The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity

The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Electricity is a guide by RMI that outlines strategies for cities to transition to carbon-free renewable energy. It emphasizes a two-step process: committing to 100 percent renewable energy targets and implementing comprehensive action plans. The document details four specific actions: upgrading to smart LED streetlighting, creating electric districts by removing fossil-fuel infrastructure, installing municipal solar PV, and securing renewable energy supplies through mechanisms like power purchase agreements.

• Electricity generation is a significant driver of global climate change, contributing nearly 25% of all emissions.
• Cities can transition to carbon-free electricity by first establishing bold 100 percent renewable energy targets and then executing comprehensive action plans.
• Action 13 recommends replacing traditional streetlights, such as high-pressure sodium, with smart LED luminaires and networked controls for dimming and monitoring, while using the physical and digital infrastructure for city service automation and sensors.
• Action 14 focuses on the creation of 'Electric Districts' by eliminating or replacing fossil-fuel infrastructure, such as natural gas used for cooking, heating, and hot water, in favor of electric-only buildings and infrastructure at various scales from individual buildings to entire neighborhoods.
• Action 15 suggests installing solar photovoltaics (PV) on all available municipal sites, including rooftops of schools, city halls, and transit depots, as well as ground mounts on brownfields and rights of way, and making these available for community solar projects.
• Action 16 advises cities to secure renewable energy supplies for any demand not met by on-site renewables through mechanisms such as power purchase agreements (PPAs), direct supply, utility green tariff programs, or city ownership of utility-scale generation.
• The document cites specific city examples of these actions, including Chicago and San Diego for smart lighting, Amsterdam for natural gas-free strategies, Kansas City for municipal solar, and Houston and Philadelphia for renewable energy procurement.

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} }