The Sunnyvale Sun
News
Sunnyvale aims to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent
By Cody Kraatz
The city of Sunnyvale is proposing 21 projects aimed at cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent--not from current emissions but from 1990 levels. That goal is set by Sustainable Silicon Valley, a local business and government coalition the city joined in August 2006.
The goal is slipping away because emissions are rising and expected to erase the 17 percent reduction from 1990 levels in 2006. The city anticipates only a 6 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2010. Several completed or planned projects make for a 3 percent reduction.
The Sunnyvale City Council will consider those proposals and choose a direction, probably in the next few weeks.
The initial price tag for the 21 projects is $8 million, none of which is currently funded. Operational savings of $420,000 per year would allow most projects to pay for themselves eventually, potentially sweetening the deal. Technological advances are likely to decrease the initial cost and increase the operational savings.
For example, the efficient LED streetlights proposed to replace high-pressure sodium streetlights are likely to become significantly cheaper in the next two years, said Marvin Rose, director of public works. The various projects are expected to pay back initial costs in one to 46 years.
Potential changes include converting the city's fleet to 5 percent biodiesel fuel, putting solar panels on 13 city buildings, installing "misers" that turn off vending machines when no one is around and squeezing greater efficiency from the water pollution control plant, which accounts for 33 percent of the emissions from city facilities despite its use of methane gathered from digesters and a nearby landfill.
The consultant that identified the projects considers buying carbon offsets a last resort. With offsets, energy users such as Sunnyvale voluntarily pay a company such as PG&E an amount of money based on their carbon dioxide emissions, and that money is invested in projects elsewhere that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, making the user "carbon neutral."
Critics argue that carbon offsets avoid genuine emission reductions and their value can be hard to verify. However, Councilman Dean Chu argued that offsets would provide the same reduction as some of the projects and should be considered.
Offsetting 100 percent of the city's current 15.5 million pounds per year of carbon dioxide emissions would cost $63,600 per year, according to city figures.
Councilman Chris Moylan expressed concern that the city's voluntary goals will not be sufficient to meet AB32, the state law passed last year that mandates a statewide 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
"We're going to have to do it whether we like it or not," he said. But city staff is not worried, pointing out that AB32 does not have any direct effect on Sunnyvale, targeting such emitters as electricity plants, refineries and automobiles instead. Plus, the city is trying to significantly beat its 1990 levels, not meet them.
"We're already exceeding the AB32 goal for city operations," said Mark Bowers, Sunnyvale's solid waste program manager, calling the SSV goal more ambitious.
On the web, visit www.sustain ablesiliconvalley.org for more information.
