Energy
Energy is a critical resource that we rely on to go about our daily activities. Unfortunately, our energy use and energy supply is currently unsustainable and causes climate change and environmental degradation. Innovations that allow us to use energy more efficiently and switch to cleaner, renewable fuel sources that can be stored will drastically improve the sustainability of our energy systems.
This page addresses community energy use from our homes, offices, and travel. It also addresses municipal energy use, which includes City-owned facilities, schools, and streets, as well as activities like water and wastewater pumping and solid waste pick-up.
Community Energy Use
Our Data
In 2012, community energy use was approximately 13,000,000 MMBTU. The City is currently working on updating it's community energy use data which will be available later in 2022.
UNIT | Energy from different sources is measured in different ways – electricity is measured in kWh, natural gas in therms, oil in gallons. We can convert these different measures into a common measure- million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) -to better understand and compare total energy use. | MMBTUMillion British Thermal Units |
| Energy from different sources is measured in different ways – electricity is measured in kWh, natural gas in therms, oil in gallons. We can convert these different measures into a common measure- million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) -to better understand and compare total energy use. | MMBTUMillion British Thermal Units |
Community Energy Use
Fuels That Supply Our Cambridge Community
Most of the fuel we use in our community is natural gas. Increasing the portion of our fuel that is renewable energy will help reduce the negative impacts of burning fossil fuels.
Block Island Offshore Wind Farm, Rhode Island
Credit: Ionna22 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Cambridge Community Electricity Program
The Cambridge Community Electricity Program allows residents and businesses to support new, local renewable energy projects. In fact as of March 2022, Graham and Parks School is now hosting a new 243kW solar system built with the funds collected from Cambridge Community Electricity program participants! Over 40,000 Cambridge Eversource customers already participate. Even better, the number of residents and businesses choosing 100% Green Plus carbon-free electricity grew by more than 10% from 2020 to 2021.
Community Energy Use
Cambridge Energy Consumption by Sector
It’s not surprising that our community’s commercial, industrial and energy industries use the most fuel. What is interesting is that the energy we use to get from place to place is lower than what we use to operate our homes.
Municipal Energy Use
Municipal Energy Use by Sector, 2008-2021
Municipal energy use measures the energy use reductions from all municipal operations including heating schools and City-owned facilities, lighting the streets, pumping water, and driving trash trucks to pick up waste.
We look at energy use by sector to determine how much energy is used in each type of operation so that we can identify opportunities for reductions. In Cambridge, like in many other cities, buildings use the majority of our overall energy consumption. The City’s efforts to reduce energy use from all sectors saves money and minimizes our impact on the environment.
Municipal Energy Use
Change in Cambridge Fuel Sources, 2008-2021
This graph shows how Cambridge has changed the fuel it uses to power our City since 2008. We have reduced our consumption of oil by 99%. Oil emits a lot of GHGs when burned, so this has reduced our emissions. Solar energy generated on the rooftops of our buildings has increased significantly, but remains a small portion of our energy supply overall.
Municipal Energy Use
Decreasing Energy Use & Emissions
Between 2008 and 2021, the City reduced its energy use by 19.5%, but the GHG emissions from energy use went down by 38%.
In addition to reducing energy use, we also switched the kind of energy we use, which reduces emissions from energy even more. For example, several municipal buildings were rebuilt to use less energy, which reduced GHG emissions. But they also had solar installed on the roof, which produces electricity with zero GHG emissions.
Municipal Energy Use
How is the City Reducing Energy Use?
The City’s efforts to reduce energy use from all sectors save money and minimize our impact on the environment. Efforts include:
Did You Know?
The City converted 6,578 streetlights to LED bulbs and introduced a remotely controlled, automatic dimming schedule. This reduces the electricity used in street lighting by 80%.
Solar Power Capacity
Total kW of Solar
The publicly and privately-owned solar panels throughout Cambridge generate pollution-free electricity using a source that is in endless supply - the sun. Here we are looking at solar electricity generation capacity, which is the maximum amount of electrical power that could be produced by all of the solar panels in Cambridge under perfect conditions. Solar is growing in Cambridge and there is still a lot of untapped potential.
UNIT | A kilowatt is a measure of power, or how fast something generates or uses energy. The higher a unit’s kW, the faster it uses energy. One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. | kWKilowatt |
| A kilowatt is a measure of power, or how fast something generates or uses energy. The higher a unit’s kW, the faster it uses energy. One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. | kWKilowatt |
Solar Power Capacity
Community-Funded Local Solar
Over 40,000 electricity accounts participate in the Cambridge Community Electricity Program. All the Cambridge Community Electricity Program participants pay a $0.002 charge on each kWh of electricity they use and their collective impact has added over $2 million dollars to our Renewable Energy Fund. In March 2022, a new 243kW local solar project was installed on Graham and Parks School using Renewable Energy Fund money. This solar project is collectively “owned” by all the Cambridge Community Electricity Program participants!
All the RECs from this solar project are retired on behalf of the Community Electricity Program participants, reducing their carbon emissions. All the solar net metering credits will be sold and the funds re-invested in the Renewable Energy Fund. The result is that each Cambridge Community Electricity Program participant helped to add more renewable electricity to the local electricity grid. The electricity produced by this new solar project will take the place of some fossil fuel-generated electricity.
Graham and Parks School
Drone image from Tony Akoury
Solar Power Capacity
Solar on City Buildings
Cambridge has installed a total of 2,520 kW in solar energy capacity at city facilities. These solar panels produce enough power to drive an electric car 7.7 million miles each year!
Did You Know?
As of the end of 2021, there were 880 public and private installations throughout Cambridge.
1 MW of solar energy can power 164 homes!
How You Can Help
Explore Clean Energy Options
Programs are available for residents and businesses to install solar panels on their homes or offices. If installing solar panels is not an option, you can purchase 100% renewable energy through the Cambridge Community Electricity Program, or invest in community solar!
How You Can Help
Reduce Energy Use in Your Own Home
There are a lot of opportunities to reduce energy use in your own home, such as switching to LED lights, adding insulation, and buying an Energy Star water heater.
