When it meets on Monday, Concord’s city council should vote to join the three-score American cities that have committed to getting 100 percent of their energy needs for electricity, heating and transportation from renewable fuel sources by 2050.
It’s an ambitious but achievable goal, one that will be put before the council in the form of a resolution crafted by the city’s Energy and Environment Advisory Committee.
The pace of technological change makes it difficult, if not impossible, to predict what the exact mix of renewable energy sources will be or how much power from them will cost. New Hampshire isn’t Wakanda and the magical, energy-rich metal Vibranium that powered the homeland of Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther doesn’t exist.
Prices for solar panels and wind turbines, however, have been falling to levels that in some cases make their power competitive with electricity from fossil fuels. Reducing energy use through conservation efforts will make the task easier.
Renewable sources, as described in the resolution, include solar, wind, geothermal power and electricity from small-scale hydroelectric facilities and biomass power plants. Not included are large-scale hydroelectric projects or nuclear power plants.
The cities, institutions and corporations – Google now gets 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources – achieved their goal by producing or purchasing green power or buying renewable energy credits that offset their use of energy produced from fossil fuels.
Our hope is that the Concord will produce as much renewable energy as it can economically. To that end we urge city officials to seek corporate partners willing to create solar farms on one or more city-owned sites. Two are former landfills and one is on land adjacent to the wastewater treatment plant on Hall Street. The latter proposal comes with the caveat that prime agricultural land should be sacrificed only as a last resort.
The city should maximize the use of solar panels on municipal buildings and, given the demise of Concord Steam, control the climate in its buildings, when feasible, with heat pumps, devices that run on electricity and can operate either like a space heater or an air conditioner.
Property owners terrified of rising tax bills take heart. Replacing energy from fossil fuels with clean power saves money.
Burlington, Vt., a city of 42,000, has been getting 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources since 2014. By doing so, it expects to save $1 million per year for 20 years.
Going green boosts the economy, creates jobs and sends a great message about a community, the kind of message that attracts employers and members of generations far more in tune with the need to protect the environment than their predecessors.
It also, when replacing fossil fuels, comes with the added bonus of improved health and lower medical bills.
A yes vote on Monday will make Concord the fourth New Hampshire community to adopt the 100 percent renewable goal. Plainfield, Cornish and Hanover paved the way. With the ice sheets melting and the climate warming, it’s the right signal for the capital city to send.