Louisville moves to meet decarbonization goals – Boulder Daily Camer…

The Louisville Recreation and Senior Center, public library and police department are first in line to be decarbonized as the City Council approved a plan Tuesday night to complete its goal of absolute decarbonization of all municipal needs by 2030.

The plan is to have cost-effective electrification and decarbonization of of all city buildings, fleet, equipment and operations.

The council has been working to complete an internal decarbonization plan. Louisville worked with McKinstry Essention, a construction company in Golden, to complete an engineering, mechanical and financial analysis to create a strategic roadmap for decarbonization and electrification.

Sustainability Coordinator Kayla Betzold told City Council on Tuesday that as of March 2020, all city building electricity comes from carbon-free sources. However, Louisville is currently not meeting the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The city plans to be under the 2016 greenhouse gas levels of 4,016 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Betzold said that because of the recreation center’s expansion in 2018, greenhouse gas levels are high.

McKinstry Technical Study Director Brian Goldcrump said that he has completed audits for the library, Recreation and Senior Center and police department. The audit consisted of an evaluation of on-site energy equipment, how the building can be decarbonized, and an evaluation of the decarbonization efficiency and finances.

He said that eventually all city buildings will be audited and decarbonized, but McKinstry started with those three buildings because, aside from the rec center’s 2018 expansion, they all have the most outdated equipment. Equipment within the police department and library are expected to reach the end of their lifespan soon.

The projected cost to decarbonize the recreation center is $12-19 million, with an 85-100% carbon reduction. The Recreation and Senior Center is the city’s largest building and biggest energy consumer. The cost to decarbonize the Louisville Public Library is $2-4 million, with a 65-100% carbon reduction rate. The cost to decarbonize the police department is $3-5 million with a 90-100% carbon reduction rate.

Goldcrump said that the range in price depends on the city’s choice of whether to go completely electric or to have a hybrid system, with some electric energy and some fossil fuel-based energy.

Leslie Larocque, McKinstry vice president of marketing and sales, said that there are many state grants that the city could apply for. She also noted that there are federal grants and rebate options that could help to finance the decarbonization project.

Goldcrump also said that the cost to decarbonize would not come all at once, but rather in phases.

“The cost includes not just HVAC electrification, although a big portion, but also includes electric vehicle charging, solar and load reduction and energy efficiency measures,” Goldcrump said.

Goldcrump said that the goal is to complete a decarbonization plan by May and start implementing the plan by July.

He also said that the city should consider slightly changing its goal to fully decarbonize by 2030. He said if the city keeps with that goal, up to 40% of fossil-fuel mechanical equipment in the audited buildings will be retired early, and not reach its full useful lifespan. He suggested decarbonizing as much as possible, and decarbonize old fossil-fuel systems as they need replacing.