SF Energy Project Creates New Jobs

A renewable energy program proposed for San Francisco may create more than 8,100 construction jobs throughout the city

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What Happened?

A renewable energy program proposed for San Francisco may create more than 8,100 construction jobs throughout the city. The energy plan would involve constructing solar, wind and geothermal infrastructure for sustainable energy resources.

Goal

A study from by the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission laid out the details of the potential CleanPowerSF renewable energy program. The initiative calls for $2.4 billion worth of investment in solar, wind and geothermal projects that could save money while driving economic growth, SF Gate reported.

Under the energy program, San Francisco would generate or purchase clean energy and deliver it directly to consumers through an existing transmission network as a clean alternative to current energy options. It would also create competition for the local energy company that has held a monopoly in San Francisco for decades, SF Gate reported.

San Francisco could use its Public Utilities Commission to administer the CleanPowerSF initiative, while creating up to seven construction jobs for every $1 million spend on building the renewable energy infrastructure. The money generated through the sale of energy produced through the CleanPowerSF program could be used to fund other energy initiatives the city is considering, such as GoSolarSF which would provide incentives to residents for installing solar panels on their homes, SF Gate reported.

Solar Rooftops

Windsor, Ontario, is predicting an additional $500,000 in annual savings thanks to a new rooftop solar energy program expansion strategy. The Ontario Power Authority approved installing solar photovoltaic systems on top of four public buildings. The solar panels will create enough energy to be sold to customers to generate more than $850,000 in new annual revenue, the Windsor Star reported.

Overall, the installations will cost Windsor about $1.7 million, but the city expects to pay off these expenses within six years based on projected revenue counts.

No Extra Cost

A recent study from the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics Policy pinpoints ways cities worldwide can cut greenhouse gas emissions without incurring any additional costs. Because cities are the source of more than 70 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions, the study focused on urban settings. There are several cost-effective, low-carbon programs that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent globally if adopted in more cities. These initiatives include:

  • Energy efficient appliances
  • Fuel efficient transport
  • Biomass boilers
  • Traffic management

The researchers argued investment in low-carbon developments at the local level is the first step in building a strong foundation in renewable energy infrastructure. Municipal decision makers should identify areas of energy inefficiency and opportunities to cut emissions while generating funding for expansion of projects.

Many of these low-carbon developments on average payback their initial costs within five years and then continue to generate savings and returns moving forward. These new revenue streams can be reinvested into other low-carbon developments for a long-term, sustainable strategy to grow jobs, reduce pollution and improve traffic efficiency.

Developing Renewable Resources

Gov1 is closely monitoring the growing number of renewable energy projects that focus on wind, solar and geothermal developments.

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