CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SECOND COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-16-36 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Patrick Davis and Isaac Benton
RESOLUTION
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Establishing A Goal Of Generating Twenty Five Percent Of The Energy Consumed By City Of Albuquerque Facilities From Solar Energy By 2025 (Davis, Benton)
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ESTABLISHING A GOAL OF GENERATING TWENTY FIVE PERCENT OF THE ENERGY CONSUMED BY CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE FACILITIES FROM SOLAR ENERGY BY 2025.
WHEREAS, as of 2010 the State of New Mexico emits nearly 55 million metric tons of carbon pollution a year from fossil fuel combustion; and
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported with 95 percent certainty that anthropogenic carbon pollution is causing global temperatures to rise, exacerbating extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and wildfires; and
WHEREAS, fossil fuel-burning power plants frequently release toxic pollutants, including mercury, acid gases, and particulate matter, that directly damage nearby residents’ health; and
WHEREAS, the market price of fossil fuels does not factor in the external environmental and health costs caused by burning fossil fuels; and
WHEREAS, solar power is one of the cleanest sources of energy with which the people of Albuquerque can heat, cool, and power homes, businesses, and transportation to achieve better air quality and reduce carbon pollution; and
WHEREAS, producing one kilowatt-hour of energy via solar photovoltaic (PV) systems requires approximately one-ninth as much water as producing one kilowatt-hour from a combined cycle fossil gas plant, and one seventeenth as much as from a coal-fired plant; and
WHEREAS, the State of New Mexico receives more than 300 days of sunshine per year, thereby granting it the second greatest solar potential of the fifty states in the country; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque, was ranked 12th in the country of major cities for installed solar capacity in 2014; and
WHEREAS, despite anemic conditions throughout the state’s economy, the New Mexican solar industry has grown steadily, with solar installations increasing by 37 percent from 2013 to 2014; and
WHEREAS, the solar industry currently provides 1,900 jobs to New Mexicans, which was a 73 percent increase from 2012 to 2015; and
WHEREAS, solar is a cost-competitive energy source, and decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, the growth of solar energy helps improve public health; and
WHEREAS, in addition to solar electrical generation, passive solar heating, ventilation and cooling of buildings through well-established and proven design strategies is another clean energy source and industry in which New Mexico has been a leader for decades and is appropriately included in the spectrum of solar energy sources; and
WHEREAS, the stated intent of §14-8-5-1 ROA 1994, the Energy Conservation Council Ordinance, is to provide for the public welfare by developing and implementing a community-wide effort to conserve energy with the City’s role being to provide a mechanism for community leadership in reducing fossil fuel based energy consumption, to facilitate public involvement in energy conservation, and increase the effectiveness of programs carried on by other entities; and
WHEREAS, §2-12-1 the City’s Capital Implementation Program Ordinance reserves three percent of the Capital Improvements Program to fund the design, installation, purchase, user training and monitoring of Energy Conservation and/or Renewable Energy projects that reduce fossil fuel based energy costs and consumption. The Ordinance recognizes that energy savings generated from the projects using renewable energy have a lower life cycle cost than a project using conventional fuels; and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that it is feasible for the City to generate twenty five percent of its energy from solar energy while generating a net annual cost savings.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The City of Albuquerque recognizes the benefits provided through solar energy for improving environmental health, public health and growing the economy and desires to renew its commitment to this important clean energy solution by establishing the goal of generating 25 percent of energy for city facilities from solar energy by 2025.
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