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Silverton Sustainability Plan

Silverton Sustainability Plan

Silverton, Ohio Implements Sustainability Plan Through Energy Aggregation, Solar Installation, and LED Streetlights

Summary

In 2019, the Village of Silverton, Ohio, created an energy plan focusing on energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Using the plan, Silverton provided renewable energy through their energy aggregation program, installed a solar array on Town Hall, and upgraded streetlights to LEDs. These upgrades have caused minimal increases in monthly costs for Silverton and will result in overall savings starting in 2030. Silverton plans to continue implementing the energy plan and achieving additional energy savings in the coming years.

How did they do it?
Action	Applicable Tools
Created an energy plan Village leaders worked with members of the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance to conduct an analysis on energy use and other sustainability topics. Silverton approved the plan in August 2019 and was awarded $15,000 from OKI.	The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Planning Commission (OKI) provides resources and guidance on community energy planning. Silverton’s completed energy plan details their analyses and planning decisions.
Purchased renewable energy when renewing the community energy purchase program In 2018, Silverton decided to continue collective energy purchasing for the community and shift to renewable energy through Renewable Energy Certificates. Silverton solicited bids for renewable energy, which resulted in lower rates.	The Local Energy Aggregation Network (LEAN) provides information on Ohio Community Choice Aggregation Policies. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has a guide on buying Renewable Energy Certificates.
Invested in renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades Silverton purchased a solar array for the Town Hall that generates more than enough power to run the building. Silverton upgraded its streetlights to more energy-efficient LED lights.	The National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides a PVWatt Calculator for determining performance and cost estimates of potential solar installations. The American Cities Climate Challenge provides a Renewables Accelerator with free and accessible tools to help local governments achieve clean energy goals.

Background

As the climate changes, communities are experiencing the threats of extreme weather more frequently. Heat, flooding, and other impacts can damage energy infrastructure and disrupt services. At the same time, energy costs are becoming more burdensome as residents grapple with heat waves and cold snaps. Some residents are relatively underprepared for these financial impacts, and it will become increasingly critical for local communities to create programs and policies to ensure access to clean and affordable energy.

In 2016 the Village of Silverton recognized these challenges and decided to respond. They obtained a planning grant made available by a partnership between the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) and the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance that included technical assistance in creating the plan and $15,000 in project funding, $10,000 of which was used for the planning process.

Implementation

Silverton began by creating an energy plan. Working with the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance, Silverton conducted an analysis on the energy use in Silverton, heat islands, and their carbon footprint. Silverton also conducted a resident survey to gather opinions on green energy and residents’ goals for the community. Using the information from the analysis, Silverton and the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance worked together to create the energy plan.

Silverton decided to focus on three goals: making Silverton a leader in the region for energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 26 percent by 2030, and using energy efficiency as a community engagement pathway. The goals were incorporated throughout the plan, which focused on the topics of energy use and delivery, transportation and land use, residential energy efficiency, energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and renewable energy.

Silverton began by installing a solar panel system on the roof of the new Town Hall. The system was leased by Silverton initially and will be owned outright after 25 years, with guaranteed production at 80 percent or more of the initial level at that time. Silverton also upgraded their streetlights to LEDs to reduce their electrical costs. The maintenance costs for the streetlights will not increase, and the solar panels will continue to perform with little to no maintenance. Repairs will be covered by a warranty for the 25-year lease period.

Silverton also undertook a renewable aggregation program. This program allows Silverton to make energy purchasing decisions for the community, which allows residents to save money and make more sustainable energy decisions. The aggregation program began in Silverton in 2015 and was rebid in 2018 to obtain 100 percent renewable energy through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs). Under the aggregation program, Silverton’s purchase of renewable energy was cheaper than the energy purchased previously. When establishing the aggregation program, Silverton set it up as an opt-out option, which meant residents could choose to opt-out and purchase energy through other means if they did not wish to be a part of the renewable energy aggregation program. The program does not require any allotment in the budget and only requires small labor costs associated with renewal of the bid every three years.

What is energy aggregation and how does it work?

Community choice aggregation, also known as municipal aggregation or energy aggregation, are programs that allow local governments to purchase power for their residents and businesses from an alternative supplier while still receiving transmission and distribution service from their existing utility provider. These programs allow communities to have more local control over their electricity sources, which can result in choosing greener power sources and leveraging purchasing power to negotiate better rates. Community choice aggregation is currently authorized in California, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.

Under this program, communities can purchase renewable energy through renewable energy certificates (RECs). These certificates are the legal instrument used for accounting, tracking, and assigning ownership of renewable energy generation. While renewable energy purchased through an aggregation program may be produced elsewhere, it supports the renewable energy market as a whole and encourages renewable energy production on a broader scale.

Using the remaining funding from the OKI grant, Silverton began replacing vehicles in their fleet with hybrids.

Funding

$10,000 of the $15,000 grant given by OKI was used to fund LED streetlights. The remaining $5,000 was put towards hybrid vehicles for the fleet. General fund dollars supported the additional $150,000 cost of the streetlights. Silverton completed the solar installation and updates to Town Hall with a $100,000 bond issued in 2019. The bond will total $250,000, with $150,000 being used for other projects, and be retired in 2029.

Timeline

Silverton received the OKI Sustainability Grant at the end of 2018. Silverton developed the plan throughout 2019, resulting in its passage by the Village Council in August of 2019. Silverton approved the solar and LED investments in the fall of 2019 and installation began in the first quarter of 2020. The streetlight upgrades occurred in January 2020 and the solar installation was completed in March 2020.

Equity and Justice

Silverton discussed equity concerns and the correlation between low-income households and older, energy inefficient homes that are often rented. While these discussions did not lead to concrete policy or goals in the plan, Silverton seeks to implement a program in 2021 that would provide funds for low-income households to conduct home repairs or energy efficiency upgrades. Silverton would provide grants to residents and place a tax lien on the house to regain the grant money after the house is sold.

Outcomes and Conclusions

The final solar project produces 45.38 MWh/year with a 25-year production warranty. The town hall uses under 40 MWh/year, so the array will likely produce net-positive energy generation. The LED streetlight upgrade has reduced Silverton’s monthly street lighting bill from $2,700 to $660, resulting in an annual savings of over $24,000. In combination, these projects will achieve their return on investment after 11 years. Due to the bond, Silverton will only pay $2,000 more annually until 2030, at which point they will see a savings of $28,000 annually in reduced electricity costs.

Both projects have been well received by residents and they have expressed excitement about future projects being undertaken by Silverton. Many residents have also adopted the use of the aggregation program, resulting in nearly 100 percent of Silverton’s energy coming from renewable sources.

In addition to these projects, Silverton has replaced several vehicles in their fleet with hybrids and plan to continue this work, with other transportation projects planned for 2021.

Challenges

While the creation of the plan itself and the installation of the energy-saving projects posed no barriers, the process of receiving reduced billing for the LED streetlights took several months and resulted in some challenges with the budget. Instead of metering, the energy utility serving Silverton calculates monthly costs with data that include the energy consumption of each streetlight, the hours of operation each day, and the total number of streetlights. When the LED upgrades were implemented, they were not altered in this modeling, resulting in a bill that did not decrease even when energy consumption dropped. While this was an unexpected challenge, the energy utility worked with Silverton to correct the lapse. Additionally, the strain was exacerbated by budget challenges created due to COVID-19 and likely would have been less impactful in a different year.

Takeaway Message

Tom Carroll, the Silverton Village Manager, shared, “Local governments spend such a large portion of their budgets on energy, and we can take tremendous steps to reduce our carbon footprint and save money. Our residents support these changes, and we should make them a priority.”

Project Resources

See how Cincinnati established an energy aggregation program to provide residents renewable and competitively priced energy.

For more information on Silverton's efforts, contact:

Tom Carroll
Village Manager
Village of Silverton
t.carroll@silvertonohio.us
513-792-6560

Environmental Resilience Institute

Silverton Sustainability Plan

Silverton, Ohio Implements Sustainability Plan Through Energy Aggregation, Solar Installation, and LED Streetlights

Summary

Background

Implementation

What is energy aggregation and how does it work?

Funding

Timeline

Equity and Justice

Outcomes and Conclusions

Challenges

Takeaway Message

Project Resources

For more information on Silverton's efforts, contact:

Start preparing your community today

Adaptation Strategies

Tools

Funding

Additional links and resources