Mount Auburn has been purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates or Credits ( RECs ) since FY2010 . Purchasing RECs are a means of investing in renewable energy . From FY2010 through FY2016 , Mount Auburn purchased Green-e Certified Clean Source RECs equal to the previous years ’ kWh through a broker . These RECs were available on a national market , therefore represented renewable energy produced throughout North America . In FY2017 Mount Auburn began purchasing New England-based renewables through municipal aggregation programs at 25 %, first through the Cambridge Community Electricity Program , and then through Green Energy Consumers Alliance in Watertown in FY2020 . Municipal aggregation programs combine the buying power of the local community of residents and businesses to support regional renewable energy production and offer renewable energy at rates only slightly above the standard utility company ’ s rates . Through these programs Mount Auburn currently purchases New England Class1 renewables each month to cover 100 % of its electricity use .
Figure 8 - A downward trend in kWh is a positive sign . The purchase of RECS effectively ‘ neutralizes ’ Mount Auburn GHG emissions per kWh . By 2020 , Mount Auburn enrolled in 100 % New England Class1 renewables through both Cambridge and Watertown municipalities .
The standard protocol for GHG reporting is to report kWh use in both location-based and market-based emissions . The teal-colored bars represent electricity purchased through a location-based electrical grid , which results in GHG emissions based on EPA ’ s Subregion Output Emission Rates for New England ( NEWE ).
Using market-based calculations , zero GHG emissions are represented by the green line due to Mount Auburn ’ s purchase of RECS , which since FY2020 has been 100 % through the municipal aggregation program purchases of New England Class1 renewables . These purchases effectively ‘ neutralize ’ Mount Auburn kWh GHG emissions . And in the pursuit of saving costs with clean energy , in the spring of 2021 Mount Auburn will begin producing its own electricity from solar panels mounted on the Operations Center buildings . The electricity will be tracked as a new source of clean energy .
Mount Auburn Cemetery | Climate Action & Sustainability Plan 15