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Municipal Clean Energy Strategy Prioritization Survey
Thank you for participating in this survey. Please rank each list of actions in order of priority, with 1 = highest priority. Rank based on what you believe would have the greatest positive impact, feasibility, and benefit to the community.
1.
Reduce Energy Consumption and Emissions from the Transportation Sector
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Adopt supportive zoning and regulations for EV infrastructure:
Pass New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs Model Statewide Municipal EV Ordinance specifying electric vehicle charging stations (EVSE) as a permitted accessory use, establishing the permitting process for charging stations, and requiring Make-Ready and EVSE parking in new multifamily developments and parking lots. Modify the model ordinance standards for safety, signage, etc. as needed.
Train first responders on EVs and EVSE:
To further public confidence and maintain emergency preparedness, require training on electric vehicles and associated infrastructure for local first responders.
Train non-emergency staff on EVs and EVSE:
Initiate electric vehicle cross-training for non-emergency staff such as code officials, automotive technicians, and electricians.
Purchase alternative fuel vehicles:
Replace existing municipal fleet vehicles with plug-in hybrid, battery electric, or other sustainable alternative fuel vehicles (AFV), informed by fleet analysis.
Improve municipal fleet efficiency:
Implement strategies such as interdepartmental coordination to right-size the municipal fleet (vehicle replacement or retirement), and optimize fuel use with improved route planning, driver efficiency, and reduced idling to reduce operational costs and GHG emissions from municipal fleets – public works, police, fire, etc.
Install public EV charging infrastructure:
Install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including chargers, signage, and safety and accessibility features, for public use.
Encourage non-municipal fleets to improve efficiency:
Contact local commercial fleet managers to start conversation about strategically replacing (or retiring) vehicles and improving driver efficiency to reduce their fleet GHG footprint. Offer resources to ease the process, such as procurement tools and incentive information.
Encourage workplace EV charging infrastructure:
Outreach to businesses, and other entities to encourage adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVSE) within your municipality.
Community EV outreach:
Outreach to residents, businesses, and other entities to encourage adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVSE) within your municipality.
Anti-idling and enforcement:
Adopt and implement an anti-idling policy, which establishes an enforcement protocol and penalties for non-compliance. Implement an ongoing outreach campaign to create awareness about the policy and train enforcement officers to ensure compliance.
2.
Accelerate Deployment of Renewable Energy and Distributed Energy Resource
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Adopt supportive zoning and permitting for private solar:
Provide clear guidance/standards for solar developers and limit barriers to solar adoption such as lengthy permitting and multiple reviews. Amend the permitting fee structure of the ordinance that specifies the permitting fee structure for solar as described in the Sustainable Jersey Guidance Document.
Post solar permitting checklist:
Provide clear guidance/standards for solar developers with a permitting checklist that can be easily found on the municipality’s website. After a set amount of time, solicit feedback from users and revise checklist based on comments.
Train first responders on solar:
To further public confidence and maintain emergency preparedness, require training on solar for first local responders.
Train non-emergency staff on solar:
To ensure municipal staff are prepared to deal with permitting, inspection, etc. for solar installations in the community, require training on solar infrastructure for municipal staff.
Install on-site municipal renewable generation:
Host a solar, wind, or geothermal project on municipal property to generate renewable energy for municipal facilities. Such projects can be leased from a developer or purchased and owned outright.
Buy renewable energy for municipal facilities:
Buy renewable electricity for municipal facilities directly from a green energy supplier or participate in a buying pool that supplies electricity with high renewable content. The accompanying renewable energy credits (RECs) should be certified as PJM Class I.
Offer a solar employee benefit program:
Offer a collective solar purchasing program for municipal employees, promoted via existing employee communication network. This type of program utilizes scale and low customer acquisition costs to make installing solar more affordable for participating employees. Schools and municipalities can collaborate to form a larger pool of potential customers, even including student families in the offer.
Institute a community-wide solar purchasing program:
Partner with solar installers or a solar marketplace to offer special pricing on solar installations to residents and/or businesses. Complete an outreach campaign advertising this to the municipal community.
Implement Renewable Government Energy Aggregation (R-GEA):
Establish a Renewable Government Energy Aggregation (R-GEA) program. R-GEA is a third-party electric supply contract negotiated by a municipality (or group of municipalities) on behalf of its residents. Utilizing their population size, municipalities can negotiate for a supply that is more sustainable, often less expensive than can typically be achieved by individual residents.
Support community solar as project ambassador:
Facilitate connections between community solar developers and the local site owner, non-profit sponsors, and/or affordable housing property owners. Municipalities can lend credibility to the multi-benefit opportunity of a potential community solar project.
Support community solar as outreach coordinator:
Use municipal resources and networks (mailing lists, websites, etc.) to educate the community about community solar in general and the details of local projects (e.g., subscription rates and requirements).
Host a community solar project on municipal property:
Host a community solar project on municipal property, such as a DPW garage, parking lot/garage, or landfill. While the municipality could develop its own project, most municipalities lease the site to the developer.
3.
Maximize Energy Efficiency and Conservation and Reduce Peak Demand
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Upgrade energy efficiency in municipal facilities:
Upgrade municipal facilities to be more energy efficient. New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program and the electric and natural gas utilities offer incentive programs that guide municipalities through the upgrade process, starting with walk-through audits to establish the most effective measures to reduce energy use. Following implementation, showcase upgrades in energy efficiency outreach to local commercial entities.
Residential energy efficiency outreach campaign:
Implement an outreach effort to help residents take advantage of energy efficiency incentive programs offered by New Jersey’s electric and natural gas utilities, including Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and Comfort Partners.
Commercial energy efficiency outreach campaign:
Implement an outreach effort to help local businesses take advantage of energy efficiency incentive programs offered by New Jersey’s electric and natural gas utilities.
Conduct energy efficiency outreach to large energy users:
Contact large energy users in the community to prompt interest in managing energy use, including participating in utility commercial energy efficiency incentive programs, like Engineered Solutions, and PJM’s Demand Response program.
4.
Reduce Energy Consumption and Emissions from the Building Sector
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Implement a green building policy:
Implement a policy encouraging or requiring consideration of green building practices for any new municipal construction project.
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Construct new buildings as model green buildings:
Utilize the municipality's Green Building Policy to construct new municipal buildings according to LEED Standards. Following construction, showcase green building features with on-site kiosks and digital webpages to encourage others to follow suit.
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Encourage benchmarking and commissioning for existing buildings:
Educate local building managers about benchmarking (comparing energy use to similar facilities) and commissioning (optimizing energy equipment to reduce energy use). Inform building managers of utility building management programs that include benchmarking and/or commissioning.
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Require developers to complete green development checklist:
Pass a Green Building Policy or Resolution that requires developers to submit a completed Green Development Checklist with Site Plan Applications. Checklist should refer developers to New Jersey's Clean Energy Program's New Construction Energy Efficiency programs.
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Conduct outreach targeting new construction in the community:
Reach out to project owners/developers to encourage participation in New Jersey's Clean Energy Program’s New Construction Energy Efficiency incentive programs.
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
5.
Support Community Energy Planning and Action with an Emphasis on Encouraging and Supporting Participation by Low- and Moderate-Income and Environmental Justice Communities
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Make community energy planning inclusive:
Ensure low- and moderate-income residents are represented in energy planning processes, both on the core planning team and among those contributing via public comment. Methods include scheduling meetings at convenient times (varying meeting time if needed), engaging with community organizations who can bring in underrepresented voices, and advertising planning meetings in appropriate media.
Conduct energy efficiency outreach to low- and moderate-income residents:
Promote state and utility energy efficiency programs for low- and moderate-income residents using community-serving institutions as messengers, using non-English promotional materials where appropriate, and emphasizing co-benefits of energy efficiency upgrades (health, safety, and comfort).
Support shared micro-mobility program:
Implement a micro-mobility program that provides small, lightweight vehicles (e.g. electric bikes and scooters) for short trips within the community, specifically focusing on the low- and moderate-income population needs.
Support e-mobility transit options:
Implement an E-Mobility Transit option in your municipality that allows the members of the community to use electric-powered transportation modes (e.g. electric buses, shuttles) to access public hubs.
Support EV car-share program:
Implement an EV car share program that allows individuals to access and use electric vehicles on a short-term basis through a shared or subscription model, targeting the municipality’s low- and moderate-income communities.
Support low- and moderate-income community solar subscriptions:
As a partner in a community solar project, implement a policy that reserves some project capacity for Low- and Moderate-Income (LMI) residents and/or a discount for LMI subscribers to the project.
Conduct energy efficiency outreach to community-serving institutions:
Reach out to limited-capacity entities that serve low- and moderate-income communities to encourage participation in state and utility energy efficiency programs. Outreach strategies include messaging indirect benefits of energy efficiency to organizational mission and segmenting outreach to various types of organizations with different needs.
6.
Expand the Clean Energy Innovation Economy
Highest Priority
Lowest Priority
Adopt energy storage policies:
Adopt standards and establish requirements for permitting battery energy storage systems. Post information about energy storage regulations to the municipal website and ensure appropriate municipal staff are informed.
Install an energy storage system:
Install on-site energy storage, such as batteries, compressed air, or thermal storage, for municipal facilities. Following construction, showcase the project with on-site kiosks and municipal webpages to encourage others to follow suit.
Develop local microgrid:
Participate in development of a microgrid. Microgrid development generally starts with a feasibility study, followed by project design, then project implementation. Following construction, showcase the project with on-site kiosks, a municipal webpage, and/or ribbon-cutting event.
Develop or participate in a district energy system:
Partner on developing an energy-efficient district energy system.
7.
Q7. Top Overall Priority
8.
Q8. Additional Suggestions
9.
Q9. Additional Comments
