The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity

The document outlines four specific actions for cities to achieve carbon-free electricity: implementing LED smart streetlighting, creating electric districts by removing natural gas infrastructure, installing municipal solar photovoltaics, and leveraging renewable energy supply mechanisms like power purchase agreements.

• Electricity generation is a significant driver of global climate change, contributing nearly 25% of all emissions.
• Cities can reduce emissions by replacing traditional street lighting with smart LED luminaires and networked controls, which allow for real-time monitoring, dimming, and the integration of sensors and cameras into the city's digital backbone.
• The concept of 'Electric Districts' involves the total removal or avoidance of fossil-fuel infrastructure, such as natural gas used for cooking, heating, and hot water, in favor of electric-only systems for buildings and neighborhoods.
• Municipalities are encouraged to install solar photovoltaics (PV) on all available city-owned sites, including rooftops of schools, city halls, and transit depots, as well as on brownfields and rights of way.
• To meet energy demands that cannot be covered by on-site renewables, cities can use mechanisms such as power purchase agreements (PPAs), utility green tariff programs, or direct ownership of utility-scale renewable generation.

APA

RMI (2017). The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity. https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-electricity/

Chicago

RMI. The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity. 2017. https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-electricity/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity |date=30 November 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-electricity/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2017carbonfree, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/the-carbon-free-city-handbook-electricity/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }