Transitioning from fossil-fuel energy use to 100% renewable energy sources will take careful planning. Through their leadership, Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners adopted a goal of doing just that by the year 2030.
In 2018, City Council adopted Resolution 18-279, calling for the City of Asheville to transition municipal operations from fossil-fuel energy to 100 renewable energy by Dec. 31, 2030. The resolution also calls for City support of Buncombe County’s renewable energy community goal. In partnership, the two governments are working together to identify strategies to get there.
The first step has been a community engagement and analysis by a consultant retained by both governments, the Cadmus Group, a technical consultant focused on energy, climate and public health issues.
Working in the first half of this year with City and County Offices of Sustainability, focus groups and informed by a public survey, the Cadmus Group has delivered its draft report, “Moving to 100 Perfect: Renewable Energy Pathways Transition Analysis for Buncombe County and the City of Asheville.”
The report is now posted on the City of Asheville website at this link.
Drop-in information sessions
Asheville Office of Sustainability staff will be available to talk about the draft report and answer questions during two Aug. 22 drop-in discussions, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. at the Stephens-Lee Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave. Come learn about the key findings, next steps and how the whole community will be involved in helping to meet the renewable energy goals.
Comments can also be submitted online
Can’t make it to the drop-in discussions? You can review the report and provide your comments on Open City Hall Asheville through Aug. 30.
Office of Sustainability staff will also present the draft report to the City’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment (SACEE) during their Aug. 21 meeting, 3:30 p.m. in the First Floor North Conference Room, Asheville City Hall.
What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy is broadly defined as a fuel or energy supply that does not get depleted when used. Renewable technologies include solar water heat, solar space heat, geothermal electric, solar thermal electric, solar thermal process heat, solar photovoltaics, wind, biomass, hydrogen, combined heat and power, landfill gas, tidal, wave, hydroelectric and anaerobic digestion.
Come to one of the two Aug. 22 drop-in discussions to talk about action items identified in this draft report. Learn about local feasible actions identified in the report, such as installing solar panels on municipal buildings. Find out how transitioning to renewable energy can support local businesses and jobs.
We look forward to talking with everyone about this project!
For more information, visit this link on the City of Asheville website.