The Sustainable Energy Path for Cities- Joshua D. Mosshart

The following is a set of check boxes to intergrate into your energy independence planning initiatives for sustainable cities. 

Reduce carbon emissions.

Reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Introduce cleaner fuels.

Increase use of renewable energy.

Promote diversification of energy sources.

Support local and decentralized power supply.

Focus on energy efficiency and provide support and information to users.

Make efficient resource use the basis of economic development.

Ensure that citizens have appropriate access to energy services and information on best energy use practises to reduce poverty.

Plan for efficient spatial development.

Develop efficient and accessible public transport using cleaner fuels.

Create a sustainable and lowcarbon energy vision for the future.

Sustainable energy action planning

The aims of sustainable energy action planning are optimal energy efficiency, low- or no-carbon energy supply and accessible, equitable and good energy service provision to users. 

Planning is based on consideration of the broader concerns of the whole economy, environment (particularly carbon mitigation) and society, not just a ‘least financial cost’ focus. And, it is led by the demand for energy services.

These are the key characteristics of sustainable energy and climate action planning:

All energy sources and energy related activities are considered as a whole system;

Carbon mitigation is a key determinant in the development of the plan and choice of project options;

The demand for energy services, rather than what energy can be supplied, is the basis for planning;

Energy conservation, energy efficiency and demand-side management are considered prior to supply-side solutions;

Environmental and social costs are clearly considered;

Energy sector linkages with the economy are included;

The plan is flexible and can anticipate and respond to change.

Why a demand-led approach to energy planning is important:

Understanding the needs of the users

Good energy planning needs to be informed by the right kind of information. It is fairly easy to gather supply information (how much oil, electricity, gas etc. the city uses), but it is more difficult to gather information on who uses what energy sources, how they use these and why. 

This kind of energy information is very important for sustainable energy planning, because your focus needs to be on meeting energy users’ needs in the best way possible. 

There are very significant economic, social and environmental benefits which can be gained by planning according to people and industry needs: these therefore must determine a city or town’s energy plan.

The needs of energy supply industries and the energy sources which they supply often dominate energy planning. The supply industries are also often very powerful so they can push their needs over the needs of users. 

Sustainable energy and climate action planning requires a very different approach: first of all it must put the energy service needs (such as the need for a warm or a cool house, hot water, cooked food, transportation of goods, welding, public lighting etc) of the users and the city first. This is because energy service needs do not necessarily need to be met with a supply of energy.

Take for instance the need for a warm house in winter or a cool house in summer – this can be met by installing a ceiling and insulation or by overall energy efficient design for new build; the need for hot water can be met by installing solar water heaters. A supplyled regime would just assume that the household could use electricity for heating or make some other plan from the energy sources available. 

A demand-led approach would also plan at a much more local scale and try to create closed/no waste systems: for example the energy input required by an industry for production may be able to be supplied by the waste energy and waste products produced by that same industry or by an adjacent industry.

A good demand-side database is important in order to develop energy action strategies and evaluate implementation.

Malia Ventures Inc.-Cleantech Global Licensing Opportunities.

Cleantech Grants-Cleantech Grant Funding 

Joshua D. Mosshart-Cleantech Sustainablity Expert

Source: UNHABITAT-UNEP-ICLEI

The President’s FY 2017 Budget provides the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with $48.9 billion in gross discretionary funding, Joshua D. Mosshart

The Deptartment of Housing Mission:

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination, and transform the way HUD does business.

The President’s FY 2017 Budget provides the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with $48.9 billion in gross discretionary funding and $11.3 billion in new mandatory spending over ten years, with an emphasis on supporting 4.5 million households through rental assistance; increasing homeless assistance; supporting tribal communities and providing opportunities to Native American youth; and making targeted investments in communities to help revitalize high-poverty neighborhoods and improve housing affordability. 

This includes: 

1. Providing over $38 billion in rental housing assistance to support 4.5 million low-income families through the Housing Choice Voucher, Project-Based Rental Assistance, and Public Housing Programs; 
2. Ending family and chronic homelessness, and continuing to make progress across all targeted populations, by investing $11 billion in mandatory spending and $2.8 billion in discretionary spending for targeted homeless assistance; 
3. Improving mobility for low-income families to access higher opportunity areas by investing $15 million for a Mobility Counseling Demonstration, and ensuring that Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) have sufficient resources to promote mobility by increasing PHA administrative fees to a fully-funded level of $2.1 billion; 
4. Investing $200 million to transform neighborhoods with distressed HUD-assisted housing and concentrated poverty into opportunity-rich, mixed-income neighborhoods through the Choice Neighborhoods program; 
5. Providing $786 million to address the housing and community development needs of Native Americans, including $20 million targeted to Native youth; 
6. Narrowing the digital divide for students and families in HUD-assisted housing through actions that include a strategic investment of $5 million for the ConnectHome initiative; 
7. Preserving affordable housing units through the Rental Assistance Demonstration program by providing $50 million and a targeted expansion to include certain properties that provide housing for the elderly; 
8. Investing $300 million in local community efforts to reduce barriers to housing development and increase housing affordability; and 
9. Increasing job training and financial incentives for employment for public housing and Native American households through Jobs-Plus, an evidence-based program funded at $35 million. 

Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Reforms: 

1. Enhances local decision making, improves program accountability, and provides more options for regional coordination and planning through a series of reforms to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. 
2. Updates the formula of the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program by using HIV incidence rates and adjusting for fair market rents and poverty rates to better reflect the current nature and distribution of the epidemic. 

HUD’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Prioritizes Ending Family Homelessness and Increasing Opportunity for Resident of Low-Income Neighborhoods through these initiatives:

1. Ends family homelessness and chronic homelessness, and continues to make progress across all targeted populations. 
2. Provides Opportunity for Vulnerable Families through Housing Assistance. 
3. Improves mobility through the Housing Choice Voucher program. 
4. Expands Opportunity in High Poverty Communities. 
5. Improves Employment Outcomes for HUD-Assisted Households. 
6. Supports Local Efforts to Improve Housing Affordability and Economic Opportunity. 
7. Provides Communities with New Flexibilities to Help Families Achieve Self- Sufficiency. 

Invests in Programs that Serve Native Americans, including Native Youth, The Budget invests $700 million for Native American Housing Block Grants, $50 million above the 2016 enacted level.

Contractors or businesses that provide services to aid in HUD's initiatives are in the front of the line for grants, cooperative agreements and contracts.

Source: HUD

Joshua D. Mosshart MSFS, CHFC, CASL, CLU