National Renewable Energy Laboratory launches new tools to help cities create strategic energy plans
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released two new tools on Wednesday that provide city leaders with data and analyses to support the development of comprehensive clean energy strategies.
“Cities are on the front lines of the clean energy transition,” NREL Project Leader of Policy and Technical Assistance Megan Day said. “Electricity costs can be a large percentage of city and consumer costs, and cities are making decisions about how much clean energy they want as they negotiate with their power providers. By utilizing NREL’s experience, research, and analysis to synthesize information relevant to cities, we support them in achieving their energy and economic development goals.”
The new tools include the City Energy Profile Tools and the Local Energy Toolbox. The City Energy Profile Tool provides city-specific data from 23,400 U.S. cities and is part of the State and Local Energy Data website. The Local Energy Toolbox includes a customizable actions plans to facilitate energy decision making. It includes more than 500 searchable resources that are organized by energy topic.
The tools are a part of the NREL’s Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning project. The program helps city leaders identify energy priorities and provides concrete tools to facilitate methodology, decision making and execution.
