The City of Concord has been recognized for its longstanding sustainability, environmental and energy initiatives this month as a recipient of the Municipal Energy Champion Award.
The award was presented to the city during New Hampshire Energy Week, which began on April 11, 2022. New Hampshire Energy Week is a series of annual events that highlights prominent energy topics and issues, provides a forum to examine energy solutions, and brings leading experts together to share perspectives and knowledge.
The Concord City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the goal of 100% renewable energy in 2018, the City of Concord has been aggressively moving toward developing clean energy sources in all elements of City operations. The 100% Renewable energy resolution states that:
“It is the goal of the City of Concord that 100% of electricity consumed in the City will come from renewable energy sources by 2030, 100% of thermal energy (heating and cooling) consumed in the City will come from renewable sources by 2050, and 100% of transportation used in the City will be clean transportation by 2050. This goal will apply to the entire Concord community, not just municipal government operations.”
Concord is working to deploy at least 4MW of solar generation on city properties, and priority areas include a capped landfill and the Hall Street Wastewater facility.
In addition, the city is currently nearing completion on the replacement of all 2,100 streetlights with high efficiency LED lights. The project has lighting and public safety benefits and will result in significant cost savings of more than $600,000 over 10 years.
The Concord Energy & Environment Advisory Committee meets monthly and recommends best practices in the areas of municipal buildings, facilities and operations; fuels, vehicles, and transportation; food; responsible purchasing; housing; energy sources; air quality; and climate change mitigation and resilience.