Global Status Reporton Local Renewable Energy Policies
Working Draft, 12 June 2009 Updated September 2009
Comments and Additional Information Invited

A Collaborative Report by:
REN21 Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP)ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability

This report complements the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report by providing more detailed
information at the city and local levels about policies and activities to promote renewable energy. It is
intended to facilitate dialogue and illuminate pathways for future policies and actions at the local level.
This “working draft” version is intended to solicit comments and additional information. Data in thisdraft are not necessarily complete or accurate.

Additions and corrections: please address to Eric Martinot, martinot@isep.or.jp
New researchers, contributors, and reviewers will be acknowledged in the next edition.
ABOUT REPORT COLLABORATORSREN21 convenes international multi-stakeholder leadership to enable a rapid global transition
to renewable energy. It promotes appropriate policies that increase the wise use of renewableenergies in developing and industrialized economies. Open to a wide variety of dedicatedstakeholders, REN21 connects governments, international institutions, nongovernmentalorganizations, industry associations, and other partnerships and initiatives. REN21 leverages
their successes and strengthens their influence for the rapid expansion of renewable energy
worldwide. See www.ren21.net.
ISEP is an independent, non-profit research organization, founded in 2000 by energy experts
and climate change campaigners. ISEP aims to provide resources and services to realize
sustainable energy policies. Activities include promotion of renewable energy, improvement ofenergy efficiency, and restructuring energy markets. ISEP provides policy analysis and advice
for national and local governments, brings together stakeholders worldwide, and facilitates
renewable energy activities by local groups. See www.isep.or.jp.
ICLEI is an international association of local governments and locally-oriented organizations at
national and regional levels that have made a commitment to sustainable development.
Established in 1990, ICLEI works with its members and other local governments throughperformance-based, results-oriented campaigns and programs, such as the Cities for Climate
Protection Campaign, the Local Government Climate Roadmap, and the Local Renewables
Initiative. See details on all initiatives at www.iclei.org.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Lead Author and Research Director
Eric Martinot (Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies)
Collaborating Authors
Risa Irie (ISEP and Columbia University); Maryke van Staden (ICLEI European Secretariat);
Noriaki Yamashita (ISEP); Monika Zimmermann (ICLEI International Training Center).
Researchers
Andy Belen (Meister Consultants Group), Katie Burns (Town of Markham), Woodrow Clark (Clark
Strategic Parnters), Jose Etcheverry (York University), Francesco Francisci (Ecosoluzioni), Shota
Furuya (ISEP), Emmanuel Gómez, Daniele Guidi (Ecosoluzioni), Ryan Hodum (David Gardiner &Associates LLC), Coreen Jones (York University), Kei Kawaguchi (ISEP), Sandi MacPherson (YorkUniversity), Ana Maria Gómez (National Autonomous University of Mexico), Noriko Nakao (ISEP),
Lynda OMalley (ICLEI Europe), Viive Sawler (Town of Markham), Patrick Schroeder (Victoria
University), Laura Serrano Mendoza (ICLEI Europe), Erin Shapero (Town of Markham); Donald
van den Akker (Urgenda).
Contributors and Reviewers
D.H. Brahmbhatt (City of Rajkot), Stuart Conerly (ISEP), Emani Kumar (ICLEI South Asia), Lee
Yujin (Green Korea), Christine Lins (EREC), Jan Logie (Otago University), Monica Oliphant (ISES),
Lily Riahi (ICLEI Europe), Wilson Rickerson (Meister Consultants Group), Holger Robrecht (ICLEIEurope), Ian Schearer (ICLEI New Zealand), Jonas Tolf (City of Stockholm).

2

CONTENTS
1. The Promise of Local Action for Renewable Energy .............................................................. 4
2. International, Regional and National Influences on Local Renewables.................................. 5
3. Types of Local Policies and Activities to Promote Renewable Energy................................... 8
4. Survey of Local Renewable Energy Policies Around the World ........................................... 11
5. Local Policy Case Summaries for 40 Cities.......................................................................... 22
6. Further Research ................................................................................................................. 32
TABLES
Policy Framework
Table 1: Local Government Policies/Activities that Can Influence Renewable Energy ........... 10
Surveys of Local Renewable Energy Policies
Table 2: Europe ....................................................................................................................... 15
Table 3: United States ............................................................................................................. 16
Table 4: Canada ...................................................................................................................... 17
Table 5: Japan......................................................................................................................... 18
Table 6: Australia and New Zealand ....................................................................................... 19
Table 7: China, India, and Asia/Other ..................................................................................... 20
Table 8: Latin America ............................................................................................................ 21
Local Policy Examples
Table P1: Targets for CO2 Emissions Reductions ................................................................... 33
Table P2: Targets for Share of Renewable Electricity.............................................................. 34
Table P3: Targets for Share or Amount of Renewable Energy ................................................ 34
Table P4: Targets for Installed Capacity of Renewable Energy ............................................... 35
Table P5: Targets for Local Government Own-Use Purchases of Renewable Energy ............ 36
Table P6: Targets for Share of Buildings with Renewable Energy........................................... 36
Table P7: Urban Planning ........................................................................................................ 37
Table P8: Building Codes and Mandates ................................................................................. 38
Table P9: Tax Credits and Exemptions .................................................................................... 39
Table P10: Transport Infrastructure and Fuel Mandates, Operation, Investment, Subsidies .. 39
Table P11: Carbon Cap-and-Trade Schemes .......................................................................... 40
Table P12: Promotion and Market-Facilitation Agencies and Departments ............................. 40
Table P13: Electric Utility Policies ............................................................................................ 40
Table P14: Subsidies, Grants, and Loans ................................................................................ 40
Table P15: Local Government Funds and Investments .......................................................... 41
Table P16: Support for Private and Community Initiative......................................................... 42
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or views of REN21 or
any associated organization. Although the information given in this report is the best available to the authors
at the time, REN21 and its participants cannot be held liable for its accuracy and correctness.

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1. THE PROMISE OF LOCAL ACTION FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

City and local governments can play a key role in encouraging renewable energy at the local level.
The multiple roles of these local governments–as decision-makers, planning authorities, managers
of municipal infrastructure, and role models for citizens and businesses–are crucial to the global
transition to renewable energy now underway. It is their political mandate that makes local
governments ideal drivers of change–to govern and guide their communities, provide services, andmanage municipal assets.
Most significantly, local governments have legislative and purchasing power that they can use to
implement change in their own operations and in the wider community. With such capacity, local
governments can become beacons for change in their region or country, demonstrating theeffectiveness of policies and local action. And as early leaders among local governments takeinitiative, others can follow and improve upon the early efforts, replicating and scaling-up goodpractice and successful examples.
Local governments can also play a key role as facilitators of change, particularly in terms of raisingawareness and facilitating community and business actions by a range of stakeholders. Often theparticipation of many different local, regional, and even national stakeholders is important toachieving planned outcomes. For example, “model cities” in India and Brazil have been designed
to involve local craftspeople, schools, scientists, and regional and national agencies.
While cities are beginning to include renewable energy in urban planning, there are still relatively
few explicit local renewable energy policies. Rather, renewable energy is often addressedindirectly, within other themes such as sustainability, climate change, clean transportation, and“green” or “eco” programs. Often, energy savings and energy efficiency are the main priorities,
which makes sense due to the enormous opportunities for reducing demand. Reduced demandalso enables renewables to meet a larger share of the remaining demand. However, it is also truethat the potential for renewable energy is often overlooked, shortchanged, or needlessly postponed
within these broader themes and programs.
The “energy system of tomorrow,” a system that could enable the realization of a 100% renewable
future, will consist of a partially distributed, decentralized energy system with embedded energy
storage, demand side management, and modern communications technologies. It also will likely
include a large role for electric vehicles charged from local renewable energy sources. The role oflocal governments in shepherding and managing these transitions is highly significant. The future
will likely reveal an interesting and multi-faceted interplay between local policies and these futureenergy transitions.

4Local renewable energy targets and policies across the globe vary extensively. One common
theme for many communities, whether metropolitan regions, cities, towns, villages, or counties, isthe importance of renewable energy in local climate action plans–from both mitigation andadaptation perspectives. This is particularly true for many developed countries, where theimportance of climate action at the local level is translating more and more into action to promoterenewable energy. In developing countries, access to energy, energy security, and industrial
development can be key motivators for renewable energy policy and action. In all communities, afocus on local job creation often shapes policies.
This report makes clear that there are many different approaches to renewable energy policy.
Many factors influence the approaches that local governments choose. Some of these include
geographic resource availability, financing availability, relationship to state and national
governments, local regulatory authority and legal jurisdiction, social and cultural conditions,existence of stakeholder groups, local business interests, climate, type of building stock, andhousing density and transport patterns. Since there are large variations in the types of local
targets and policies, both within and between countries, it is difficult to generalize trends forrenewable energy policies. Yet this report attempts to portray an overall “policy landscape.”
More and more cities and local governments are addressing renewable energy in some way, andare also becoming more ambitious in their targets and in policies designed to meet these targets.
Local leaders increasing look to renewable energy to produce energy locally; to secure the local
energy supply and improve community resilience; to save energy and money; to create local jobs;
to involve local stakeholders; to contribute to climate protection; to support national andinternational CO2 reduction goals, and to promote sustainable urban development. Among many
local leaders, there is broad agreement on these benefits and the promise of renewable energy.

2. INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL INFLUENCES ON LOCAL RENEWABLES

In recent years, international, regional, national, and state/provincial policies for energy and climate
have been increasingly affecting local government policies and actions for renewable energy.
Europe is a good example at the regional level. European Union (EU) regional policy and national
policies have fostered local renewable energy goals and actions, particularly among a number of
local governments in Austria, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Since 2007,
many European cities have been considering renewable energy targets and policies in support ofthe 2008 European Climate and Energy package. That package established an EU-wide target for
20% share of final energy consumption from renewables by 2020 and 10% share of transportenergy, with individual national targets contributing to the EU-wide target. Also in 2008, theCovenant of Mayors was launched by the European Commission to bring together interested5Box: Emerging Lessons from Implementing Local Renewables
The experience of ICLEI in working with cities on a variety of projects is beginning to illuminate
some emerging lessons for implementing local renewables.
1. Community size determines approaches and possibilities. There are clear differences between
the policies enacted and implemented by smaller versus larger communities. Smaller communities
are enacting targets for 100% renewable energy, or have even reached this level already, whereas
larger cities would find this impossible in the short and medium term. Smaller communities also
tend to be motivated and supported in a regional context and cooperate with other municipalities intheir region. Among those pioneers, many see a “early adopter” advantage and aim at competitive
advantages from innovation. Larger cities, in contrast, tend to start by targeting specific renewableenergy opportunities, such as solar, wind, or bio-energy. Larger cities may then use theseopportunities to portray the city as progressive (for example, as a “solar city”) and to explore
business ventures that will benefit the city.
2. Mid-sized cities can start easier then large cities. As observed in other local policy sectors as
well, cities and towns of between 100,000–-500,000 inhabitants tend to be pioneers and among
the most active. Innovation and implementation is often much easier for these mid-size cities thanfor larger cities, although international attention may focus more on the larger cities.
3. Renewable energy policies often follow sustainability goals. Among the advanced local
governments in developed countries (especially among the cities), there are many governmentsthat have started some type of sustainability policy, sometimes following past “Local Agenda 21”
programs. Promoting renewable energy can become a natural continuation of past sustainability
policies, as understanding and policy sophistication increase.
4. Early innovators can produce a “snowball effect.” In some countries, pioneering local
governments have taken initiative and then other local governments have followed. This is why“model cities” are so relevant and why city-to-city transfer of information and motivation are key.
One of the best examples is Barcelonas Solar Ordinance mandating solar hot water in new
construction, which was then copied by dozens of local governments in Spain and elsewhere.
5. Local governments react to national enabling (framework) conditions. National andstate/provincial energy policies and mandates create enabling (framework) conditions to which
local governments react. Such enabling conditions could be national or state targets for renewableenergy, incentive programs, funds for demonstrations, electric utility policies like feed-in tariffs,
competitions and awards, or funding for urban development that explicitly incorporates renewables,
to name some.
6. Awards and competitions motivate and create practitioner-communities. In some countries,
awards are given for “solar cities”, “solar towns” and “solar villages,” often on a regular or annual
basis. This creates communities of motivated and like-minded individuals and local officials, who
can then serve as mentors and resources for those who wish to start similar activities in their own
community.
7. Renewable energy demonstration centers provide training and “critical mass.” Come, see,touch and learn – this is the best way for people to acquaint themselves with new technologies.
Many “model cities” have established information and demonstration centers for renewable energy
and energy efficiency to provide training and expertise, and to bring together a critical mass ofexperts, small businesses, and stakeholders to move local innovation.

6

European cities in a voluntary effort to go beyond those EU targets. By April 2009, the Covenant
involved almost 500 local governments, and continues to grow.
At the international level, local governments are increasingly involved in climate change
discussions and meetings associated with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC). Local governments expanded their participation at the 13th Conference of theParties (COP-13) in Bali in December 2007 and at COP-14 in Poznan in December 2008. In Bali,an association of local governments launched the “Local Government Climate Roadmap.” This
roadmap calls for greater recognition of the crucial role that local governments play in achieving
energy and climate goals, explicitly recognizes the role of renewable energy, and also highlights
the need for proper enabling (framework) conditions for local governments. The roadmap also ismobilizing local governments towards preparations for COP-15 in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Plans for COP-15 feature a decision “Cities and Climate”, which has been brought to UNFCCC
negotiations by local governments. Also coming from COP-13 is the World Mayors and Local
Government Climate Protection Agreement, in which signatories agree to measure and report onannual reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and act to reduce emissions consistent with a
60% global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (from 1990 levels).
At national levels, groupings of cities and local governments continue to form, expand, plan, andtake collective action, sometimes through a national initiative. For example, India is establishing 60“solar cities” that would reduce conventional energy demand by at least 10 percent withrenewables and efficiency by 2012. National funds are supporting urban planning and policy
development in these 60 cities to establish policy roadmaps and local resource centers as
catalysts for change. In the United States, the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement grew toinclude over 930 mayors from all 50 states in 2008, representing an urban population of over 83
million people. That agreement targets a 7% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2012 fromefficiency and renewables (from 1990 levels). The U.S. Department of Energys Solar America
Partnership likewise grew in 2008, doubling to 25 participating cities in 2008. In Germany, apublicly-funded research and facilitation network is working with over 50 small municipal
governments around the country to develop and implement plans for becoming “100% renewableenergy regions.” In Australia, there are six “solar cities” supported by a national government
program. And in Japan, more than 300 municipalities continue to provide solar photovoltaic (PV)subsidies and support green power purchasing and other renewables policies in concert with anational policy and networking platform “Japan Regional New Energy Vision.”
State/provincial level policies and targets for renewable energy are also affecting local
governments. By early 2009, there were over 55 states/provinces worldwide with renewable energy
targets, mostly in the United States and Canada based on renewable portfolio standards, and alsoin India and other sub-national jurisdictions like Scotland. Canada is a good example of targets
and policies at the province level that encourage local action. As such “enabling conditions”

7improve at state/provincial levels, local communities find more support to become active toward
renewable energy.
Finally, there are a number of international collaborative associations that support local action.
Most well-known are several initiatives by ICLEI that bring together local stakeholders from aroundthe world, including a local renewables “model communities” network linked to ICLEIs Local
Renewables Initiative. Other examples include the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (which
has focused on energy efficiency improvements in 40 major cities); the European Green Cities
Network (which provides analysis and training on sustainable urban housing); and the International
Solar Cities Initiative (which convenes biennial conferences). There are also national and regional
awards and recognition programs emerging, such as the European Commissions “European
Green Capital” awards, which have already recognized cities as “capital of the year” for 2010 and2011. (Note: a comprehensive list of associations, programs and resources is planned for future
editions of this report.)

3. TYPES OF LOCAL POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE RENEWABLE ENERGY

Local policies and activities to promote renewable energy can be grouped into five main categories(see Table 1 and indicated policy example tables P1–P16). (Note: Only some policies in Table 1
may be relevant to a given situation, depending on local jurisdiction. And not all possible policies
are shown in Table 1.) These five categories are:
1. Target setting. The local government establishes a target (goal) for some future level ofrenewable energy. The target can be for government-only consumption or investment, or apply toall or some classes of energy consumers within the local governments jurisdiction. This is avoluntary activity that is often the starting point for adopting policies and actions. There are manydifferent types of targets that cities can adopt. Many targets are for future emissions reductions ofCO2, to be met by a combination of energy conservation, energy efficiency, changes in energy
demand patterns (such as transport modal shifts), and investment in or purchase of renewableenergy. (Note: most commonly, the proportion of the CO2 reduction to be met by renewables isunspecified, so CO2 reduction targets are considered “partial” targets for renewable energy. In
most cases, CO2 reduction targets alone, without a corresponding explicit renewable energy
target, imply a larger proportion of reductions from energy savings and efficiency than fromrenewable energy.)
2. Regulation based on legal responsibilities and jurisdiction. These policies and activities are
regulatory in nature, based upon the legal responsibilities and jurisdiction of the local governmentthat are provided by charters or similar articles of incorporation, and by national and state laws.
Primary examples are urban planning, building codes, and local taxes.

8

3. Operation of municipal infrastructure. These policies and activities modify the ongoing operationof municipal infrastructure to incorporate renewable energy, for example government energy
purchases or infrastructure investment, or policies or activities by public utility companies(particularly electric utilities) that can be controlled or regulated by the local government. (Note:public utility policies may depend upon utility infrastructure being under local control or jurisdiction.)
This category also includes renewable energy policies by private local utilities that may be enacted
independently of government control.
4. Voluntary actions and government serving as role model. These policies and activities go
beyond legal responsibilities and jurisdiction to take advantage of the various possible roles of a
local government as market facilitator, promoter, and role model. Many of these policies andactivities may also contribute to raising general awareness.
5. Information, promotion and raising awareness. These policies and activities target the generalpublic, specific stakeholders or groups, and/or private businesses, with the aim of facilitating or
enabling support for renewable energy. Activities may also include informational and media
campaigns, support for education and training programs, analysis of renewable energy potentials,
building-specific audits, and geographic information system (GIS) databases.

9

Table 1: Local Government Policies/Activities that Can Influence Renewable Energy
Policy/Activity
Category
1. Target
setting

2. Regulation
based on
legal
responsibilities andjurisdiction

Key forTables
2–8
Targetsetting

Urban

Building

Taxes
Other

3. Operationof municipal
infrastructure

Purch

InvestUtility

4. Voluntaryactions andgovernment
serving as arole model

Demo
GrantsLand

Other
5.Information
promotion,and raisingawareness

Info/
promo

Descriptions of Policies/Activities
by Sub-Category

PolicyTables(a) CO2 reduction targets(b) Future shares/amounts of renewable electricity or energy for all
consumers in city(c) Future shares/amounts of renewable electricity or energy forgovernment operations and/or buildings(d) Future shares or absolute numbers of buildings or homes withrenewable energy installations(e) Future shares/amounts of biofuels for the government vehicle fleet
and/or for public transport(f) Other types of targets, for example to become fossil-fuel free or“carbon neutral”(a) Urban planning and zoning that encourages and integrates the
local generation, distribution and use of renewable sources of power inthe local jurisdiction--including planning and zoning for public
transportation and electric vehicle infrastructure.
(b) Building codes and/or permitting that applies to, or incorporates
renewable energy in some manner. Examples: mandates for solar
hot water and solar PV installations, zero-net-energy homes, shading
legislation, and mandated design review/scoping of opportunities andpotentials for renewable energy.
(c) Tax credits and exemptions within tax systems: for example, sales,
property and fuel taxes, permitting fees, and carbon taxes.
(d) Other regulation, including municipal departments mandated topromote or plan for renewable energy, mandates for biofuels use in
vehicles or biofuels blending, and mandatory carbon cap-and-trade.
(a) Local government purchasing (and joint-purchasing with othermunicipalities or with private sector) to integrate renewable energy into
government operations. Includes renewable electricity, biofuels, andbulk purchasing for market transformation programs.
(b) Local government investment in renewable energy for governmentbuildings, schools, vehicle fleets, and public transport.
(c) Public utility regulation, including tariff regulation, renewable energy
targets, feed-in tariffs, interconnection standards, net metering, andportfolio standards; also designates private utility policies of thesetypes.
(a) Demonstration projects, including participation in national pilot anddemonstration projects. Often done with private sector.
(b) Grants, subsidies, and loans for investments in renewable energy
by homeowners or businesses(c) Using local government land/property for renewable energy
installations (leasing/selling/permitting). Can also include deals that
require developer promises for renewables and efficiency.
(d) Examples: joint ownership of private projects, city-financed
investment funds, bond issues, and green certificates and trading.
Includes public media campaigns and programs; recognition activities
and awards; organization of stakeholders; forums and working groups;
training programs; enabling access to finance by local stakeholders;enabling stakeholder-owned projects; removing barriers to community
participation; energy audits and GIS databases; analysis of renewableenergy potentials; information centers; and initiation and support for
demonstration projects.

P1
P2–
P4
P5

10

P6
P10
P1
P7

P8

P9
P10–
P12
---

--P13

--P14
---

P15–
P16
---

4. SURVEY OF LOCAL RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICIES AROUND THE WORLD

Policies and activities to promote renewable energy at the local level by 180 selected cities andlocal governments worldwide are shown in Tables 2–8. Columns correspond to the categories andsub-categories from Table 1.
(Notes: There are many more cities and hundreds of smaller local governments that could beshown in these tables. The cities and local governments shown in these tables are based on data
availability and well-known cases, but have not been selected according to any formal criteria.
Check-boxes for specific policies in specific cities are based on judgment of the lead author, given
available information. Further drafts of this report will include more cities and local governments
and may establish criteria for inclusion in some categories. For details of state and national policies
for renewable energy that often underlie and support local policies, see the global “Policy
Landscape” section of the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report, available at www.ren21.net,
and also links to a wide variety of policy references and databases at
www.martinot.info/policies.htm.)
The most common type of policy is target setting. (See examples in Tables P1–P6.) Almost all
cities working to promote renewable energy at the local level have established some type of
renewable energy or CO2 reduction target. Of the 180 cities and local governments in Tables 2–8,
at least 140 have some type of future target for renewable energy and/or CO2. Often, cities set
targets based on analysis of energy consumption and reduction potentials. Some of the pioneeringcities in target setting have even met their goals, or are now setting stronger targets based on
accumulated experience.
CO2 or greenhouse-gas reduction targets are common for the years 2010–2012, similar to Kyoto
Protocol targets at the national level, and typically for 10–20% reduction of emissions from 1990
levels. CO2 targets for 2020 and beyond have appeared in recent years and are typically for 20–
40% reductions by 2020, with some CO2 targets now even extending to 2050. Other cities havetargets to become fully or partially “carbon neutral” (zero net emissions) by a future year. One
novel type of CO2 target is emissions per-capita, with several cities targeting a reduction in thisindicator over time.
There are several types of renewable-energy-specific targets. One type is for the renewable shareof total electricity consumption, with several cities in the range 10–30%. Some cities target theshare of electricity consumed by the government itself, for its own buildings, vehicle fleets, andoperations. Such “own-use” targets can range from 10% to 100%. Another type of target is total
share of energy from renewables (e.g., including transport and heating, not just electricity), or
share of energy just for a specific sector like buildings. Some targets are for total amounts of11

installed renewable energy capacity, such as megawatts of solar PV or wind power, or the number
or total surface area of solar hot water collectors.
Another common policy is urban planning that incorporates renewable energy. (See examples inTable P7.) Urban plans take many forms and titles, ranging from “vision” to “strategy” to “plan” butthe essential feature is that a plan call for integrating renewable energy in some systematic andlong-term fashion into city development. The first element of a plan is often the targets mentioned
above, followed by elaboration of specific policies or activities. Some plans are relative short-term,
for example 5 years or less, while many others extend to 2020, 2030, or even 2050. Of the 180
cities and local governments in Tables 2–8, at least half have some type of urban planning thatincorporates renewable energy.
One type of policy emerging in recent years is incorporation of renewable energy in building
codes or permitting. (See examples in Table P8.) Barcelona, Spain, was one of the pioneers
with this type of policy, and mandated solar hot water in all new construction above a certain size
threshold (the threshold was later eliminated). Barcelonas ordinance was then followed by over 70
other municipalities in Spain, and also by the national government. (See Barcelona casedescription in Section 5.) Other types of mandates are for design reviews prior to construction thatreveal the opportunities for integrating solar into building designs, or for building designs to include“stub-outs” or other features that allow for future installation of renewables. A number of cities in
China have mandated solar hot water in new multi-family apartment buildings, and 12 stories inheight appears to be the cut-off point for such mandates (with more stories, roof area becomesinadequate). Of the 180 cities and local governments in Tables 2–8, at least 35 have some type ofbuilding code or permitting policy that incorporates renewable energy.
In contrast to renewable energy policy at the state and national levels in many countries around theworld, tax credits and exemptions for renewable energy at the local level are not very common.
(See examples in Table P9.) Of the 180 cities and local governments in Tables 2–8, only 15 were
found to have some form of these policies. Property tax credits or abatement for residential
installations appear to be the most common.
Many other regulatory measures for renewable energy are possible. There are just a few
examples identified so far, however. One example is a mandate for blending biofuels with all
gasoline and/or diesel fuel sold within city limits (see Portland example in Table P10). Anotherexample is mandating that all taxis use biofuels (see Betim example in Table P10). A third
example is mandating a carbon cap-and-trade system on large businesses within city jurisdiction(see Tokyo example in Table P11).
Related to regulatory measures are a number of cases where local governments have establishedcity departments or public market-facilitation agencies that are planning, regulating, and/or
promoting renewable energy. (See examples in Table P12.) These agencies may have a12

regulatory function, or they may be “market facilitation” agencies that provide information, training,finance, stakeholder convening, public outreach, etc. (The later are best categorized under the“information/promotion” policy category #5 of Table 1.) Often, government departments or agencies
tasked with promoting renewable energy take both roles.
Incorporation of renewable energy into municipal infrastructure and operations takes many
forms. A number of cities have decided to purchase green power for municipal buildings andoperations (see examples in Table P5). Others are purchasing biofuels for municipal fleet vehicles
and/or public transit vehicles (see examples in Table P10). Associated with biofuels purchases
may be investment in alternative-fuel vehicles that may use richer mixtures of biofuels than ispossible with conventional vehicles. Many cities also invest in renewable energy installations formunicipal buildings, schools, hospitals, recreation facilities, and other public facilities. Cities with
community- or district-scale heating systems may also invest in renewable heating infrastructure,for example biomass co-generation plants. Of the 180 cities and local governments in Tables 2–8,
at least 90 have some type of policy related to municipal infrastructure and operations.
For electric utility operations, there are few local governments worldwide that have direct
jurisdiction over the electric utility that serves their populations. But in case where full or partial
jurisdiction exists, or where local regulation can be achieved indirectly through regional or state
government, a number of electric utility policies for renewable energy are possible. (See examples
in Table P13.) These include feed-in tariffs, renewable portfolio standards, net metering, a carbon
tax on fossil-fuel electricity purchases, and green power sales by the utility. (Note: the “Utility”
category in Tables 2–8 also includes cases where a private or non-mandated utility adopts one ormore of these policies voluntarily, motivated by its own interest to promote renewable energy.)
Feed-in tariffs are very common around the world at national levels and in a few cases atstate/provincial levels, but not at local levels (see REN21 Renewables Global Status Report for2007 and 2009 for more details). However, a new trend in 2008 was for cities and local
governments to consider electric utility feed-in policies and explore how to implement thesepolicies. The first city to adopt a local feed-in tariff in the United States was Gainesville, Florida, in
2008; Sacramento, California, will start a feed-in tariff in 2010.
Many cities undertake voluntary actions to promote renewable energy and to serve as a rolemodel for the private sector and other groups. Demonstration projects are very common; of the
180 cities and local governments in Tables 2–8, more than 50 have conducted demonstrations,although the number is probably higher. Subsidies, grants, and loans for end-users to installrenewable energy are very common in some specific countries or regions; of the 180 cities andlocal governments in Tables 2–8, at least 50 have these policies (see examples in Table P14).
Other voluntary actions include government investment funds that often solicit proposals and invest
in public or private projects (see examples in Table P15), and a wide variety of ways to support orfacilitate private and community initiative (see examples in Table P16). Also in the category ofvoluntary actions, a few cities provide municipal land or building rooftops for projects, or sell land13

with sustainability conditions for its development. Finally, some cities choose to subsidize publicaccess biofuels stations, including conversion costs for conventional tanks and pumps, and also
biofuels production and distribution (see examples in Table P10).
Voluntary information and promotion activities are very diverse. Activities among many of the
180 cities and local governments in Tables 2–8 include public media campaigns and programs;
recognition activities and awards; organization of stakeholders; forums and working groups;
training programs; enabling access to finance by local stakeholders; enabling stakeholder-owned
projects; removing barriers to community participation; energy audits and GIS databases; analysisof renewable energy potentials; information centers; and initiation and support for demonstration
projects.

14

Table 2: Europe – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting
Barcelona
BerlinBologna
Bristol
Copenhagen
Cremona
Edinburgh
Frederikshavn
Freiburg
Gelsenkirchen
Göteborg
Grenoble
Hamburg
Heidelberg
Languedoc reg
Lausanne
Leister
Linz
LondonMadridMilan
Malmö
MilagroMünster
Oslo
OxfordParis
Ponferrada
Rhône-Alpes r.
RomeRovigo prov.
Samsø
SevilleStockholm
The Hague
Växjö
Walloon region
Woking Boro.
Zaragoza

Regulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest Utility

Demo

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X

Building Taxes Other

X

X
X

X
X

X

X

X
X

X

X
X
X

X

X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

Other

X
X

X

X
X
X
X

Grants Land

Info/
promo

X
X

X
X
X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X
X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X

X
X
X

X

X

X
X
X

X

X

X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X

15

X

Table 3: United States – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting #!# #& 
$" 
&$% #*
!$%! !&#!
 '# $'! !&&!&$%! !(#%*!)'!$ $$! # %*
(& "!$(# $
(!## !
$#%
"%%$&#
!#% 
# %!
% %*  %! ! ! # $!  !$ % !  %!$%%! !%*
!&%"%! &$! X

Regulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest Utility

Demo

Building Taxes Other

X

X

X

Grants Land

X

X

Info/
promo

Other

X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X

X

X

X
X

X
X
X

X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X
X
X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X
X
X

X
X

X

X
X
X

X

X

X
X
X

X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X

X

X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X

X

X
X
X
X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X
X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X

X
X

X

X
X
X
X

X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X

X

X

X

16

X

X

Table 4: Canada – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting
Caledon ON
Calgary AB
Craik SK
Edmonton AB
Guelph ON
Halifax NS
Hamilton ON
Markham ON
Mississauga ON
Montreal QC
Oakville ON
Okotoks AB
Ottawa ON
Richmond Hill
ON
Sudbury ON
Surrey BC
Toronto ON
Vancouver BC
Winnipeg MB
Whitehorse YTX
XRegulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest Utility

Demo

Building Taxes Other

X

X
X

X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X

Grants Land

Other

X

X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X
X

17

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

Info/
promo

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X

Table 5: Japan – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting
Chiba
Fukuoka
Hamamatsu
Hiroshima
HokutoIida
Kanagawa pr
Kawasaki
Kitakyushu
Kobe
Kyotango
Kyoto
Matsuyama
NagoyaNiigata
Osaka
Saitama
Sakai
SapporoSendaiShizuoka
Tokyo
Tsuru
Yokohama

Regulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest Utility

Demo

Building Taxes Other

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X

Other

X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

Grants Land

Info/
promo

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X

X
X

X

X
X
X
X
X

X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X

18

X
X

X
X
X

X

X
X

X
X
X

X
X

Table 6: Australia and New Zealand – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting
AUSTRALIA
Adelaide
Alice Springs
Ballarat
Blacktown
Brisbane
Clarence Vly.
Hepburn Sh.
Melbourne
MorelandNew Castle
Perth
SydneyTownsville
NEW ZEALAND
Christchurch
Dunedin
NelsonWaitakereWellington

X

Regulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest

Utility

Demo

X

X
X

Building Taxes Other

X
X

X

X

X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X

Grants Land

X
X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X
X

X
X
X

X

X
X

X

X

X
X
X

X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
X

X

19

X
X
X

X

X

Other

X

X

X

Info/
promo

X

X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

Table 7: China, India, and Asia/Other – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting

CHINA
Baoding
BeijingDezhouKunming
Lianyungang
RizhaoShanghai
ShenzhenTaipai City
Tianjin
Wuhan
INDIA
Bhubaneswar
Delhi
Coimbatore
NagpurRajkot
KOREA
Busan
Daegu
Gwangju
Jeju prov.
Seoul

X
X

Regulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest

Demo

Building Taxes Other

X
X
X

X

X
X

X

X

X
X
X

X
X
X

Utility

X
X
X

Grants Land

Info/
promo

Other

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X

X

X

OTHER ASIA
Kuala Lumpur
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
Abu Dhabi
X
Cape Town
X
Dubai

X

X
X
X
X

X

20

X

X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X

Table 8: Latin America – Selected Local Renewable Energy Policies
Targetsetting

BRAZIL
Belo Horizonte
Betim
Curitiba
Porto Alegre
Rio de JaneiroSão Paulo
MEXICO
Cuautitlán
Izcalli
Mexico City
TolucaRegulation based on legal
responsibility and jurisdiction

Operation of muni
infrastructure

Voluntary actions andgovernment as role model

Urban

Purch Invest Utility

Demo

Building Taxes Other

Grants Land

Info/
promo

Other

X
X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X

X
X

21

X

X

5. LOCAL POLICY CASE SUMMARIES FOR 40 CITIES
Note: the following local policy case summaries are unedited and many are not yet reviewed by
local experts or officials. In contrast to the policy lists and examples in Tables 2–8 and P1–P16,
these cases are intended to show integrated pictures of local policy and action for individual cities.
Case summaries from more countries and regions will be included in future editions. Additional
cases and reviews of these existing cases are invited.

Adelaide, Australia (population 1.2 million). Adelaides sustainable development planning dates
back to the early 2000s when visionaries engaged the community and the city adopted its “green
city program” with many new policies. Adelaide also became one of six cities participating inAustralias national “solar cities” program. The Adelaide City Development Plan promotes green
buildings and renewable energy technologies. The plan includes targets to make the entire
transport sector carbon-neutral by 2012 and the entire building sector carbon-neutral by 2020.
There is also a greenhouse-gas emissions reduction target for municipal own-use operations of
20% by 2010, compared to 1994. Many renewable energy projects are underway. The city offers$1000 subsidies for solar PV systems larger than 1-kilowatt (kW), and subsidies of $1/watt up to$3000 to install solar PV for lighting in common areas of apartment buildings. In transportation, thecity plans to operate solar-electric public buses charged with 100% solar power. Adelaides greencity program takes place within the context of a ten-year sustainability plans at the state level.
Austin TX, USA (population 774,000). Austins 2007 Climate Protection Plan targets 30% of total
city energy needs from renewable energy by 2020, including 100 MW of solar power. Municipal
facilities are also targeted to become carbon neutral by 2010. Austin Energy, the energy
department of the city government, has been very active in renewable energy. Austin Energy has
been purchasing private wind power since 2001, receives electricity from several solar installationsin the city, and also purchases power from landfill gas in San Antonio. Austin EnergysGreenChoice Program allows residents and businesses to voluntarily purchase green power
through 5-year and 10-year subscriptions; by 2009, subscriptions represented 750 GWh in green
power sales. Austin Energy also provides rebates of $3.75/watt for solar PV and $1500-2000 per
system for solar hot water.
Barcelona, Spain (population 1.6 million). Barcelona enacted a city ordinance in 2000 that
required solar hot water in all new buildings and major renovations above a size threshold (typically
all commercial buildings, and residential buildings of 16 or more households). In 2005, the cityeliminated the size requirement so the ordinance now applies to all construction. The ordinancerequires 60% of hot water energy to come from solar. This ordinance proved very popular andBarcelonas model was followed by over 70 municipalities and cities throughout Spain enacting
similar ordinances. Then, following the local ordinances, Spain enacted a national building code
requiring both solar hot water and solar PV in new construction and renovation for larger buildings.
Barcelona promotes renewable energy through its 2002–2010 “Plan for Energy Improvement inBarcelona,” which aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010 (compared to 1999), reduce
per-capita CO2 emission to 3.15 tonnes/person, and increase renewable energy to 1.1% of totalenergy consumption. The plan is being implemented and monitored by the Energy Agency ofBarcelona. There are also informational and public awareness programs.
Beijing, China (population 17 million). Beijings 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) targets a 4%
share of electric power capacity from renewable energy by 2010, up from 1% in 2005, and a 6%
share of heating capacity by 2010. To achieve these goals, the city allocated 13 billion RMB ($2billion) over the five-year period. The city is promoting geothermal heat pumps and provides
subsidies of 35 RMB/m2 for water-source pumps and 50 RMB/m2 for ground-source pumps. The

22

city has also been installing renewable energy in municipal infrastructure, including 57,000 solar
street lamps. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games boosted renewable energy development with anumber of projects—during the games, one-quarter of all energy consumed at event venues was
renewable. And Beijing is also supporting renewable energy development in surrounding rural
districts. In 2008, Beijing received 2% of its total energy consumption from renewables, and had
3.8 million m2 of solar water heaters and 1.2 megawatts (MW) of grid-tied solar PV installed. There
were also biogas digesters in use by 50,000 households, 113 small hydro power plants, and 10
million m2 of heating capacity from water-source geothermal heat pump facilities.
Berlin, Germany (population 3.4 million). Berlin has been active in setting and implementing
renewable energy policy for decades. In 1989, the city created an energy planning unit, the Energy
Task Force, to coordinate policy and increase the share of renewable energy. In 1994, the Energy
Concept Berlin targeted a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2010 (baseline 1990). In practice,actual emissions were reduced by 26% as of 2009, and a new target of 40% by 2020 was set.
That reduction achievement was due to a number of action plans, first in 1995, then in 2000, andagain in 2005. In 2000, the city launched a “Berlin Solar Campaign” together with four outside
agencies to raise public awareness. The campaign created an “International Solar Centre,” a multipurpose information and promotion center. Following that, the city also developed a “Solar MasterPlan” to assess solar energy potential for different types of city buildings and infrastructure, a grantfund, subsidy programs for solar PV and solar hot water, and a program to offer rooftops of publicbuildings to private developers for solar PV installations. Along with strong national support forsolar PV through feed-in tariffs, the number of solar PV installations in Berlin climbed from 400 in
1998 to 1600 in 2008 with capacity of 10 MW. Under the most recent action plan (2006-2010),
Berlin will continue to promote renewable energy. Berlin's success can be attributed to thecreation of institutions and partnerships within the framework of energy planning, including theCouncil on Energy (1990), Berlin Energy Agency (1992), Berlin ImpulsE (2000), and Climate
Protection Expert Council (2007).
Betim, Brazil (population 440,000). Betim is one of Brazil's first "model communities" forrenewable energy, as part of a six-cities network that also includes Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre,
Salvadore, São Paulo, and Volta Redonda. Betim has established a number of policies to promote
biofuels use in transportation. The city mandates biofuels in public buses and taxis, and also gives
preference to flex-fuel vehicles for municipal vehicle fleet purchases. The city is also facilitating theaddition of solar hot water systems to a low-income housing project being built under a national
program. A number of demonstration projects on municipal buildings have been carried out. Betim
has also established a "Renewable Energy Reference Center" that raises public awareness;
provides information; brings together diverse stakeholders from local, state, and national levels;
conducts training and workshops; and conducts outreach to other local communities in Brazil toshare Betim's experience.
Boston MA, USA (population 610,000). In 2007, Boston committed to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions 7% by 2012 and 80% by 2050 (base 1990). Also in 2007, an executive order required
the city to purchase 11% of its own-use electricity from renewables by 2007 and 15% by 2012, also
required all new municipal motor vehicle purchases to be alternative fuel vehicles, and committed
to reduce the citys own-use transportation fuel use by 5% by 2012. The city also targets 25 MW ofsolar PV by 2015, and has adopted a number of regulatory measures, including zoning regulations
for utility-scale and small-scale wind power projects, and requirements that new housing under its
Green Affordable Housing Program be “solar ready.” The city also maintains an online GIS
tracking system that features every renewable energy installation in the city, and allows building
owners to calculate the available solar irradiance on their rooftop, taking shading into account.
From 2007 to mid-2009, renewable energy capacity in Boston grew from 500kW to almost 2MW.

23

Bristol, UK (population 420,000). Bristol has three targets in its carbon reduction strategy: (1) toreduce the city governments own-use energy consumption by 10% by 2010 (base 2003/2004); (2)to purchase 15% of the governments own-use electricity from renewable sources by 2010; and (3)to reduce total CO2 emissions 60% by 2050, starting with 3% reductions per year through 2020.
The city purchases 14% of its own-use electricity from renewables, operating 34,000 street lamps
and ten public buildings with green power. The city has installed three biomass boilers in acommunity building, a nursery, and a school, and will install biomass boilers in four new schools.
The city will also install solar PV and solar hot water systems in 21 non-residential city-ownedbuildings such as nursery schools and nursing homes. The city is also allowing construction ofwind turbines on city-owned land.
Christchurch, New Zealand (population 370,000). Christchurch has committed to a 70%
reduction in government own-use CO2 emissions by 2011 and carbon neutrality beyond 2015, andto a 20% reduction in community CO2 emissions by 2020. The city government purchases 100%of its own-use electricity from a certified carbon-neutral electricity supplier and from a small local
wind farm. The city has a number of projects supporting renewable energy, including the “Clean
Heat” project which provides grants for efficient wood-pellet stoves, use of landfill gas for heating
government buildings and a public swimming pool, a biodiesel-fueled bus, and a carbon-neutral
demonstration home. Other policies include consideration of passive solar design for new
government buildings and reduced permit costs and faster permitting for residential solar water. A
city-support agency “Target Sustainability” provides advice on renewable energy to businesses andresidents.
Daegu, Korea (population 2.5 million). Daegu declared itself a “solar city” in 2004 and pledged tointegrate renewable energy into city development and gradually reduce per-capita greenhouse-gas
emissions by 2050 “consistent with long-term climate stabilization.” The original plan called for 5%of total energy consumption to come from renewables by 2012. Following that, the city adopted
energy-reduction targets for 2015 and 2030. There have also been a number of demonstration
projects in public buildings, schools, and universities, and public information campaigns. The city
was working on a comprehensive “solar city” ordinance that would establish policy approaches.
Edinburgh, UK (population 470,000). Edinburgh aims to achieve a carbon-free economy by 2050
and has launched a Climate Change Fund totaling £18.8 million to develop local carbon-freecommunities. The city intends to boost community-led activities for CO2 emissions reduction
through this fund. The city will also establish a carbon management plan for its own operations.
The city already purchase green power for its own-use operations, including 100% green power forlarge buildings, 75% green power for smaller buildings, and 20% green power for other uses suchas street lighting. In the Old Town portion of the city, the project “Renewable Heritage” is improving
energy efficiency and integrating several forms of renewables into traditional buildings (which are adesignated UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Frederikshavn, Denmark (population 25,000). This city plans to be 100% renewable by 2015,
including the transportation sector. The target emerged in 2006 with national plans to makeFrederikshavn a model demonstration city for Denmark, to showcase a diversity of renewableenergy technologies, energy management practices, and distributed energy system models.
Currently, the city receives 24% of its energy from renewables. The city established the Energy
City Frederikshavn Foundation to be responsible for implementing the 100% target, in partnershipwith major stakeholders (companies, educational institutions, energy planners, and key industry
players like steel mills). The expected investment cost to achieve the target is 1 billion Danish
kroner. Funds will come from investors, and the city has established a fund for this target withprivate sector investment. The city also plans to adjust some taxes.

24Freiburg (i. BR), Germany (population 220,000). Support for renewable energy and climate
protection dates back to the 1970s in Freiburg when opposition to nuclear power emerged as apublic issue. In 1986, Freiburg developed a new energy supply concept that incorporated
renewables, along with energy saving and efficient technologies. The first climate protection
concept was established in 1996, which resulted in a number of initiatives. One example of anearly policy was the sale of municipal land to developers with the requirement that housing built on
the land incorporate renewable energy and exceed national energy efficiency standards–which led
to several renewables-intensive low-energy housing districts. In 2007, a new climate protection
action plan was created including energy saving, energy efficiency, and renewables. As part of the
new plan, an on-line database has been established listing all building roofs in the city and theirsize and suitability for solar panels. By 2008, all public trams were running entirely on renewableenergy, and there existed five wind turbines, a biomass co-generation plant for one city district,
12.3 MW of solar PV, and 15,000 m2 of SHW. Success with renewable energy has been attributed
to a shared vision of sustainable development, a multi-stakeholder network, participation andcommitment of citizens, and political consensus across parties.
Göteborg, Sweden (population 500,000). The city of Göteborg has established a long-term
commitment to sustainable energy, including energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy, energyefficient urban planning, and local energy storage. The project "Göteborg 2050" is developing longterm visions of a future city and region. The project is a collaborative effort between universities,
the city government, and the city's energy utility (Göteborg Energi AB). It includes research,
scenario development, support for strategic planning, dialogue with the public, and demonstration
projects. Göteborg has also pioneered the design and construction of a number of demonstration
homes that use only solar energy for heating and hot water, even in the winter.
Hamburg, Germany (population 1.8 million). Hamburg was designated by the European
Commission as “European Green Capital” of the year for 2011. Hamburg has committed 25
million for new climate change programs and aspires to become a “model region” for climate action.
Hamburgs targets are for 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and 80% reduction by 2050
(relative to 1990). Hamburgs policy includes several programs, including a solar PV roof-spaceexchange program; a public-private solar hot water/heating program; designation of additional
locations for wind turbines; repowering of existing wind turbines, funding for use of biofuels; and a
new university-level research and training program designated “competence cluster renewables.”The city is also planning to develop a model urban district (Wilhelmsburg) that will be supplied
entirely from renewable energy by converting existing infrastructure.
Heidelberg, Germany (population 140,000). In 1992, Heidelberg created a climate protection
program focusing on the use of locally available renewable energy sources as a key strategy. Over
20 of the 100 specific measures in the program concerned renewable energy, including
demonstration projects, subsidy programs, and information campaigns. Many measures are being
implemented by Heidelbergs Bureau of the Environment and the municipal utility. In 2001, the city
targeted at least 25% (7 GWh) of its own-use electricity from renewables, and purchases green
power from the local utility. An energy efficiency regulation for buildings also promotes renewableenergy in new and retrofitted buildings. Public awareness and engagement in renewable energy
has been facilitated by the Heidelberg Climate Protection and Energy Circle, which evolved from apublic forum in 1997. This Circle brings together stakeholders to discuss and develop strategies,
projects, and city policy. The city also organizes education and training for craftsmen andarchitects, encourages youth “energy teams” to promote the issues of energy, environment andclimate, and gives advice to citizens on the installation of solar thermal water heaters and helps
with the application for federal grants and loans. Heidelberg has cut CO2 emissions by over
15,000 tons per year in municipal buildings, and 225,000 tons per year in households, industry andtransportation. In 2004, the city established a 20% CO2 reduction target by 2015.

25

Iida, Japan (population 110,000). Selected as an “Eco Model City” in a national competition, Iida
plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the commercial and residential sectors by 40-50%
by 2030 and by 70% by 2050 (base 2005). The city also plans to increase the share of householdswith solar PV from 2% in 2006 to 30% by 2010, and is providing solar PV subsidies of 70,000
yen/kW (maximum 3 kW) through February 2010. The city also provides residential solar hot watersubsidies of 20% (maximum 30,000) and biomass equipment subsidies of 20% (maximum 75,000
yen for a wood stove and maximum 50,000 yen for a pellet stove or pellet boilers). The citysenvironmental plan was revised in 2007, and the revised plan established a four-year program
employing public-private partnerships for biodiesel use in public vehicles, business models of woodpellet operation, use of micro-hydropower in small urban areas and farming districts, andconstruction of a biomass town as a sustainable recycling community model.
Kitakyushi, Japan (population 1.0 million). Kitakyushu has a long history of environmental policy,
and was selected #1 among environmentally-advanced cities in Japan for both 2006 and 2007,
according to a non-governmental competition. The city has also been selected as an “eco-model”
city in Japan. In 2007, the city adopted a “Low-Carbon City Vision” that calls for a 50% reduction ingreenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 (base 2005). The vision focuses on urban structure andsustainable energy and transport. Plans are being developed for a low-carbon city district andfuture development of the energy system, as well as policies to implement the vision. Currently,
subsidies are provided for household solar PV.
Kunming, China (population 4.7 million). Kunming aspires to be a “solar capital” of China. In
2008, the city adopted a policy framework “advice on renewable energy development and use”
which calls for a 50% share of all buildings in the city to have solar hot water and solar PV by 2010.
The framework also established a designated development zone within the city to reach a 70%
share, and for new construction to reach a 90% share. Further targets for 2015 include 6 million
m2 of solar panels city-wide (both hot water and PV), and solar PV capacity of 100 MW. Other
policies to promote renewable energy include low-interest loans, tax exemptions, and a special
fund to encourage private investment. The city has also incorporated solar investments into its
own procurement. And the city is providing support for R&D, industry development, university
education, and a solar hot water equipment testing center. Outside the city, construction of the
166-MW Kunming Shilin solar PV power plant began in late 2008 and will become the largest suchplant in China, at a cost of almost $1.5 billion.
Linz, Austria (population 190,000). The "Linz Solar City Project" is an integrated solar village for1300 households on the outskirts of Linz. Construction was to be completed in 2005 and was toinclude other infrastructure, including shops, schools, and a 7-km tram rail line to the city center.
The solar village is made of 2-4 storey buildings with south-facing facades, energy-efficientconstruction, passive solar heating, and solar electricity. The village includes a network ofpedestrian and cycle paths, open space, and underground parking to keep cars separate fromliving areas. The village design has won several awards and was a joint effort between the city and
12 separate building constractors. Energy heating intensities for the residential buildings in thesolar village were expected to be 37 kWh/m2/year, below other low-energy construction in Austria(44 kWh/m2/year) and well below the average in Austria (65 kWh/m2/yr). Similarly, heating
intensities for the school buildings were expected to be 30 kWh/m2/yr, much less than the 125
kWh/m2/yr average for other schools in Linz.
London, UK (population 7.6 million). Londons renewable energy objective is to generate at least
665 GWh of electricity and 280 GWh of heat annually from renewables by 2010. This willcontribute to the citys greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 60% by 2050 (base 1990).
The city currently purchases green power for public lighting and city buildings. In past years, anumber of initiatives have been launched, including the 2004 London Energy Partnership, which
created a “London Renewables” program to promote renewables in new buildings and other26

infrastructure, and a “Mayors Energy Strategy” which proposed to adopt green electricity tariffs in
the municipal administration.
Madison WI, USA (population 220,000). Madison launched the Mpowering Madison Campaign in2008 to reduce city-wide CO2 emissions by 100,000 tons by 2011. The city has undertaken anumber of activities toward that goal, such as renewable energy installations on municipal
infrastructure, including solar hot water systems on all fire stations and solar PV systems oncommunity facilities. The MadiSUN Solar Energy Program, supported by the U.S. Solar American
Cities Program, offers free consultations for installations of solar PV and solar hot water by
residences and businesses, and intends to double the number of such systems city-wide by 2011.
The electric utility serving Madison, Madison Gas and Electric, has a number of cooperative
initiatives with the city, including joint operation of a wind farm, green power purchasing, and solar
PV production credits. Madison aims to purchase about 20% of its municipal own-use power fromrenewables by 2010, including green power purchases of wind, biomass, and hydro from the utility.
Melbourne, Australia (population 3.9 million). Melbourne joined International Cities for Climate
Protection in 1998 and Australias Greenhouse Challenge program in 2000. The City has been
investing in demonstration projects for solar power, solar hot water, and green buildings. For
example, solar panels installed on the Queen Victoria Market in 2003 generate 250 MWh per year,
making this project the largest urban grid-connected solar PV project in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2003, the city adopted the goal of carbon neutrality in its “Zero Net Emissions by 2020” strategy.
The intermediate goal is a 20% reduction over 1996 levels by 2010. The strategy plans to achievecarbon neutrality through green building design, energy efficiency, renewable energy, andsequestration through tree planting. The strategy calls for halving energy use in residential andcommercial buildings, achieving 45% renewable energy, and halving emissions from nonrenewable power generation, all by 2020. In the shorter-term, the “Greenhouse Action Plan 20062010” calls for 25% renewable energy in the building sector and 50% of public lighting by 2010.
The City Council has also set goals for its own operations: 50% emissions reductions over 1996
levels by 2010 and net zero emissions by 2020. As of 2004/2005, the City Councils operations
had reduced emissions 26% over 1996 levels, with the bulk of the reductions achieved in the public
lighting and buildings sectors.
Münster, Germany (population 270,000). Münster established a climate action plan and advisory
council in the early 1990s, along with a CO2 reduction target of 25% by 2005. Through various
measures, the city achieved a 21% reduction by 2006. Most of the reduction was from various
energy efficiency measures in buildings and in heat and power generation (including district
heating), with small contributions from renewables (20 MW of wind power, 4 MW of solar PV, and13,000 m2 of SHW). In 2008, two new targets were introduced: 40% reduction in CO2 by 2020
(relative to 1990), and 20% of total energy consumption from renewables by 2020. The“Department of Green Spaces and Environmental Protection” was given the mandate to establish
activities to meet these targets.
Nagpur, India (population 2.1 million). Nagpur participated in a local renewables “model
communities” program from 2005–2008, paid partly through foreign donor assistance. In 2008,
Nagpur was selected as one of the first cities in Indias national Solar Cities Program. (Nagpur has
also been one of the leading cities implementing the national governments “Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission.”) Nagpur prepared a city energy report as the baseline for urban
energy policy and planning, which analyzed the energy and emissions balance. The city also
issued an ordinance mandating solar water heaters for all new residential buildings with more than
1500 m2, with a 10% rebate on property tax as an incentive. Various demonstration projects areunderway or planned. And a Renewable Energy Resource Center was established to facilitate
dialogue with local stakeholders, to identify and collect various forms of information, and to publish
newsletters and brochures. Awareness campaigns include a mobile van, formation of “energy

27

clubs” in schools, and training for students and school teachers. Nagpur is actively seeking politicalsupport for policy changes, engaging citizens in awareness activities and consulting diverse
stakeholder groups with an interest in local renewables, and aims for further policies to increase
the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The city is targeting a 20% reduction inconventional energy consumption of municipal buildings and services by 2012.
Nelson, New Zealand (population 59,000). Nelson aims to become New Zealands first “solarcity” and is engaged in a range of activities for solar hot water and renewable electricity. The citysoverall goal is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% by 2020, relative to 2001. Startingwith a pilot phase for solar hot water as a collaboration of businesses and non-profits with the city,
at least 1400 installations are targeted over four years. The program benefits from national solar
hot water subsidies of NZ$1000/system for households and $500/m2 for public buildings. The city
plans to involve local banks in end-user financing, and is also hoping to establish a revolving fundfor household credit and to engage in bulk purchasing with tenders to lower costs. The city is
promoting renewable energy in public buildings and in urban design protocols, and further efforts
are planned to develop the local market for distributed solar power.
New York City, USA (population 8.3 million). New York City launched its sustainability PlaNYC in2007 and aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030. The city government currently
purchases 6% of its own-use electricity from renewables, and since 2008 has contracted withprivate developers to purchase power from a 20 MW wind power project. To support solar PV
installations, the city established a property tax abatement program, which provides a rebate of
8.75% of installation costs each year for four years, up to $62,500 per year, resulting in a total
rebate of 35%. The net-metering capacity limit was also raised from 10kW to 2 MW in late 2008.
And the city plans to install 2 MW of solar PV on city-owned buildings through private tendering.
The citys first carbon-neutral building, Solar Two, received assistance from the city. New Yorkcurrently has 1.1 MW of existing solar PV capacity.
Oslo, Norway (population 580,000). In 2005, Oslo adopted a 50% CO2 reduction target by 2030.
Oslo plans to increase use renewable energy in its transport system and to entirely phase-out
fossil-fuels for heating buildings by 2020. It plans to procure vehicles for municipal use that will be
low-carbon or electric, and to improve facilities and incentives for electric vehicles, such as freeparking and exemption from road tolls. An energy-efficiency fund operated from 1997-2007 andprovided up to 20% of capital costs, including replacement of oil-fired heating boilers withrenewable energy, and installation of wood-pellet heaters. A new project plans to produce biogas
from organic household waste and sewage sludge. (In 2008, 62% of public transport journeys
were made by rail using renewable energy.)
Oxford, UK (population 150,000). Oxfords Low Carbon Buildings Program (LCBP) was launchedin 2006 with two planned phases. During the first phase, the city provides subsidies for solar PV,
solar hot water, and small-scale wind power in public, commercial, and residential buildings.
Households can receive up to £2,500 per property. The second phase provides grants tocommunity groups and non-governmental organizations for renewable energy in public buildingssuch as schools and churches, up to 50% of the total installation cost and maximum £200,000. By
2009, the city had allocated £45 million to LCBP including £10 million to phase one and £35 million
to phase two. The city jointly operates the Community Sustainable Energy Program (CSEP) with a
private research organization called the Building Research Establishment (BRE). This program will
provide community-based organizations with £8 million to install renewable energy systems and £1
million to develop renewable energy projects. In 2005, Oxford enacted a Climate Change Action
Plan that aims to reduce the citys own-use CO2 emissions by 25% by March 2011.
Portland OR, USA (population 580,000). Portland has an extensive history of land-use andtransportation planning dating back 30 years. Portland first adopted a local energy policy in 1979,28

the first in the United States. Portland's first greenhouse gas reduction plan was adopted in 1993
(also a U.S. first), and then updated in 2001 with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to
10% below 1990 levels by 2010. The plan also calls for 100% of the municipal government's
electricity to come from renewable energy by 2010. In 2006, the city adopted the first local
renewable fuels standard in the United States, which mandates 5% biodiesel and 10% ethanol
blending with all diesel and gasoline sold within the city limits. The city purchases biofuels formunicipal fleet vehicles and also established a $450,000 Biofuels Investment Fund that supports
various biofuels production and distribution projects, including projects to install or convert fueling
equipment. The city also launched a five-year $2.5 million Green Investment Fund with private
partners that is investing in renewable energy projects, and the city facilitates business
partnerships for renewable energy investment and green power sales. The Bureau of Planning andSustainability oversees these efforts.
Rizhao, China (population 2.8 million). Rizhao, in Shandong Province, has been promoting solar
hot water for the past 15 years. Currently, 99% of households in central Rizhao use solar hot
water and most traffic signals, street lights, and park lights are solar powered. In the surrounding
suburbs, more than 30% of households use solar hot water. The provincial government of
Shandong has a policy to support research and development in the solar industry, and this policy
helped lower the cost of a solar hot water heater to the level of an ordinary electric heater. The city
capitalized on this development with policies to promote solar hot water among the public. All newbuildings are required to include solar hot water, and the government oversees construction toensure that this regulation is enforced and the panels are properly installed. The government has
also run educational campaigns to encourage people to install solar in their homes, and somegovernment bodies and businesses have provided solar installations to their employees for free.
Partly due to the widespread use of solar energy, Rizhao is consistently among the top 10 cities in
China in terms of air quality.
Samsø, Denmark (population 4,200). This off-shore island community has already become“carbon-negative” and 100% renewable-electricity powered. Wind turbines provide power, withthree-quarters of the generated power sold to mainland Denmark. The exported power more thanoffsets vehicle emissions and a small number of furnaces burning fossil fuels. The community
began the task in 1998 of becoming 100% renewable by 2008, inspired by a national competitionby the Danish government. No funding was obtained from outside the community. Rather, local
citizens invested in renewable energy projects by buying shares. The investments were marketed
as business opportunities, secured by revenue guarantees based on the national feed-in-tariff
policy.
San Francisco, USA (population 780,000). San Franciscos Climate Action Plan aims to reducegreenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2012 (base 1990). The city has several initiatives supporting
renewable energy and strives to be a “Solar San Francisco.” One of the first initiatives was a $100
million Solar Energy Bond in 2001. Soon after, the citys 2002 Electricity Resource Plan targeted
50 MW of renewables by 2012, including 31MW solar PV. The city also requires that all newbuildings over 100,000 square feet supply 5% of their energy with onsite solar. And the GoSolar
program provides solar PV subsidies of $2,000-4,000 for residential installations ($7000 for lowincome residents) and $1500/kW for installations by businesses and non-profit entities (maximumof $10,000). The city is investigating sites for wind power generation within city limits and on cityowned property outside city limits.
Stockholm, Sweden (population 810,000). Stockholm was designated by the European
Commission as “European Green Capital” of the year for 2010. Stockholm has developed a seriesof climate action plans over time. The first plan, from 1995-2000, achieved a reduction in CO2emissions per-capita to 4.7 tonnes. The second plan, from 2000-2005, further reduced per-capita
emissions to 4.0 tonnes. A third plan is currently under development, with a target, established in29

2008, for 3.0 tonnes/capita by 2015. Planning includes a wide range of energy efficiency andenergy-related measures, including green electricity purchases, solar hot water, and use of biofuelsin public transit buses. In transport, the city plans that 50% of all buses should run on biogas or
ethanol by 2011, and 100% of buses by 2025. Metro and commuter trains already run on
renewable electricity. Investments in additional biofuels filling stations are planned. The city is also
promoting greater use of biomass for district heating and co-generation. And information
campaigns are educating households, employees, and school children about their emissions.
Tokyo, Japan (population 13 million). Tokyos main targets are to reduce CO2 emissions by 25%
by 2020, and to increase the share of renewable energy to 20% of total energy consumption by
2020. These targets were established in 2006 with the Tokyo Renewable Energy Strategy and aclimate change action plan that called for emissions trading and was subsequently merged into theTokyo Environmental Master Plan (2008). Those plans contained a further target for 1 GW of solar
PV within city limits. The city provides subsidies to households for solar PV (JPY 100,000/kW) andsolar hot water (up to JPY 33,000/m2), on condition that the resulting green-electricity and “greenheat” certificates become the property of the city government for trading. That trading is due to geta large boost starting in 2010 when a mandatory carbon cap-and-trade system will be imposed onlarge businesses. Obligated businesses will meet obligations by reducing emissions or by trading
green-electricity certificates and green-heat certificates derived from solar hot water. The city isalso facilitating a “Green Energy Purchasing Forum” for trading of green-electricity and green-heatcertificates by all consumers and buyers that is designed to encourage “demand-pull” forrenewable energy. The city also mandates that public and some other facilities must purchasegreen certificates equal to 5% of electricity use and also purchases biodiesel for public buses.
Toronto, Canada (population 2.5 million). Toronto currently has several municipal representatives
and a mayor that campaigned to prioritize environmental protection. The city targets greenhousegas emissions reductions of 6% by 2012, 30% by 2020, and 80% by 2050. The city also targets
local pollutant emissions reductions of 20% by 2012. To help achieve these targets, the city plansto obtain 25% of electricity for municipal operations and buildings from renewable energy, by 2012.
The city purchases biodiesel for its entire municipal vehicle fleet, and has established a $20 million
Sustainable Energy Fund to provide low-interest financing for renewable energy projects. Toronto
has installed solar PV on public buildings and is also facilitating “solar neighborhood” initiatives that
promote innovative modes of community ownership.
Wellington, New Zealand (population 190,000). Wellington adopted a goal of reducing community
CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, and reducing government own-use emissions
by 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. One of Wellingtons main strategies has been to promote wind
power within it territorial boundaries by incorporating support for wind into land-use planning andconsents. The city supported a major 143-MW wind farm being completed by 2009, including landuse consent, and support for community consultation and traffic management. Other policies andprojects for renewable energy include a $300 rebate of consent fees for solar hot water and otherrenewable energy technologies, consideration of solar hot water in upgrades to city-owned housing,a landfill-gas partnership with a private company, and solar hot water in public facilities.
Woking Borough, UK (population 91,000). The borough has installed combined heat-and-powerin city council offices, as well as scattered mini-power stations, solar rooftop PV, and district
heating. The town centre is energy self-sufficient and exports any surplus power. Diurnal andseasonal differences in solar and combined heat and power (CHP) are managed comprehensively.
The borough has mandated that 10% of the energy required by all commercial and residential
development must be generated by on-site RE and if this development is large, CHP is required.
The borough has developed 20–30 year business/investment plans for renewable energy, requiring
minimum internal rate of return (IRR) of 8% and expected revenue from both energy sales andgreen certificates. Money from energy savings through energy efficiency investments is used for30

further energy savings and renewable energy infrastructure development. Woking has partneredwith the council energy company, Thamesway Energy Limited, and receives income from energy
savings derived from the Councils Housing energy conservation, renewable energy, and CHP
programs in the residential sector. Future priorities are to expand the number of CHP/renewableenergy stations in the borough; to ensure that private power developers are connecting to Wokingslocal (private wire) distributed generation system, or supplying power for their own uses; and tobuild external partnerships and encourage private wire distributed generation systems elsewhere.
Yokohama, Japan (population 3.6 million). Yokohama adopted a comprehensive urban plan
“Yokohama Energy Vision” in 2008 that includes promotion of renewable energy. Central to thisplan are targets to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% by 2025 and by 60% by 2050 (base2004). Two-thirds of the emissions reduction will come from energy efficiency and one-third fromrenewable energy, which implies a ten-fold increase in renewable energy use by 2025. To achieve
the target, a number of renewable-energy-related measures have been adopted: a requirementthat large commercial buildings formulate CO2 reduction plans; installations of solar PV on
government buildings and schools; subsidies for household solar PV; promotion of green-power
certificate trading and purchases; use of city building rooftops for private renewable energy
installations; and implementation of city-owned renewable energy projects that are financed bybusinesses and citizen-investors. The city is also considering solar hot water requirements for new
construction. In the transport sector, the city is promoting a long-term roadmap for electric vehicles
and ultimately a zero-emission transport system.

31

6. FURTHER RESEARCHThis report is still a work in progress. The ultimate purpose of this report is to• Give an understanding to the global energy/environment community of the importance of cities
for renewables and show how much is being done.
• Inform and inspire people in cities (especially decision-makers and local government staff) to do
more and give them basic knowledge to understand opportunities and possibilities.
• Show how communities are influenced by local governments (and vice-versa) in investing in
renewable energy.
• Give insight into potentials -- how much renewables are possible at the local level given specificconditions and policies.
There are at least seven basic types of information that can be collected about local renewableenergy around the world. This working draft report is only addressing type #1, but future editions
should consider the other categories as well.

1. Policies and targets: Which policies exist? What are future targets?
2. Indicators: Which indicators best show the extent to which renewables are used or possible(actual and potentials), and what do those indicators show for cities worldwide?
3. Enabling (framework) conditions: What factors and conditions most influence (enable/inhibit)
city action or inaction? For example:






What legal authorities exist that allow city action?
Do national or state policies help the city in its goals? Do they hinder?
Have city policies keyed off the national or state policies?
Who are key stakeholders in regard to renewable energy and how do they participate?
Is there a “renewable energy champion” within the city government?

4. Influence on national policies: How are national policies affected by local policies? Are there
mechanisms by which local policy initiative eventually translates into national policy?
5. Policy-making processes: What are the historical and ongoing policy-making processes related
to renewables? Who has shaped, led, and/or hindered those processes?
6. Results: Have policies been effective? What are the impacts and outcomes? Evidence?
7. Associations: How does the city participate with national or global associations related torenewable energy or climate change? Which associations and what benefits result?

32

POLICY EXAMPLES
Table P1: Targets for CO2 Emissions Reductions
Austin TX, USA
Zero net emissions (“carbon-neutral”) by 2020
Adelaide, Australia
Zero net emissions in transport (by 2012) and buildings (by 2020), andreduce 20% by 2010 for government own-use emissions (base 1994)
Ballarat, Australia
Reduce 30% by 2010 (base 2000) and zero net emissions by 2020
Barcelona, Spain
Reduce 20% by 2010 (base 1999); also reduce per-capita emissions
to 3.15 tonnes equivalent CO2/person by 2010
Berlin, Germany
Reduce 25% by 2010 (base 1990)
Berkeley CA, USA
Reduce 80% in government own-use emissions by 2050
Bologna, Italy
Reduce 6.5% by 2012
Boston MA, USA
Reduce 7% by 2012 and 80% by 2050 (base 1990)
Busan, Korea
Reduce 10% by 2015 (base 2005)
Calgary AB, Canada
Reduce 20% by 2020; 50% by 2050 (base 2005)
Chicago IL, USA
Reduce 25% by 2020; 80% by 2050 (base 1990)
Christchurch, New
Reduce 20% by 2020 (base 1994) for community; reduce 70% by
Zealand2011 for local government council and carbon-neutral beyond 2015.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Reduce 20% by 2015; zero net emissions by 2025
Edmonton AB, Canada
Reduce 20% by 2020 (base 1990)
Freiburg i. BR, Germany Reduce 40% by 2030 (base 1992)
Guelph ON, Canada
Reduce 6% by 2010; 20% by 2010 for businesses (base 1994)
Gwangju, Korea
Reduce 20% by 2020 (base 1990)
Halifax NS, Canada
Reduce 20% by 2012 (base 1997)
Hamburg, Germany
Reduce 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 (base 1990)
Hamilton ON, Canada
Reduce 20% by 2020 (base 1990); 10% by 2012 and 20% by 2020 forbusinesses (base 2005)
Hepburn Shire, Australia Reduce 20% by 2010 for government own-use
Iida City, Japan
Reduce 40-50% by 2030 for households and 70% by 2050 (base2005)
Kawasaki, Japan
Reduce 6% by 2010 (base 1990)
Kitakyushu, Japan
Reduce 150% by 2050 (net negative emissions)
Kyoto, Japan
Reduce 10% by 2010
London, UK
Reduce 20% by 2010 and 60% by 2050 (base 1990)
Los Angeles CA, USA
Reduce 35% by 2030 (base 1990)
Madrid, Spain
Reduce 14% by 2012 and 50% by 2050
Malmö, Sweden
Reduce 25% by 2012 (base 1990)
Melbourne, Australia
Reduce 30% by 2010 and zero net emissions by 2020; reduce street
lighting 50% by 2010 (base 1996)
Montreal QC, Canada
Reduce 20% by 2012
Moreland, Australia
Zero net emissions by 2030; zero net emissions by government ownuse by 2020
Münster, Germany
Reduce 40% by 2020 (base 1990)
Nelson, New Zealand
Reduce 40% by 2020 (base 2001)
New Castle, Australia
Reduce 25% below 2008 BAU scenario; 30% for government own-use
emissions (base 1995)
New York City, USA
Reduce 7% by 2012 (base 1990)
Oakville ON, Canada
Reduce 6% by 2014; 20% for businesses (base 2004)
Oslo, Norway
Reduce 50% by 2030 (base 1991)
Ottawa ON, Canada
Reduce 20% by 2012 (base 1990)
Philadelphia PA, USA
Reduce 10% by 2010 (base 1990)

33

Portland OR, USA
Rhône-Alpes, France
Saitama, Japan
Salt Lake City UT, USA
San Francisco CA, USA
Sapporo, Japan
Seattle WA, USA
Sendai, Japan
Seoul, Korea
Stockholm, Sweden
Sydney, Australia
Tokyo, Japan
Toronto ON, Canada
Waitakere, New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand
Winnipeg MB, Canada
Whitehorse YT, Canada
Vancouver BC, Canada
Växjö, Sweden
Yokohama, Japan

Reduce 10% by 2010 (base 1990)
Reduce 20% by 2020
Reduce 6% per-capita by 2010 (base 1990)
Reduce 3% annually for 10 years, with a long-term goal of reducing
emissions 70% from present levels by 2040
Reduce 20% by 2012 (base 1990)
Reduce 6% per-capita by 2010 (base 1990); reduce 10% total by 2017(base 1990)
Reduce 7% by 2012 (base 1990)
Reduce 7% per-capita by 2010 (base 1990)
Reduce 25% by 2020 (base 1990)
Reduce per-capita CO2 to 3.0 tonnes/person by 2015 (base 5.5
tonnes/person in 1990)
Reduce 70% by 2030 (base 2006); reduce 70% by 2050 (base 1990);
reduce 20% by 2012 for government own-use (base 2006)
Reduce 25% by 2020 (base 2000)
Reduce 6% by 2012; 30% by 2020; 80% by 2050
Reduce 40% per-capita by 2021, 80% per-capita by 2051 (base 1990)
for community; reduce 50% by 2021 for corporate emissions
Reduce 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 (base 2001) for community;
reduce 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 for corporate emissions
Reduce 20% by 2018 (base 1998)
Reduce 6% by 2013 (base 2001); 20% for municipal own-use (base1990)
Reduce 6% by 2012 (base 2007); 33% by 2020; 80% by 2050; and all
new buildings should be carbon-neutral by 2030
Reduce 50% per-capita by 2010 and 70% by 2025
Reduce 30% per-capita by 2025; 60% per-capita by 2050

Table P2: Targets for Share of Renewable Electricity
Austin TX, USA
30% by 2020
Adelaide, Australia
15% by 2014
Ann Arbor MI, US
20% by 2015
Cape Town, S. Africa
10% by 2020
Freiburg i. BR, Germany 10% by 2010
Taipei City, Taiwan
12% by 2020
Sydney, Australia
25% by 2020

Table P3: Targets for Share or Amount of Renewable Energy
Ballarat, Australia
10% of total energy by 2016
Beijing, China
4% of electric power capacity by 2010 and 6% of heating capacity
Bhubaneswar, India
2% reduction in conventional energy consumption by 2012 (compared
to 2005)
Bristol, UK
20% of energy used by new buildings
Calgary AB, Canada
30% of total energy by 2036
Cape Town, South Africa 10% of total energy by 2020
Daegu, Korea
5% of total energy by 2012; 15% reduction in (total/conventional)
energy consumption by 2030

34

Guelph ON, Canada
25% of total energy by 2023
Grenoble, France
21% of total energy (currently 8%)
Gwangju, Korea
2% of total energy by 2020
Halifax NS, Canada
30% of energy for commercial buildings
Kawasaki, Japan
8 PJ by 2010
Kobe, Japan
3-4% of energy by 2010
Leicester, UK
10% of total energy by 2010 and 20% by 2020
London, UK
665 GWh of electricity and 280 GWh of heat by 2010
Lübow-Krassow district, 100% of total energy by 2030
Germany
Lüchow-Dannenberg
100% of total energy by 2010-2015
district, Germany
Madrid, Spain
20% reduction in fossil-fuel use by 2020
Münster, Germany
20% of total energy by 2020
Melbourne, Australia
25% of electricity for residential buildings and 50% of public lighting by
2010
Nagpur, India
3% reduction in conventional energy consumption by 2012 (compared
to 2005)
Niigata, Japan
3 PJ by 2012
Rajkot, India
10% reduction in conventional energy consumption by 2013
Rhône-Alpes, France
23% of total energy by 2020
Saitama, Japan
6.7% of total energy by 2012
Salt Lake City, USA
10% of energy used for new buildings
Shanghai, China
5% of energy (capacity) by 2010
Stockholm, Sweden
80% of district heating from renewable sources
Subury ON, Canada
50% of energy from “local sources”
Taipei City, Taiwan
12% of total power generating capacity by 2020
Tokyo, Japan
20% of total energy by 2020
Växjö, Sweden
100% of total energy (fossil-fuel free)
Yokohama, Japan
10-fold expansion of renewable energy by 2025

Table P4: Targets for Installed Capacity of Renewable Energy
Adelaide, Australia
2 MW of solar PV on residential and commercial buildings
Barcelona, Spain
100,000 m2 of solar hot water by 2010
Boston MA, USA
25 MW of solar PV by 2015
Kunming, China
6 million m2 surface area covered by of solar PV and solar hot water,
with at least 100 MW solar PV
Leister, UK
1000 buildings with solar hot water by 2010
Los Angeles, USA
1.3 GW of solar PV by 2020, though a combination of residential andcommercial programs and city-owned facilities
Nagoya, Japansolar PV for 23,000 households and 13,000 businesses
Philadelphia, USA
58 MW of solar PV by 2021
Rovigo prov., Italy
13,000 m2 of solar hot water and 1.3 MW of solar PV by 2010
Sakai, Japansolar PV for 10,000 households by 2013 and 100,000 by 2030
San Francisco CA, USA 50 MW of renewables by 2012, including 31 MW of solar PV
Shanghai, China
200-300 MW of wind and 10 MW of solar PV by 2010
Sudbury ON, Canada
150 MW of wind and 10 MW small-hydroTokyo, Japan
1 GW of added solar PV by 2010
alloon region, Belgium
200,000 m2 of solar hot water/heating collectors by 201035

Table P5: Targets for Local Government Own-Use Purchases of Renewable Energy
Austin TX, USA
100% of own-use electricity by 2012
Boston, USA
11% of own-use electricity (currently), 15% by 2012
Bhubaneswar, India
reduce by 15% own-use conventional energy by 2012
Bristol, UK
15% of own-use electricity (14% currently)
Calgary AB, Canada
100% of own-use electricity by 2012
Chicago, USA
20% of own-use electricity by 2006
Christchurch, New Zealand
100% of own-use electricity from carbon-neutral supplier(currently)
Hepburn Shire, Australia
100% for own-use in buildings, 8% for public lighting
Houston TX, USA
50% of own-use electricity (currently)
Kawasaki, Japan
5% of own-use electricity (currently)
Madison WI, USA
20% of own-use electricity by 2010
Mississauga ON, Canada
100% of own-use electricity for city center (currently)
Nagpur, India
reduce by 20% own-use conventional energy by 2012
New York City, USA
20 MW of wind power for own-use by 2008
Okotoks AB, Canada
80% of own-use electricity (currently)
Philadelphia PA, USA
15% of electricity for city buildings by 2015
Portland OR USA
100% of own-use electricity by 2010
Santa Monica CA, USA
100% of own-use electricity (currently)
Sydney, Australia
100% of own-use energy
Woking Borough, UK
20% of own-use electricity by 2011
Tokyo, Japan
5% of electricity by 2020 for public facilities
Toronto ON, Canada
25% of own-use electricity by 2012
Sydney, Australia
100% of own-use electricity for buildings; 20% for street lighting
Waitakere, New Zealand
15% of own-use energy by 2015 and 20% by 2020

Table P6: Targets for Share of Buildings with Renewable Energy
Cape Town, S. Africa
10% of homes with solar hot water by 2010
Dezhou, China
50% of buildings with solar hot water by 2010
Iida City, Japan
30% of homes with solar PV by 2010
Kunming, China
50% of buildings with solar hot water and/or solar PV by 2010; 90% of
new construction
Oxford, UK
10% of homes with solar hot water and/or solar PV by 201036

Table P7: Urban Planning
Adelaide, Australia“Adelaide City Development Plan” calls for green buildings andrenewable energy technologies
Barcelona, Spain“Plan for Energy Improvement in Barcelona (2002-2010)” includes
increasing the share of renewable energy used
Berlin, Germany“Berlin Energy Action Plan”
Chicago IL, USA“Chicago Climate Action Plan”
Dubai, UAE
Sustainable Development Policy
Guelph ON, Canada“Community Energy Plan”
Göteborg, Sweden“Göteborg 2050” envisions being fossil-fuel-free by 2050
Halifax NS, Canada“Community Energy Plan”
Hamburg, Germany
Developing Wilhelmsburg model urban district supplied entirely fromrenewables
Hokuto, Japan“Hokuto New Energy Vision”
Kawasaki, Japan“Kawasaki City New Energy Vision”
Kobe, Japan“Kobe City New Energy Vision”
London, UK“London Energy Strategy” calls for “sustainable energy system” by 2050
Melbourne, Australia“Zero Net Emissions by 2020” calls for green building design, energy
efficiency, renewable energy, and tree planting.
Mexico City, Mexico“Proaire 2002-2010” targets reduced reduced air pollution andgreenhouse gas emissions. Projects include energy efficiency and solar
hot water in the residential sector.
New York City, USA“PlaNYC 2030” encourages solar and distributed generation, pilot
projects
Ottawa ON, Canada“Ottawa 2020” and “Air Quality and Climate Change Management Plan”
Porto Alegre, Brazil“Program to Encourage the Use of Solar Energy in Buildings”
Saitama, Japan“Saitama City New Energy Vision”
Salt Lake City, USA"Salt Lake City Green" environmental plan includes wind powerpurchases
Shanghai, China“Regulations of Renewable Energy Development in Shanghai”
Taipei City, Taiwan“Renewable Energy Promotion Plan”
Tokyo, Japan“Tokyo Renewable Energy Strategy” (2006); “Tokyo Environment
Master Plan” (2008); “Tokyo Climate Change Action Plan” (2007)
Toronto ON, Canada“Sustainable Energy Action Plan”
Tsuru, Japan“Tsuru Regional New Energy Vision”
Växjö, Sweden“Fossil Fuel Free Växjö” to reduce per-capita CO2 emissions
Wellington, New
District planning encourages renewable energy, particularly wind power
Zealand
Yokohama, Japan"Yokohama Energy Vision" targets commercial and public buildings,
electric vehicles, solar PV subsidies, green power certificates, and solar
hot water mandates

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Table P8: Building Codes and Mandates
Barcelona, Spain
Mandates 60% of hot water heating energy from solar in all newbuildings and major renovations; was subsequently copied by 70 othermunicipalities throughout Spain
Berkeley CA, USA
Mandated design review for solar PV installations in industrial,commercial, and some residential buildings
Berlin, Germany
Mandates for solar hot water on some new buildings
Boulder CO, USA
No-shade building ordinance entitles all structures to sunshine
Cape Town, South
Requires solar hot water in new houses for middle- and high-income
AfricagroupsDelhi, India
Requires solar water heaters in all government hospitals, hotels andjails and also in all residential buildings built on an area of 500 m2 or
more
Lianyangang, China
Requires solar hot water in all new residential buildings up to 12
stories, and in new construction and renovation of hotels andcommercial buildings
Mexico City, Mexico
Mandates solar hot water for new commercial buildings
Nagpur, India
Requires new residential buildings larger than 1500 m2 to install solar
hot water
San Francisco
Requires all new buildings over 100,000 ft2 to supply 5% of building
energy use from on-site solar
Tuscon AZ, USA
New single-family homes must include solar hot water or stub-out forlater installation
Tokyo, Japan
Requires property developers to assess and consider possibilities forsolar hotwater and other renewables and report assessments toowners; establishes tradable green-heat certificates based on solar hotwater
Rajkot, India
Requires new residential buildings larger than 150 m2 and hospitals
and other public buildings to install solar hot water
Rio de Janeiro
Requires all public buildings to use solar hot water for 40% of heatingenergy (State Law 5.184, 2008)
Rizhao, China
Requires solar hot water in selected types of new buildings
San Francisco CA, USA Requires new buildings over 100,000 ft2 (9,300 m2) to obtain 5% ofenergy from onsite solarSão Paulo, Brazil
Mandates solar hot water in residences with four or more bathrooms(larger than 800 m2), and requires new construction to provide thepossibility for using solar
Shenzhen, China
Requires solar hot water in new buildings less than 12 stories in height
Vancouver, BC
Requires buildings to allow for future roof-mounted solar
Woking Borough, UK
Requires 10% of energy from on-site renewables in commercial andresidential buildings, and CHP in larger developments
Wuhan, China
Requires solar hot water in all residential buildings, hospitals, schools,
hotels, recreation facilities, and public buildings less than 12 stories inheight. Same requirement for commercial buildings if constructed using
government investment.

38

Table P9: Tax Credits and Exemptions
Anne Arundel County MD, Property tax credit (50% of installation costs net of state and federal
USA
grants and credits, maximum $2500)
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Tax credits for residential solar
Boulder CO, USA
Rebate of sales and use taxes for solar (15% of tax)
Caledon ON, Canada
Property development fee discount of 5% if projects include someform of on-site renewable energy
Howard County MD, USA Property tax credit for solar and geothermal (50% of eligible costs,
maximum $5000 for solar PV or geothermal heating system, $1500
for solar hot water)
Nagpur, India
Property tax credit of 10% for solar hot water in new residentialbuildings
New York, USA
Property tax abatement for solar PV. Allows building owners todeduct from property taxes a portion of the expenditures associatedwith installing a PV system, 8.75% of system expenditures per year
for 4 years (total of 35%), with a maximum incentive of $62,500
annually

Table P10: Transport Infrastructure and Fuels Mandates, Operation, Investment, andSubsidies
Adelaide, Australia
Operate solar-electric public buses and charge using 100% solar
electricity
Ann Arbor MI, USA
Subsidies for public-access biofuels stations
Ballarat, Australia
Plan to use biodiesel in municipal fleet vehicles
Betim, Brazil
Mandates for biofuels in public transport and taxis (plan through2017); also preference to flex-fuel vehicles for municipal vehicle fleet
purchases.
Boston MA, USA
Mandate that all new municipal fleet vehicles be alternative fueled
Calgary AB, Canada
B5 and B20 used in municipal fleet vehicles
Curitiba, Brazil
Plan to use biofuels in all municipal buses
Halifax NS, Canada
B5 used in municipal fleet vehicles and public transit; target of 15%
biofuels in fleet
Markam ON, Canada
Biofuels used in municipal fleet vehicles
Mississauga ON, Canada B5 used in municipal fleet vehicles and public transit
New Castle, Australia
B20 used in public vehicles
Ottawa ON, Canada
B5 and E10 fuels used in municipal fleet vehicles
Portland OR, USA
Mandate for biofuels blending B5 and E10 for all diesel and gasoline
sold within city limits; biofuels investment fund to enhance
production, storage, distribution; biofuels infrastructure grants forconversion of fueling stations; use of biofuels in municipal fleet
vehicles
Stockholm, Sweden
Plan to have 50% of all public transit buses run on biogas or ethanolby 2011, and 100% of buses by 2025. Metro and commuter trains
run on green electricity. Investments in additional biofuels filling
stations.

39

Table P11: Carbon Cap-and-Trade Schemes
Tokyo, Japan
Carbon cap-and-trade system imposed on large businesses startingin 2010. Obligated businesses will trade green-electricity certificatesand green-heat certificates derived from solar hot water.

Table P12: Promotion and Market-Facilitation Agencies and Departments
Barcelona, Spain
Energy Agency of Barcelona
Betim, Brazil
Renewable Energy Reference Center
Christchurch, New Zealand Target Sustainability
Dubai, UAE
Renewable Energy Division
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Solar City Gelsenkirchen
Münster, Germany
Department of Green Spaces and Environmental Protection
Nagpur, India
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Resource Center
Portland OR, USA
Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Tokyo, Japan
Division of Global Urban Environment

Table P13: Electric Utility Policies
Austin TX, USA
Renewable portfolio standard 30% by 2020
Boulder CO, USA
Carbon tax on fossil-fuel electricity purchases
Gainesville FL, USA
Feed-in tariff for solar PV (32 cents/kWh for 20 years)
Mexico City, Mexico
Net metering for solar PV
Minneapolis MN, USA
Renewable portfolio standard 30% by 2020 (for Xcel Energy)
New York City, USA
Net metering up to 2 MW capacity
Oakville ON, Canada
Local utility voluntary green power sales
Sacramento CA, USA
Feed-in tariff for eligible generation starting January 2010 (by SMUD)

Table P14: Subsidies, Grants, and Loans
Adelaide, Australia
Subsidy for solar PV, A$1000/watt for systems > 1kW
Alice Springs, Australia
Subsidies for solar hot water (35%)
Aspen CO, USA
Austin TX, USA
Beijing, China
Berkeley CA, USA
Berlin, Germany
Boulder CO, USA
Christchurch, New
ZealandDelhi, India

Dunedin, New ZealandKanagawa, Japan

Subsidies for solar PV ($1500 for systems > 2kW)
Subsidies for solar PV and solar hot water in homes and businesses,
and low-interest loans for solar PV
Subsidies for ground-source heat pumps (50 RMB/m2) and watersource heat pumps (35 RMB/m2)
Loans to households for solar PV, repaid through property tax bills (upto $37,500 per installation)
Subsidies for solar PV (40%) and solar hot water (30%) on apartmentbuildings
Small loan program ($3000-5000 loans)
Lower permit costs for solar hot water
Subsidies to non-commercial institutions for solar hot water onbuildings of system size 100–6000 liters hot water per day (6,000–
60,000 rupees/system)
Waives consent fee for residential solar hot water installations
Loans to households for solar PV, solar hot water, and wind

40

Kawasaki, Japan
Kyoto, Japan
Honolulu HI, USA

Marin County CA, USA
Matsuyama, Japan
Maui County HI, USA
Montgomery County MD,
USA
Ototoks AB, Canada
Orange County FL, USA
Orlando FL, USA
Palm Desert CA, USA
Porto Alegre, Brazil
Rome, Italy
Sapporo, JapanSan Francisco CA, USA

Sonoma County CA,
USASouthampton NY, USA
Taipei City, Taiwan
Tianjin, China
Tokyo, Japan
Toronto ON, Canada
Waitakere, New Zealand
Yokohama, Japan

Subsidies for solar PV for households (JPY 70,000/kW up to 3.5 kW)
Subsidies for solar PV for households (JPY 50,000/kW up to 4 kW)
Solar Roofs Loan Program provides 7-year low-interest loans (0-2%)
and installation in partnership with local electric utility, for low-income
residents
Subsidies for solar ($500 for solar PV, $300 for solar hot water)
12.5% of solar PV cost for systems less than 10 kW; JPY 1 million forsystems larger than 10 kW
Subsidy for solar PV ($1000)
Electricity price rebate for clean energy ($0.005/kWh)
Revolving fund provides finance for solar
Subsidy for solar hot water ($200)
Subsidy for solar PV in commercial buildings
Loans repaid through property tax assessments ($5000 minimum)
Grants for installation of solar hot water in buildings (fixed grant per
installation)
Subsidies for solar hot water (up to 30%) and solar PV (up to 60%)
Subsidies for solar PV for households (10%)
Subsidies for solar PV ($2000-4000 for households, $7000 for lowincome households, $1500/kW for businesses and non-profit entities
up to $10,000)
Loans repaid through property tax assessments ($2500 minimum)
Subsidies for solar PV ($2500)
Subsidies for solar hot water
Subsidies, discounted loans, and tax rebates
Subsidies for solar PV in 2009 and 2010 (JPY 100,000/kW) and solar
hot water (up to JPY 33,000/m2 based on type)
Sustainable energy fund provides low interest loans for renewables
Waives up to $500 of consent fee for residential solar hot water
Subsidies for solar PV (JPY 65,000/kW, up to 4 kW)

Table P15: Government Funds and Investments
Beijing, China
13 billion RMB ($2 billion) investment fund to achieve 4% energy
targetEdinburgh, UK
Climate Change Fund totaling £18.8 million
Johnstown PA, USA
Community Fund for the Alleghenies provides loans and grants
Kunming, China
Fund for solar PV industry development and solar PV projects
Montreal QC, Canada
CAD$24 million energy fund over 6 years
San Francisco, USA
Solar Energy Bond issue of $100 million
Toronto, Canada
CAD$20 million Green Energy Fund to support renewable energy
investments

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Table P16: Support for Private and Community Initiative
Christchurch, New
Working with private solar hot water companies to reduce purchase
Zealandcosts
Moreland, Australia
Established Moreland Energy Foundation to support private andcommunity initiative; also Solar Bulk-Buying Forum
Milagro, Spain
Citizen-owned 10-MW solar PV power plant, contributing 60% of
Navarra's electricity supply (750 citizen-owners)
Iida City, Japan
Community-directed investment fund for solar PV of $2 million
equivalentSamsø, Denmark
Citizen-owned wind turbines that provide 100% of communitys power
needsTokyo, Japan
Facilitates “Green Energy Purchasing Forum” for trading of greenelectricity and green-heat certificates42