Albuquerque is Top 5 for Climate Change and Sustainability Improvement
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has ranked the City of Albuquerque as 40th on the 2020 City Clean Energy Scorecard—and 5th most improved.
The scorecard analyzes the efforts of 100 major U.S. cities to make buildings and transportation more energy efficient and scale up the use of renewable energy. ACEEE’s City Clean Energy Scorecard is the most comprehensive national measuring stick for climate progress and a roadmap for future improvements.
“When we partnered with the Jicarilla Apache Nation and PNM to break ground on an innovative direct solar project, we took a big leap toward a more sustainable city for our children and future generations. We are living up to our responsibility to build a cleaner, healthier Albuquerque,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “With private industry, residents, and local government all working together, we are making Albuquerque a national leader on sustainability.”
ACEEE’s Scorecard measures the progress of Albuquerque’s policies and programs that save energy, encourage renewable energy use, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also focusing on equity in development and delivery. The Scorecard finds that Albuquerque has expanded its clean energy efforts to tackle climate change, while others lag far behind.
The ranking builds on the Keller administration’s substantial work to date on sustainability, including:
- Won a $2.7 million federal grant to bring the first electric buses to Albuquerque,
- Signed the Paris Agreement committing to climate action,
- Installed solar projects at 38 city-owned buildings,
- Received funding to increase electric charging stations in Albuquerque to 40 by 2021,
- Launched the Green Team Initiative to expand sustainability across departments,
- Launched the Mayor’s Energy Challenge,
- Won Bloomberg American Cities climate challenge with funding for sustainability efforts,
- Made the transition to more sustainable LED street lights citywide,
- Provided over 100 homes with free energy audits and upgrades in partnership with PNM and Prosperity Works,
- Invested $600,000 in VW settlement funding to expand electric vehicle infrastructure,
- Partnered with PNM to launch the Solar Direct project to get to a 65% renewable energy portfolio by 2021,
- Purchased the first Electric Vehicles for the City fleet, and committed the City to replacing gas-powered vehicles with electric vehicles wherever possible, and
- Achieved LEED for Cities Silver certification.