City of Cambridge releases results of Low Carbon Energy Supply Strategy study

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 19, 2018 -- The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has released the results of a Low Carbon Energy Supply Strategy (LCESS) study conducted by leading global engineering and consulting firm Ramboll. The study furthers the city’s Net Zero Action Plan, which provides a roadmap for reaching carbon-neutrality in buildings by mid-century.

A leader in city-wide sustainability planning, the City engaged Ramboll to conduct a Low Carbon Energy Supply Strategy study identifying how Cambridge can transition its energy supply away from fossil-fuel-based sources and toward low- or zero-carbon sources. The City selected Ramboll due to its extensive energy system design experience in European cities with an emphasis on district heating and cooling.

“Cambridge has long been committed to climate change preparedness, greenhouse gas reduction, and city-wide sustainability planning,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. “The Low Carbon Energy Supply Strategy study will help us advance the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by mid-century.” 

As part of the LCESS study, Ramboll analyzed Cambridge’s existing energy use and supply sources across the city, examined the possibilities for future low-carbon supply, anticipated challenges, and suggested ways to overcome them to reach carbon neutrality. Ramboll developed a city-wide emissions and cost model to assess the business-as-usual scenario for the City’s energy supply against three potential scenarios – electrification, electrification with district heating and cooling, district heating and cooling with renewable energy supply sources – between now and 2040.

The study suggests a series of solutions and pathways for how to proceed, which can be used as a template to build regional solutions for achieving a low-carbon energy supply. Key conclusions include the importance of individual building electrification coupled with district energy systems and the need for regional collaboration to accomplish the changes necessary to achieve carbon neutrality. The study also demonstrates that decarbonization of the energy supply for Cambridge buildings will require a combination of approaches over time.

“One of the LCESS study’s most important findings is the necessity of regional collaboration to achieve carbon neutrality,” said Iram Farooq, Cambridge Assistant City Manager for Community Development. “Many other cities share our climate goals, and we look forward to collaborating with our neighboring communities to enact clean energy transformation on a regional level.”

About Cambridge
With over 110,000 people located within a 6.4 square mile area, Cambridge is a unique community with a strong mix of cultural, demographic and social diversity, intellectual vitality and technological innovation. As part of its longstanding commitment to ensuring a healthy future for its residents by proactively addressing the challenges posed by global climate change, the Net Zero Action Plan was adopted by City Council in 2015. In 2016, Cambridge committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through the Metro Mayors Coalition. The City recently completed a comprehensive Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and a Climate Change Preparedness and Resilience Plan is in progress.

About Ramboll
Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Ramboll is an international engineering and design consultancy and provider of management consulting services to both the public and the private sectors. Ramboll works across the markets: Buildings, Transport, Planning and Urban Design, Water, Environment and Health, Energy and Management Consulting. www.ramboll.com

Contact                  
John Reynolds, Buchanan Public Relations | +1 610 649 9292 | [email protected]
Bridget Martin, Cambridge Community Development Department | 617 349 4652  | [email protected]