Philadelphia is on track to cut emissions by 50% by 2030, according to a 2022 Progress Update of the Municipal Energy Master Plan

The city is making progress on three of its four energy goals and announced a new executive order on new buildings and renovation projects.

Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability released its Municipal Energy Master Plan 2022 progress update yesterday.

This tracked progress from its Municipal Energy Master Plan, released in 2017, to lower energy use in city operations and clean the city’s energy supply. (Note: municipal buildings are the ones owned by the City, like City Hall, recs centers, and police stations.)

Mayor Kenney also signed an executive order mandating that all new municipal buildings and major renovations must achieve a LEED gold certification, a step up from its previous LEED silver mandate. LEED-certified buildings consume 25% less energy. The executive order will be effective on July 1, 2023.

So, what does the report say?

Municipal Energy Master Plan 2022 Progress Update

The city is on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, with 122,750 MT of CO2 emissions in 2021. That’s a 44% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from a 2006 baseline of 219,306 due to a cleaner energy grid.

Currently, the City is behind on its goal to generate or purchase 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. (Its 2021 progress was only 8%.) To aid the transition to a renewable energy supply, the city broke ground on its Adams Solar project in December 2022, which will provide 22% of electricity to power municipal buildings. The project is set to be completed by the end of 2023 and is expected to have at least 40% of the work completed by minority, women, and/or disabled-person-owned businesses.

Another project is the LED Streetlighting, including trial installations to convert streetlights into energy-efficient LED lights. The trial is underway with 15 locations across the city.

Want to see more? Visit the Energy Office’s dashboard to track the City’s compliance to the Building Energy Performance Program. The dashboard shows how buildings are saving energy, lowering utility costs, and achieving compliance in 35 buildings, including the Central Library and Municipal Services Building.

Cover photo by Catherine Kerr on Unsplash

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher