The City of Albuquerque, NM recently completed the Bloomberg Philanthropies American City Climate Challenge (ACCC). The ACCC was launched in 2018, providing resources and support to 25 U.S. mayors to take actions towards achieving a net-zero electricity and reduced carbon footprint.
“All of the incredible partners involved in the Climate Challenge helped the City go far beyond our own expectations in what we could achieve in a short amount of time,” said Kelsey Rader, city sustainability officer. In no small part because of the Climate Challenge, Albuquerque has become a national leader in sustainability.”
To complete the challenge, the city achieved six goals:
- The completion of Solar Direct – a 50Mw solar field that will aid the city in achieving more than 80% renewable energy for government operations in 2022 and be on track for 100% energy by the year 2025;
- The implementation of a zero emission vehicle first policy for all city fleet vehicles;
- The construction of 20 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations with 36 charging ports throughout the city;
- The development of a scope for energy performance contracting to perform deep energy efficiency retrofits and retro-commissioning municipal facilities;
- The launch of the Mayor’s Energy Challenge to help small and medium businesses reduce their energy consumption while saving money; and
- The support of the development of the New Mexico Community Solar Act.
“We are committed to building a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Albuquerque for future generations. We have met our Climate Challenge goals and we aren’t stopping here,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We have made critical strides with the Climate Challenge’s support to reduce emissions and utility bills for homeowners, small businesses, and in City facilities and have rapidly built an electric vehicle network, bringing charging stations into our community.”