100% clean energy targets can vary by region.
A target that is time-bound and measurable is essential to establishing a comprehensive and successful 100% renewable strategy. A 100% goal is fully achieved when the amount of energy generated from renewable energy sources in the territory (or brought into it) equals or exceeds 100% of the annual energy consumed within that territory.
A statement or proclamation of 100% clean energy by a city leader can mark the beginning of a city’s commitment to craft a strategy that moves it off of fossil fuels. Such a declaration does not need to be accompanied by a concrete roadmap. Rather, it serves as a call to action to motivate local stakeholders, begin a conversation, and build a common vision of the city’s energy future.
However, 100% targets can also be very detailed and measurable. They can define concrete, funded activities and policies with assigned and clear accountability for research, development and follow through.
READY FOR 100 calls on city leaders to do both: announce a long-term ambitious 100% clean energy goal, and then back it up with measurable plans and near-term actions.
Scope and Timeline:
The timeframe for cities to achieve a 100% clean energy goal also varies, and is dependent upon a number of factors--availability of renewable energy sources, governance, political will, and geography, to name a few.
Studies show that it is possible to eliminate fossil fuels across the globe by the year 2050. Other studies, which focus on the United States, show it is technologically and economically possible to achieve 100% clean energy across the country by 2050 or even sooner. To avoid the worst of climate change, it’s absolutely necessary to do so as quickly as possible.
Therefore, a city-wide 100% goal should be realistic and accompanied by plausible policy measures, but it must also take into account the imperative to move off of fossil fuels as a nation no later than 2050. The ambition of the goal should also take into account the opportunity of rapidly declining costs of clean energy.<
A city’s 100% goal can cover multiple sectors, including electricity, heating and cooling, and transportation, or it can often start by addressing only one of those. Also, a 100% target can either be community-wide (in other words, it covers the whole territory and all energy used within it) or it can cover only the energy used by municipal facilities or operations. The latter may mark an important milestone on a city’s path to 100% clean energy, but a municipal target alone does not constitute a true 100% City.