(J03) Oakland Ecoblock: So Much More Than a Microgrid!

The Oakland EcoBlock is the complete decarbonization of an existing block-long street in the culturally diverse, mixed-income Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California. The project goals are to reduce operational carbon emissions to zero, increase resilience, and strengthen community in a low-middle income neighborhood; and to provide a scalable pathway towards decarbonization of existing urban neighborhoods in other communities. While this block redesign does not fit well with any rating system, there are many lessons learned and tie-ins with LEED ND and BDC. EcoBlock is a complex design and construction exercise involving 34 existing dwelling units (mostly homes built before 1935 on 4000sf lots), their weatherization, electrification, and addition of rooftop solar+storage. The project includes a community microgrid, a shared electric vehicle and curbside charging. The challenge in halving emissions from the residential sector by 2030 is tackling existing urban buildings especially in the frontline communities most impacted by climate change and least able to afford electrification and solar/storage systems. The project is funded primarily through the California Energy Commission's Advanced Energy Communities program through their Electric Power Investment Charge (EPIC) grant program whose mission is to develop pathways to decarbonizing existing communities. The effort is led and supported by community members, community organizers, City of Oakland representatives, researchers, architects, engineers, planners, utility specialists, attorneys, contractors and the energy utility PG&E. Its success is founded on the comprehensive view the project has taken to: A shared ownership model requiring agreements for community asset ownership, participation, cost sharing, operations, design of cost-effective and strategic energy efficient and all-electric residential upgrades, and the abandonment of natural gas on the block, new strategies that have never before been undertaken in an existing neighborhood, and resulting in an islandable microgrid and a scalable model for other neighborhoods.