by MA Class 1 Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) which supports local renewable energy products. This distinction between the MA Class 1 RECs as opposed to National RECs is an important one, because only the voluntary purchase of MA Class 1 RECs help increase demand for local renewable energy. National RECs typically come from projects that are already financially feasible, for example wind turbines in Texas. Though these RECs may be cheaper, they do nothing to shift our grid towards higher renewable content. The 45% additional renewable content for our last CCA contract was a huge achievement for Lowell and helped make renewable energy accessible in an equitable way to all Lowell residents. We would like to see that continue especially considering our climate goals as a City and in light of the most recent IPCC report, which showed that aggressive action needs to be taken today. During a time where competitive suppliers have been known to target consumers, it is a benefit for residents to live in a city that offers a pre-negotiated option with local renewable content. In addition to the 45% minimum renewable content, we would recommend the City pursue an option that allows ratepayers to “opt up” to 100% renewable content if they choose. Many other cities and towns in Massachusetts offer this, and it would increase our impact even more while offering flexibility to consumers. The LSC would welcome the opportunity to offer assistance to the City in this effort. With the above in mind, the Lowell Sustainability Council strongly recommends the City continue to include an additional 45% renewable content sourced from MA Class 1 RECs in its upcoming CCA contract renewal. Respectfully submitted by: Lowell Sustainability Council Jay Mason, Chair Mhm/jm