Our Vision for the Future

Through the work of Nelson Clean Energy, residents of Nelson and town officials are taking actions that reduce household and municipal energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Our Mission to Make the Vision Happen

Nelson Clean Energy:

• Shares information and data to help people understand climate change and its causes, and inspire people to take action for clean energy and be empowered to make changes.

• Researches and shares best practices, information, and resources related to reducing both energy consumption and energy costs, and eliminating fossil fuel use in our homes, Town, businesses, and schools.

• Introduces residents to resources and contractors who can assist them with evaluating and addressing their specific clean energy needs; building energy audits, building weatherization, electric heat pump systems, clean energy generation technologies.

• Encourages the use of green energy from sources such as solar, wind, and green hydrogen.

• Encourages the use of public transportation, ridesharing, bicycling, and electric vehicles.

• Encourages composting and reducing food and other types of waste in order to lower methane emissions.

• Composes RFPs and Warrant Articles that recommend the purchase and installation of municipal clean energy systems and electric vehicles for consideration by the Nelson Legislative Body at Town Meeting, and assists with grant writing toward funding such projects.

• Acts as a resource to Town committees and the Nelson School to assist them to prioritize goals and action measures for making Nelson more resilient to the expected local impacts of carbon pollution and climate change.

Our Goals

• Include clean energy considerations in the upcoming update of the Nelson Master Plan.

• Install Air-Sourced Heat Pump (ASHP) heating/cooling systems in all town buildings before 2030.

• Install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems of sufficient capacity to meet all of the energy needs of all town buildings by 2030.

• Achieve zero-waste for all public events held in Nelson by 2030.

• Reduce fossil fuel consumption by town owned vehicles and equipment by 50% by 2035.

• Encourage Nelson households to first measure their carbon footprint and then commit to reducing their carbon footprint by at least 50% by 2035.

• Long term, achieve 100% renewably-sourced green energy for heating, transportation, and all other energy needs for residential and municipal uses by 2050.