From City of Keene’s Climate Adaptation Plan

GOAL: Decrease the ways in which energy supplies could be interrupted.

Targets:

• Identify low-risk areas that would allow for the safe burial of existing power lines (coordinate with road improvement projects and upgrades in the Capital Improvement Program) to avoid interruptions due to increased precipitation events.
• Establish the requirement that new construction builders bury utilities during the construction phase.

GOAL: Increase the resiliency of emergency energy systems.

Targets:

• Connect emergency centers with onsite renewable energy sources to reduce susceptibility to lapses in the conventional energy supply.

GOAL: Increase municipal and community energy security, use of renewable resources, and overall energy efficiency.

Targets:

• Provide 50% of municipal and community energy needs locally through local renewable energy resource development (such as small scale wind, micro hydro, solar, geothermal, and other renewable resources) by 2027.
• Take steps to decrease municipal and community energy consumption by 25% and decrease greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production of energy by 75% through energy conservation measures and the development of renewable energy resources by 2027.
• Create a wind assessment specific to Keene that identifies sites for wind generation facility development, if feasible, including the City’s recycling center, by 2010.
• If adequate wind availability for a wind generation facility to be installed at the recycling center, the City should install such a facility and seek grants, other funds, or partnerships to leverage local dollars to cover the cost of purchase and installation of a wind generation facility by 2011.
• Incorporate solar hot water heating into 20% of households by 2020.
• Incorporate passive solar, micro hydro, geothermal, and micro wind into residential and commercial development and zoning codes by 2012.
• Provide training for developers and designers to include these technologies (e.g., wind generation, solar, geothermal) into development design.
• Expand City’s green fleets program.
• Develop alternative energy supply demonstration projects including micro hydro, wind, alternative fuels, etc.

GOAL: Engage energy providers to enhance local renewable generation opportunities.

• Encourage the state to increase amount of renewable energy produced in the state and to keep that energy in the sate.
• Work with local energy providers to provide incentives for the development of renewable energy resources for residents and local businesses.