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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Community Renewable Energy Deployment

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected five Community Renewable Energy Deployment (CommRE) projects to receive funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In addition to the CommRE projects, DOE has also developed tools and webinars to provide helpful information to other community renewable energy projects.

Projects

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    City of Montpelier

    A central district energy system in Montpelier, Vermont, is projected to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 50,000 tons—the equivalent of $15 million in annual fuel oil savings.

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    Forest County Potawatomi Tribe

    A biogas generation facility and a solar photovoltaic installation (completed in October 2011) will provide heating, cooling, and electricity for the Tribe's government buildings in Wisconsin, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20,000 tons and increasing employment in the area.

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    Haxtun Wind

    The community-owned 30 megawatt wind farm planned for Phillips County, Colorado, will include 20 turbines on more than 7,000 acres and generate enough renewable electricity to supply power to approximately 9,000 homes.

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    Sacramento Municipal Utility District

    To achieve its 37% renewable energy goal by 2020, the Sacramento, California, utility is implementing a community-scale solar project and biogas digestion projects at two local dairies, a wastewater treatment facility, and a recycling and transfer station.

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    University of California at Davis West Village

    The first large-scale net-zero energy community will reduce energy demand with energy efficiency measures and match remaining demand with renewable energy technologies paired with an on-site smart grid.

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    Community Renewable Energy Deployment Projects

    The selected CommRE projects receive technical assistance from DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the areas of concepts, best practices, planning, financial approaches, and policy guidance to help achieve specific goals. More than $20.5 million in total Recovery Act funding will be leveraged with approximately $167 million in local government and private industry funding to complete the projects.

    Get information on similar community-wide projects such as California's Renewable-Based Energy Secure Communities (RESCO) program.

    Goals

    The goals of the CommRE projects include:

    • Improve knowledge and promote acceleration of market adoption of renewable energy technologies including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal systems
    • Support and enable EERE's deployment goals for multiple renewable energy resources and technologies that will create jobs and stimulate economic growth
    • Establish successful renewable energy technology deployment examples that can be replicated by other communities
    • Support communities with existing renewable energy technology plans that are ready to move into implementation
    • Provide enough clean, renewable energy to displace the emissions of approximately 10,000 homes.

    Renewable Energy Project Development Tool

    Use the CommRE renewable energy project development tool to quickly establish the key motivators and feasibility of a renewable energy project that fits your community's resources and goals.

    Webinars

    CommRE Webinars provide information on the challenges and barriers to developing successful community renewable energy projects. Get more information on upcoming and past webinars.

    Contact

    For more information on the CommRE projects, contact:

    Jason Randall
    U.S. Department of Energy
    1617 Cole Boulevard
    Golden, Colorado, 80401
    720-356-1609