Past Successes

Chico 2030 General Plan
In April 2011, the City of Chico adopted the 2030 General Plan, which guides the growth and preservation of Chico. Implementation of the Plan may arguably be the most important and effective action the City can take to reduce local sources of GHG emissions. Strategies in the General Plan that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions include promoting compact, walkable, infill, and mixed-use development; focusing redevelopment along transit corridors and at other central locations; constructing multi-modal infrastructure; promoting the efficient use of energy and resources; improving local air quality; directing waste diversion and reduction; and establishing energy and water conservation measures in building, landscaping, and municipal operations.
The Sustainability Element contains goals, policies, and actions that confirm and support the City’s ongoing commitment to reducing GHG emissions, including implementation of the Climate Action Plan. Growth consistent with the General Plan will result in reduced contributions to global climate change, reduced reliance on oil and other fossil-fuel sources, and decreased per capita consumption of natural resources.
Renewables as a whole accounted for 27% of PG&E’s grid mix in 2014.

Increase in Solar Installations​
Use of renewable energy, including solar, has increased significantly in the past decade. Overall contribution of renewables to power Chico’s grid has increased. ​Renewables as a whole accounted for 27% of PG&E’s grid mix in 2014, and Solar accounted for 8% of all sources. More Chico residents, including PG&E customers, are installing solar arrays at their residences. This not only provides their household with clean, renewable energy, but it also contributes to the amount of solar energy in the grid.
According to PG&E’s Energy Summary for Chico 2005 to 2015, there were 1,142 residential sites interconnected to the PG&E grid in 2015 as opposed to just 23 in 2005. Non-residential grid-tied solar sites increased from 4 to 67 in the same time frame. In 2015, the City of Chico issued 895 residential permits for installation or finalization of solar arrays. In 2013, there were only 207 permits issued. Solar installation nonprofit GRID Alternatives has installed 50 solar systems for low-income Chico homeowners from 2011 to 2016.
GHG emissions in Chico decreased by 11.5% from 2005 to 2012.

Decline in
​GHG Emissions
According to the Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, GHG emissions in Chico decreased by 11.5% from 2005 to 2012, exceeding the Climate Action Plan’s targeted Phase I reduction of 10% by 2015. Per capita GHG emissions have decreased at a higher rate than population has increased, allowing for a reduction in total GHG emissions.
Due to an increase in cleaner power sources, pounds of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour delivered by PG&E has decreased. Overall residential and commercial energy usage in Chico peaked in 2011 and has since decreased to approximately the same as it was in 2005, despite an increase in residential electricity usage. We need to continue the current trend of decreasing energy usage, but the Phase I GHG reductions are mainly from other sectors: gasoline, diesel fuel, and waste. Gasoline and diesel sales account for more than half of total GHG emissions, and saw the largest reduction in GHG emissions.