Energy Plan for Keene, New Hampshire

http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/keene-state-college-s-tds-center-is-third-largest-
solar/article_58146210-5ac0-587d-a145-84e738374208.html

Mike Bordonaro, Mark Landolina, Vincent

Saputo, Nick Tolman
4/29/18

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 Abstract
Fossil fuel emissions are responsible for ½ of the rise of in global temp and 1/3 of sea
level rise. Global climate change has already taken effect on the environment. New Hampshire's
ski resorts, forests, coastline, foliage and fishing industries will all be affected because of
climate change. Health problems from fossil fuels include asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, birth
defects and cancer. Newborn babies and elderly men and women are most vulnerable. Health
Effects are brought about from combustion releasing pollutants that can be inhaled. Three main
sources of fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas.

By 2030, the residential sector of the Town of Keene will be expected to receive 100
percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. This goal will help homeowners and
renters achieve costs savings while reducing their carbon footprint, which in return helps the
community’s resilience, independence and sustainability for future generations. To achieve this
milestone, new local renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar, ground mounted solar,
biomass, hydro and wind will create a comprehensive supply of energy for Keene that will be
run and maintained by local investors and residents. In addition, the total energy consumption
will be reduced. Homes will be retrofitted with high energy efficiency standards and minimize
heat loss. The city will develop a better network of transportation that promotes walking, biking
and electric vehicles by introducing new public transportation services, sidewalks, bike paths,
electric vehicle charging ports and introducing compact mixed-use neighborhoods near the core
of the city.

We envision Keene with 100% renewable energy to utilize serval different sources of
renewable energy as well as energy efficiency improvement and life style changes. Ground solar
energy would meet 90% of the energy demand, followed by roof top solar, reduction in
personal vehicle miles traveled, biomass, hydropower at Surry Dam, and home weatherization.
It is assumed that 10% of personal vehicle miles driven by Keene residents can be reduced and
50% of homes can be weatherized

We need to distribute our resources in a fairer way. Solar should not be a privilege of
states with better funding or more local government support; it should be universal. We need
to ease the community into solar even if it has a boom. Using the current zoning system to
distribute solar roofs means everyone in Keene will be represented at the same time, and
anyone will be able to speak their opinion. We choose to consider animal recovery in our
proposal, making sure suffering species are not left out of the conversation like they normally
are in the current system.

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 Table of Contents

Section I- Justification, Pages 4-8

Section II- Vision of 100% Renewable Energy in

Keene, Pages 8-16

Section III- Energy Justice, Pages 17-22

Section IV- Conclusion, Pages 22-25

Works Cited, Page 26

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 Section I: Justification
Having Keene, New Hampshire transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable is

something that needs to be done sooner than later. We picked a date of 2030, for the city of

Keene to be all renewable. We know this is very ambitious but believe that it can be done.

Nearby Burlington, Vermont has already transitioned to all renewables, so this can be done in

Keene. There are many reasons why we must transition to renewables, but the main driver is

the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions emitted into our atmosphere.

Average global temperature is on the rise along with sea levels and water

temperatures. This is visible in the loss of land ice on our glaciers that are flooding our oceans.

It is known that fossil fuels are the largest contributor to climate change. Sea level rise can be a

real problem in cities like Miami that are right on the coast. There are predictions that Miami

could be completely under water by 2100. This city is at sea level and the oceans are rising at an

alarming rate. Over the last 100 years it is estimated that the oceans have risen 4 to 8 inches

and are only going to continue to rise. This comes out to about 0.13 inches per year. This has

been a direct result of humans releasing carbon dioxide and other fossil fuels into the

atmosphere. This causes the earth’s surface temperature to rise and the oceans absorb most of

this heat. The Third National Climate Assessment Report has some ideas on what climate

change will look like on our planet in the future. The temperatures will continue to rise. It may

not be uniform everywhere, but our climate will go up. Frost free season will lengthen of a

month or more with the greatest impacts in high elevation in the western United States. More

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droughts and heat waves will happen because or climate change. Abnormally hot weather

lasting for days to weeks will be normal with extreme cold weather decreasing. Another

prediction is that our hurricanes will become stronger and more intense. Hurricanes can have a

drastic effect on the population and the economy. Just in the last year the United States went

through two devastating hurricanes in Irma and Harvey. Flooding is a huge problem with these

storms as the city of Houston was almost completely under water. Loss of life is also something

that needs to be looked at from these powerful storms. Over 1800 people lost their life in

Katrina after being trapped from the flooding that came afterward. Loss of power can be a real

problem as power lines are usually knocked down. People in Puerto Rico still don’t have power

after Hurricane Maria hit the island at the end of September. Not having power for 5 months

can be a real problem as I know I can’t last a few days without having power. 2017 was one of

the most powerful hurricane seasons on record. We had six achieving at least a category three

storm which is winds stronger than 111 miles per hour. New Hampshire’s coasts could be

impacted by sea level rise but not as drastic as Miami because we are higher up in elevation.

Climate change will also affect New Hampshire in a multitude of ways. Our local ski resorts will

have shorter seasons because the temperature will not be cold enough to make snow. This can

result in the resort losing money because of the shorter season. New Hampshire’s trees and

forests will be impacted because the maple and hemlock will be impacted, and deer rely on

them in the winter. Lastly, the fishing industry could be impacted as the waters in out streams

get warmer fish like trout will move away because they rely on rivers and streams with colder

water.

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 Fossil fuels not only cause the warming of our climate but can cause health problems

that can have some serious effects. Health problems from fossil fuels include asthma,

bronchitis, pneumonia, birth defects and cancer. The chart below shows the number of cases

caused by particulate pollution from fossil fueled power plants. The least number of cases were

asthma and the most cases were minor restricted work days with 26.3 million. Most of these

effects are brought about from people inhaling the pollutants that are released from fossil fuel

combustion. Newborn babies and elderly men and women are at the most risk because they

are most vulnerable to illness. Beyond health impacts, there are also environmental impacts of

burning fossil fuels. Air pollution is our main concern here as burning fossil fuels produces

nitrogen oxide which is a main producer of smog. The use of fossil fuels can also destruct

ecosystems and destroy wildlife habitat. Erosion of dirt and minerals can also be a problem

when oil companies dig for pipeline access. Our local water can also be contaminated from

drilling oil wells and fracturing the land. In a video I saw, the water in Pennsylvania caught on

fire from being contaminated from hydraulic fracking. Earthquakes have been another major

problem from oil companies fracking in the area. At least half of the 4.5 magnitude or larger

earthquakes in the interior United States can be related to fracking.

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 Table 1

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/graphic-science-health-care-burden-of-

fossil-fuels/

The next cause for concern is energy justice and how the city of Keene will be able to

make sure we are not unjust in our energy system. We will use distributional, recognition and

procedural justice. For distributional justice we want to make sure everyone is getting the same

energy from the same source. We don’t want half the town to get energy from a clean solar

source and the other half to get it from a dirty non-renewable source. For recognition justice

we want to make sure everyone in Keene is respected and given equal political rights. Lastly, for

procedural justice we want everyone concerns to be heard by the decision makers and for it not

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to be based on race or skin color. We will delve deeper into these concerns later in the paper.

Everyone should get the opportunity to get the electricity they need.

Target dates are important because they set a standard for when our goal of no fossil

fuels and zero carbon emissions will come into effect. As a group we came up with the date of

2030 as we know it can be done by then. We know that this is soon and very ambitious, but we

feel this is necessary because we are destroying our planet at an alarming rate. Our plan is to

use a lot of solar, some hydropower from the Surry Mountain Dam up the road, and very little

wind. We want to base it off Mark Jacobsen’s plan to get the entire world carbon free by 2030.

This will make the world such a cleaner place to live and much healthier than before. Hopefully

the health effects related to fossil fuels will be diminished greatly. This gives us 12 years to

start the transition that needs to happen sooner than later. The intergovernmental panel on

climate change says a rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius will have some devastating and drastic effects

on our environment. The IPCC also goes into special topics and talks about the effects of

climate change on our oceans and land. Our ocean temperatures will continue to rise unless

something is changed, and no more fossil fuels are used.

Section II: Vision of 100% Renewable Energy in Keene

By 2030, the residential sector of the Town of Keene will be expected to receive 100

percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. This goal will help homeowners and

renters achieve costs savings while reducing their carbon footprint, which in return helps the

community’s resilience, independence and sustainability for future generations. To achieve this

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milestone, new local renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar, ground mounted solar,

biomass, hydropower and wind will create a comprehensive supply of energy for Keene that will

be run and maintained by local investors and residents. In addition, total energy consumption in

the residential sector will be reduced. Homes will be retrofitted with high energy efficiency

standards and minimize heating and cooling losses. The city will develop a better network of

transportation that promotes walking, biking and electric vehicles by introducing new public

transportation services, sidewalks, bike paths, electric vehicle charging ports and introducing

compact mixed-use neighborhoods near the core of the city.

The total energy needed to power the residential sector of Keene is substantial but

feasible. Below, Table 2 represents the annual energy required to meet the energy demand for

residents of Keene if each end use is converted to electricity (instead of powered by fossil fuels).

The current total energy use for residents is 276,018 Mega Watt hours a year, which is equivalent

to 849 acres of solar panels (if 1 acre of solar is equivalent to 325 MWh/year). This total considers

appliances and lighting, transportation, heating, and hot water. This is a remarkable amount of

energy, to put into perspective, the roughly 10,000 households in Keene burn the equivalent of

6,821,640 gallons of oil each year (where 1 MWh = 24.8 gallons of oil) or 66,328,134 pounds of

coal. This of course pollutes the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, including 60,624 Metric

Tons of Carbon Dioxide, and is costing Keene residents millions of dollars each year to companies

that do not greatly benefit the local economy. This reliance on fossil fuels is not sustainable or

economic for Keene’s resilience in the future. The transition from a fossil fuel powered residential

sector to a sustainable and renewable electric powered grid will have lasting benefits on the local

economy, environment and residents’ every-day life.

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Table 2 Total energy demand in Keene, NH after complete electrification of the residential sector
MWh Acres of solar equivalent

Appliances & Light 108,844 335

Transportation 69,976 215

Heating 84,166 259

Hot Water 13,032 40

Total 276,018 849

The first step into making the transition possible is by calculating the renewable energy

sources and efficiency strategies that are feasible within Keene and Cheshire County. There is not

only one solution to making the transition possible, but rather a comprehensive approach that

uses all of Keene’s renewable energy potential. Table 3 represents the many sources that will

contribute to the transition, including hydropower from the Surry Dam, Biomass from local

sustainable forestry, the weatherization of 5,000 homes, a 10 percent reduction in miles driven,

rooftop solar (3,000 homes), and ground mounted solar. The energy potential of these power

sours was calculated based on realistic possibilities that can be integrated into the grid within 12

years. These energy sources and efficiency strategies are based on similar approaches other cities

have taken. The amount each source can be implemented depends on the funding behind the

projects, local policies and the time and effort the community is willing to commit.

MWh Acres of solar equivalent

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 Table 3 Energy sources and demands in Keene, NH

Hydropower at Surry Dam 2,803 9

Biomass 6,500 20

Weatherization 325 1

10% Reduction in vehicle use 7,000 22

Roof top solar 9,750 30

Ground mounted solar 249,665 767

Total Energy needed 276,018 849

For the transition, the lowest hanging fruit with the quickest return on investment is the

weatherization of homes. By weatherizing home with better insolation, doors and windows;

homes will require less energy to heat in the winter or cool in the summer. A majority of homes

in Keene were built before 1950, which likely contributes to out of date efficiency standards.

Residents will see $250 - $450 in energy savings each year by weatherizing their home. According

to our calculations, if half the homes in Keene (5,000) weatherized their home, it will only

contribute a small fraction of energy savings compared to the total energy consumption, roughly

325 MWh per year (equivalent to 1 acre of solar panels). However, this type of solution will bring

awareness to the issue and show how the transition will help save resources and money to local

residents. There are a number of weatherization assistance programs, including ones through

the state of New Hampshire and through the Department of Energy that help with the upfront

costs of weatherization. If the city were to invest in contractors to give free energy assessments

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for Keene homeowners, the residents will see costume statistics of how to improve their home

and how much they would save.

The next form of efficiency Keene can improve upon is the total miles driven by Keene

residents. The first step is for Keene residents to switch from gas burning vehicles to electric or

hybrid vehicles or to commit to using public transportation, biking and walking instead of owning

a car. This is likely the most difficult transition because of the modern culture of car dependency,

technological lock in, and financial barriers that come with the upfront cost of electric vehicles.

This is an ambitious goal, but not out of the question. Governments across America and the world

have already taken steps to completely eliminate gas powered vehicles. Amsterdam, Netherlands

and the country of Norway give significant incentives to electric vehicle (EV) owners, by letting

them dodge parking charges, perchance and import taxes, and toll fees. In addition, EV owners

can charge their cars for free. In Shanghai, EV buyers receive a $4,400 purchase subsidy and

dodge registration fees, and in London by 2020, cars will be required to meet stringent emission

standards or will be charged a daily fee. San Francisco is in the process of making charging ports

more convenient and accessible than gas stations. Even with these incentives there are still going

to be people that cannot afford the initial cost of EV’s. The best way to include the rest of the

population in Keene is by greatly improving public transportation, walkability and bike-ability. If

the city subsidized electric vehicles for the local taxi companies, provide electric shuttle busses,

and incorporates more mixed-use neighborhoods that are compact and walkable; the city can

see a drastic reduction in emissions, traffic congestion and improved public health.

As for energy sources to meet the electricity demand in Keene, the first and easiest new

source introduced in Keene will be a hydropower plant at the existing Surry Dam. In an Army

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Corps of Engineers report titled “Hydropower Resource Assessment at Non-powered USACE

Sites”, Surry Mountain Dam is one out of 233 dams in the country that is listed as an economically

feasible location for a hydropower plant. Based on energy calculations using flow data and

overhead water height at the dam, the USACE estimates that hydropower at Surry Mountain Dam

will produce 2803MWh annually. Additionally, the Corps estimates as a result of implementing

this power source alone, reduction in fossil fuel consumption will avoid the release of the

equivalent of 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (US Army Corps of Engineers 2013).

Furthermore, Cheshire County has plentiful acres of forest surrounding the city of Keene.

By utilizing wood from these forests at a sustainable rate, Keene could learn from other cities

such as, Burlington, Vermont, which utilize biomass power to meet energy demands. Biomass

energy from wood harvested throughout Cheshire county could be utilized to meet some of the

energy demand of the City of Keene. However, Keene would need to do so at a sustainable rate

in order to maintain the goal of using 100% renewable energy. It is assumed that a tree takes 60

years to grow, so to sustainably harvest wood 1 out of every 60 acres of forestry land could be

harvested to be used for biomass electricity production. Assuming that the City of Keene could

use a mere 3% of the total land in Cheshire County for biomass forestry, 13,996 acres could be

utilized. In order to harvest at a sustainable rate, 233 acres could be harvested annually. A single

acre of forestry land equates to about 6 tons of dry wood, and 125lbs of dry wood equates to

293kWh (Langholtz, Plate, and Monroe 2006). If Keene harvests 233 acres annually, this would

equate to about 2,796,000lbs of wood which would produce 6,533MWh of energy.

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 A substantial amount of household energy demand will be met using rooftop solar on

houses in Keene. While not al 10,110 household rooftops in Keene are suitable for solar panels,

it is assumed that about 30% of all houses in Keene would be appropriate for the instillation of

solar panels. Additionally, the average roof in Keene would be able to fit 24 solar panels that are

18ft2 each. This will produce for about a total of 9,750MWh of energy annually. Remaining

electricity demand in Keene at this time will be met with ground mounted solar panels. As

represented in Figure 1, ground mounted solar will account 90% of energy demands in Keene, or

249,665MWh of
Ground Mount PV Solar
electricity annually.
Rooftop PV Solar In order to achieve

Miles driven reduction this large amount

of energy
Weatherization of
homes production, 767
Biomass
acres of land will be
Surry Dam Hydro required and

dedicated to

Figure 1 Energy sources and efficiency improvements to meet energy ground mounted
demands in Keene
solar panels. While

767 acres may seem like a large amount of land to dedicate to solar, the area of Keene is 24,000

acres. While plenty of the land is not suitable for solar panels, a large amount still is. Figure 2 is a

map of open space in Keene suitable for solar panels. Areas shaded red indicate public owned

land and areas shaded yellow indicate all other suitable space. Also, Figure 3 is a map depicting

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which of the solar panel suitable areas receive more sunlight for longer periods of time

throughout the year indicating the best locations for solar panel areas. Through

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Figure 2 Suitable open space for ground mounted solar panels.

Figure 3 Solar potential at open space suitable for ground mounted solar.

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these methods of renewable energy sources, as well as efficiency strategies, Keene will be able

to eliminate fossil fuel use all together within the residential sector.

Section III: Energy Justice

Energy Justice advocates for fair treatment and involvement for people of all races,

national origins, skin color, and income with respect to energy policies. Within energy justice,

there are three main forms of energy justice; Distributional, Procedural, and Recognition.

Distributional justice is the first factor of energy justice, and it is the way positive or

negative things are distributed throughout a community. For example, there could be a smelly

landfill placed right next to low income housing instead of near a large open field with no houses

nearby but it’s close to a wealthy person’s land. It would be more just for the landfill to be placed

in the field where it wouldn’t bother anyone. In a study done by Environmental Health News,

they found that, “communities with 80 percent minorities were more likely to have oil and gas

disposal wells nearby”. This is not just because the potential for harm by groundwater

contamination is disproportionately located in areas with more minorities. In terms of local

energy justice, increasing solar fields and rooftop solar in these communities would reduce the

oil and gas use which would eliminate the disposal fields

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 .

http://www.energyjustice.net/map

In the photo above, we can see a map of percentage of non-white population with the

locations of gas powerplants over it. This shows a very clear line of powerplants in areas of higher

non-white populations. It is also, however, the location of a large gas pipeline that runs up the

east coast. The pipeline and powerplants are very closely related, as one needs the other as a

supply for generating power. This could be seen as double energy injustice, because if the

pipeline was put in places of high non-white population due to that fact, it means that more gas

powerplants would follow in those same communities. The harms that come with one, like leaks

from the pipeline, will invite more potential for harm in the same area when powerplants are

introduced. Population is also a factor here, there are many powerplants in these areas because

they are highly populated. However, the route of plants does not really the straightest line up

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the coast, it looks like it takes curves or breaks in some areas to seemingly avoid the higher white

population communities.

The photo above is the same base map, but it has solar powerplants pinned over it. One

thing that is easy to see is the fact that the powerplants are located based on a state basis with

Massachusetts, New Jersey, and North Carolina clearly outlined. We want solar power not to be

a privilege based off of state policies, but to be readily available in any state. Keene has the

opportunity to be a spark for a movement to free solar from political bindings and make solar

power available anywhere in the country. Going 100 percent renewable could prove how

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economically viable solar is, and show politicians why it needs to be regulated better and why it

needs to be more available.

On a global scale, Keene going 100 percent renewable energy shows the world and other

cities what is possible. It begins a snowball effect that travels throughout cities, soon states, and

eventually entire countries. It would also help places that are facing the threat of flooding due to

sea level rise, that is due to ice cap melting, that is ultimately due to climate change from burning

fossil fuels. Though Keene is a small city, the cities that would follow suit due to Keene would

begin to make a large difference for climate change mitigation. The improvement of renewable

cities will slow further sea level rise and prevent the loss of coastal cities globally and the loss of

entire low-lying islands.

For Keene, our plan means to spread the benefit of renewable energy to everyone. Solar

panels mean cheaper energy for everybody and also no air particulates that cause asthma and

other breathing problems in vulnerable citizens. Due to Keene’s location in a valley, particulate

matter will get trapped near the surface and build up to high concentrations for people to then

breathe in. The panels will be distributed everywhere, and people who oppose solar will not be

forced to accept it or put it on their property. If solar is distributed well enough, people against

it who have neighbors with solar might end up wanting it because they heard about it from

someone first hand.

The second factor is procedural justice, which has to do with making sure everyone, even

if they are not directly affected, has a say in an energy decision. An example of procedural

injustice would be when gas companies come into an area and buy out land to frack without

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allowing the entire town to say if they want it or not. When it comes to decision making on a local

level, we think that the best way to get widespread acceptance and proper fairness is to use

systems that are already in place and people are used to. A question about solar is that it will

eventually get cheaper and be subsidized much more than it is now if our plan plays out. If a

sudden large subsidy was to be put in place, many people might start opting to buy solar arrays

for their roofs all at the same time. Our recommendation, like we stated above, is to use a system

people are used to in order to decide who would have their array installed first assuming the

mounting companies could not handle it. One way to solve the problem is to use the zoning

system for voting to decide who gets it first. Keene is separated into zones and those zones

determine when and where you are able to vote during elections. Those same zones can be used

to assign solar mounting companies so each company can be more concentrated and efficient in

their zone. Keene could look like the sketch below in ten to fifteen years.

https://www.benjerry.co.uk

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 The final factor of energy justice is recognition justice. Recognition justice is about doing

your best to include everyone, or thing is considered in a decision, even if it is not seen as

important enough or if it is overlooked. An example of this is animals, who are often not

considered in energy decisions because they are less important than people or they are forgotten

about completely. Animals must be considered with the current energy system because it has

the potential to harm them in various ways. On a local scale, we can look at salmon to see how

our current energy system effects nearby species. Salmon require cold, fast-flowing water to

reproduce. The warming of water in the northeast means that the salmon population is struggling

because the fish cannot find the correct waters to breed in. Salmon are an important part of our

diet in the northeast and an important part of our fish market, but they are still overlooked by

gas companies and energy abusers that are causing the warming of these breeding waters. On a

global scale, the increase in temperature from climate change causes animals to migrate or to

lose whatever it preys on or eats. Renewable energy will slow climate change and give near

endangered species a chance to survive. With solar farms, there is a harm on needing to cut forest

down to produce enough energy for Keene. We recommend using as much residential roof area

and field area as possible to prevent the need to cut down a lot or any forest if possible. The

amount of species locally and globally that would be saved would outweigh the species harmed

by any deforestation.

IV: Conclusion
Global anthropogenic climate change has been facilitated by the release of carbon dioxide

and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which not only effect global average

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temperatures, but cause sea level rise, abnormal weather events, more intense and frequent

water events including floods and droughts, as well as threaten many species of plants and

animals of which human food sources could be. Residents across the United States are concerned

with the future of the planet, and many are aware of the damages attributed to fossil fuel

combustion. In the interest of maintaining a habitable planet for this generation as well as future

generations, cities across the world are moving away from fossil fuel use all together and

transitioning to renewable energy sources.

While global climate change is a concern to many, transitioning away from fossil fuel use

and to renewable energy sources has many additional benefits. Much of the fossil fuels

consumed in the United State are imported from countries around the world, many of which do

not have the most stable governments. In order to break dependence on foreign countries for

fossil fuels, local areas can achieve complete local energy independence by producing renewable

energy locally through sources such as solar, hydro, and biomass power. While local renewable

energy production does not only achieve energy independence from fossil fuel producing

countries, it also produced and promotes local, American jobs through construction, operation,

and maintenance of energy facilities. In the interest of not only slowing global anthropogenic

climate change, but also to promote local energy independence and job creation, this plan

outlines steps necessary for the City of Keene to transition from fossil fuel dependence to

meeting total electricity demands using 100% renewable sources within the residential sector.

In order to break away from fossil fuel use all together in the residential sector,

households will have to become fossil fuel free. This entails switching from fossil fuel powered

hot water heats and space heaters to electric hot water heaters and electric heat pump space

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heaters. Furthermore, one of the more challenging aspects of the energy plan includes residents

switching from fossil fuel powered personal vehicles to electric vehicles. In order to facilitate this

process, cooperation from the local and state government to provide incentives and programs to

push household electrification.

In the interest of transitioning away from fossil fuel use in the City of Keene, energy

efficiency improvements are also expected to be made. The easiest form of mitigation of energy

use household can take is weatherization. By improving heating and cooling retention from the

new electric heating and cooling units, households will be able to reduce energy use as well as

save on personal costs. For the energy plan, it is assumed that 50% of households will improve

weatherization by 2030. Also, total miles traveled in personal vehicles by residents of Keene can

be reduced substantially. Through improvements to public transportation, walkability, and bike

paths and lanes it is assumed that residents of Keene can cut total vehicle miles traveled by 10%,

which results in a meaningful reduction in energy demand.

Altogether, once the entirety of households in Keene are fossil fuel free, electricity to

power the residential sector will come exclusively from local renewable energy sources including

hydro, solar, and biomass power. Installation of a hydropower facility at the existing Surry

Mountain Dam will be a cost effective and beneficial driver of the movement to switch to

renewable energy in Keene. The dam already exists for local flood control; however, the US Army

Corps of Engineers has already examined possibilities of hydropower at the location. Next, since

Keene is surrounded by more rural towns throughout Cheshire County, biomass energy

production through sustainable wood harvesting is a logical source of local renewable energy.

Assuming a tree takes 60 years to go, by only harvesting one out of every 60 acres of biomass

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dedicated forestry land annually, harvest is sustainable. So, by utilizing only 3% of land in Cheshire

County for biomass use forest growth, then using that wood for electricity production, the City

of Keene will further work toward the energy transition. After that, solar power will meet the

remainder of the energy demand. Assuming that 30% of homes in Keene have appropriate roofs

for solar panels, it is estimated that about 3000 houses will install solar panels. While those

households will meet much of their energy demand from their rooftop panels, the remainder of

the energy demand for the other homes in Keene would come from ground mounted solar. While

ground mounted solar will have to supply such a large amount of energy, plenty land in Keene is

suitable to be equipped with solar panels.

Lastly, every aspect of energy justice will be considered when transitioning Keene from

fossil fuel dependency to renewable energy. In Keene, it will be important not to favor one group

over another in terms of accessibility to renewable energy. On the local scale, this includes

eliminating race, income, and home ownership and renting as factors that could deny certain

groups access to renewable energy. So, measures will take place to ensure equal access to all.

Also, a benefit of transitioning to 100% renewable energy in the residential sector is that every

household will have access. Overall, eliminating local dependency on fossil fuels in Keene and

transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2030 is an achievable goal that will help mitigate the

effects of global anthropogenic climate change, as well as provide local energy independence and

promote job creation.

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BurkartDirector, Karl. “Fossil Fuel Companies Are Driving Half of Global Warming.” The
Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, www.leonardodicaprio.org/fossil-fuel-companies-are-
driving-half-of-global-warming/.
“Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas.” Union of Concerned Scientists, www.ucsusa.org/clean-
energy/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/environmental-impacts-of-natural-
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