However efficient we make our buildings and vehicles, we will still consume energy. We need to make sure that the energy that we use is produced as efficiently as possible and relies on fossil fuels as little as possible. The City of Boston is:
In September 2005, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced that all new vehicles purchased by the City of Boston will be alternative fuel vehicles or vehicles with similar fuel economy. Additionally, 450 City vehicles that currently run on diesel fuel will begin using bio-diesel, a clean, domestically produces fuel, blended with ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD).
Using $3.25 million from an EPA enforcement case settlement with a local power plant, Boston is retrofitting 500 school buses with the pollution control equipment and supplying them with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD). Once completed in 2006, Boston will be the first major city in the country to retrofit its entire school bud fleet. The project will reduce tail pipe emissions from the buses, primarily SO2, CO, and particulates by more than 90%. Additionally, there will be a slight reduction in CO2 emissions.
In 2005, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Robert W. Varney oversaw the completion of a project which equipped Boston's diesel tourist trolleys with pollution control equipment, significantly lowering their emissions and resulting air pollution.
The Boston Public Schools already have three schools with a total photovoltaic capacity of 6.6 kW; and the Boston Department of Neighborhood Development, as part of a $2,000,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative , is committed to providing solar power for 200 units of green affordable housing. To bring new opportunities to the entire community, the City of Boston, named a Solar America City by the U.S. Department of Energy, is establishing Solar Boston, a program to create the technical and financial infrastructure for solar installations-for electricity and heating-in residences, businesses, and institutions throughout Boston. The Boston Energy Alliance, also in the process of formation, will provide support to an even broader array of energy conservation and renewable energy opportunities.
The City is promoting pilot projects to examine the potential for wind power in Boston. City staff work with the Community Wind Collaborative of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to study the feasibility of installing wing turbines on Long Island in Boston Harbor. This study builds upon MTC-funded Boston Harbor Islands Renewable Planning Guide, which analyzes the resources of the grid-tied Boston Harbor Islands and identifies alternative technologies and sites. It also assessed environmental, community, and regulatory issues. The City is coordinating this project with another wind turbine project in Boston Harbor proposed by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
Through its Renewable Energy Trust, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has launched a $4 million initiative, allowing the Community Wind Collaborative to design and construct small wind projects, which will help reduce energy costs and contribute to keeping the environment of Massachusetts cleaner.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is in the process of establishing zoning regulations for the erection and operation of both ground-mounted and building-integrated wind energy facilities within the city. The zoning regulations will provide standards for the placement, design, monitoring, modification and removal of wind energy facilities. The regulations seek to streamline wind turbine installation, address public safety concerns, minimize impacts on scenic, natural and historic resources of the City of Boston, and provide adequate financial assurance for decommissioning. These zoning regulations are currently undergoing public and internal review before being put into place.
Boston Public Schools are currently studying the feasibility of wind energy systems at several of their campuses, and hope to install four 250 kW wind turbines at West Roxbury High School, Charlestown High School, Madison Park High School, and the Ohrenberger School.
The Massachusetts Port Authority installed 20 roof-mounted wind turbines at Logan Airport's Office Center in May 2008. This fleet of 12-foot-tall wind turbines, each of which has a capacity of 1 kW, is allowing Logan to tap into the steady winds along of Boston's waterfront. Logan's project is one of a number of current or pending roof-mounted wind installations around Boston.