Burlington, Vermont’s 100% Renewable Electricity: How It Works, the Biomass Debate, and Progress Toward Net Zero 2030

In 2014, Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, became the first city in the United States to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. The milestone drew national attention, with headlines presenting the city of about 45,000 people as proof that a renewable-powered future was already possible.

More than a decade later, Burlington’s experience offers a more nuanced lesson. Its electricity mix relies heavily on burning wood and on hydropower, sources with their own environmental trade-offs, and the city has set a far harder goal: eliminating fossil fuels from heating and transportation by 2030. This article explains how Burlington reached 100 percent renewable electricity, what critics say about how that claim is measured, and how the city is progressing toward its Net Zero Energy goal.

How Burlington Got to 100 Percent

Burlington has a municipal electric utility, the Burlington Electric Department (BED), which has been publicly owned since 1905 and serves more than 21,000 customers. Public ownership gave city voters and officials direct influence over where their power came from.

According to Next City, only about 25 percent of Burlington’s electricity came from renewable sources in 2004. The utility’s commission had committed to moving away from fossil fuels and nuclear power toward renewables, and BED General Manager Darren Springer has described the shift as part of a financial strategy as well as an environmental one: owning or contracting for local renewable generation with stable costs helped protect customers from volatile fossil fuel prices, and local officials say the move improved the utility’s credit rating.

The final step came in 2014. As the environmental disclosure organization CDP describes, city voters approved a $12 million bond for the utility to purchase the 7.4-megawatt Winooski One hydroelectric plant on the Winooski River, and with that purchase Burlington became the first U.S. city to source enough renewable generation to match all of its electricity needs.

What “100 Percent Renewable” Means

The phrase can be interpreted in different ways, and Burlington’s claim rests on a specific, common definition. The utility owns or contracts for renewable generation equal to the electricity its customers use over a year. Electricity itself flows through the regional New England grid, so at any given moment, the electrons reaching Burlington homes come from whatever mix of plants is running regionally, including natural gas and nuclear. Matching annual consumption with renewable generation, and retiring or accounting for the associated renewable attributes, is how most “100 percent renewable” cities, companies, and utilities define their claims.

Renewable energy credits, or RECs, are central to this accounting. Each megawatt-hour of renewable generation creates a credit that represents its environmental attributes and can be sold separately from the power. How a utility handles RECs, whether it retains them or sells them and buys others, affects whether its renewable claim is credible, and critics of some renewable claims nationally have focused on this issue. Burlington’s utility reports its renewable status based on its generation and credit accounting under Vermont’s renewable energy rules.

The Biomass Question

The most debated element of Burlington’s mix is the McNeil Generating Station, a wood-fired power plant that has operated for more than 35 years and is one of the largest power generators in Vermont. It burns wood chips, largely from forestry residues and low-grade wood from the region. Supporters note that the plant uses local resources, supports forestry jobs, and can be dispatched when needed, unlike wind and solar, and that sustainably harvested forests regrow and reabsorb carbon over time. The plant has also been studied as a potential source of heat for a district energy system serving buildings in the city.

Critics counter that burning wood releases carbon dioxide at the smokestack, often more per unit of electricity than burning fossil fuels, and that it can take decades for regrowing forests to reabsorb that carbon. Wood combustion also emits particulate matter and other air pollutants. Scientists and policymakers continue to debate how biomass should be counted in climate accounting, and some jurisdictions have tightened the criteria for treating it as carbon-neutral. Burlington’s experience illustrates that “renewable” and “zero-emission” are not always the same thing.

From Clean Electricity to Net Zero Energy

Electricity is only part of a city’s energy use. In cold climates like Vermont’s, heating buildings with natural gas, heating oil, and propane, and fueling cars and trucks with gasoline and diesel, account for most energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing this, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger announced a plan in 2019 for Burlington to become a Net Zero Energy city by 2030, and the City Council adopted a Net Zero Energy Roadmap, which the Smart Electric Power Alliance has described as the first net-zero 2030 plan in the United States.

The roadmap focuses on several pathways: electrifying building heating with heat pumps, electrifying transportation with electric vehicles and transit, developing district energy using waste heat from McNeil, and reducing energy use through efficiency. Because the city’s electricity is already renewable, shifting heating and transportation to electricity can reduce fossil fuel use.

Progress Through 2025

The Burlington Electric Department’s 2025 Net Zero Energy Roadmap update, released in April 2026, reported that greenhouse gas emissions from ground transportation and buildings were down 17.8 percent in 2025 relative to a 2018 baseline, with slightly higher emissions than in 2024 due to a rebound in heating use. It described 2025 as by far the best year for ground transportation emissions since tracking began, with residents’ gasoline and diesel consumption down 24.3 percent compared with 2019, compared with an estimated 7.3 percent reduction statewide. The update noted fewer vehicle registrations and a growing share of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, about 6.25 percent of registered light-duty vehicles.

The city has supported progress with incentives from its utility for heat pumps, electric vehicles and chargers, electric bikes, induction stoves, and electric yard equipment, with enhanced incentives for income-qualified customers, along with ordinances requiring renewable primary heating systems in new construction and a carbon fee and rental weatherization requirements. Burlington Electric has also issued revenue bonds to finance electrification and renewable investments.

Affordability and Reliability

One concern about renewable energy is cost. Burlington officials argue that their strategy has helped keep rates stable. The 2025 roadmap update compared Burlington’s rates with those of utilities in neighboring New Hampshire that rely more heavily on natural gas, arguing that Burlington’s portfolio protected customers from price volatility. Energy efficiency programs have also flattened the utility’s electricity demand for years despite growth, and BED has reported that efficiency investments save customers millions of dollars annually.

Reliability depends on the regional grid. Because Burlington is connected to the New England grid, it does not need to generate every kilowatt-hour locally at every moment; it relies on the grid for balancing. As more heating and vehicles shift to electricity, winter peak demand will rise, and utilities across New England are planning for increased load, storage, and transmission to maintain reliability.

Vermont’s Energy Context

Burlington’s achievement took place within a state with distinctive energy circumstances. Vermont has abundant forests and rivers, a long tradition of local hydropower, and strong public support for environmental policies. The state’s only nuclear plant, Vermont Yankee, closed at the end of 2014, the same year Burlington reached its renewable milestone. Vermont utilities also purchase substantial hydropower from Hydro-Québec in Canada. In 2015, Vermont adopted a Renewable Energy Standard requiring utilities to supply increasing shares of renewable electricity and to help customers reduce fossil fuel use in heating and transportation, an approach that parallels Burlington’s net zero strategy.

These conditions made Burlington’s path easier than it would be for many cities. A city in a region dominated by coal or gas, without local hydropower or a municipal utility, would face a different set of choices, likely relying more on wind and solar contracts and storage.

Heat Pumps in a Cold Climate

Electrifying heating is central to Burlington’s net zero plan, and Vermont’s winters are a real test. Modern cold-climate air-source heat pumps can provide heat efficiently at temperatures well below freezing, though their efficiency declines in extreme cold, and many homes keep a backup heating source for the coldest days. Heat pumps also provide air conditioning, an increasingly valued feature as summers warm. Burlington Electric offers rebates for heat pumps, with additional support for lower-income customers, and the city requires renewable primary heating systems in new construction. Weatherization, including insulation and air sealing, makes heat pumps more effective and reduces energy bills, which is why the city has also focused on rental weatherization.

District Energy

One of the more unusual elements of Burlington’s plan is district energy: using waste heat from the McNeil biomass plant to heat buildings through a network of underground pipes. Power plants that only generate electricity waste much of the energy in their fuel as heat. Capturing that heat for buildings, as is common in parts of Europe, can greatly improve overall efficiency. Burlington has studied connecting McNeil’s heat to large institutional users such as the University of Vermont Medical Center, and the project has moved through several phases of analysis. District energy projects require large upfront investments and long-term agreements with heat customers, which makes them complex to develop.

Equity and Affordability

Electrification programs can widen inequities if only higher-income households can afford heat pumps and electric vehicles. Burlington has tried to address this through enhanced incentives for income-qualified customers, an energy assistance program, and requirements for rental weatherization, which help renters who cannot make improvements themselves. Whether these measures are sufficient is part of the ongoing debate over the city’s climate policies, including the carbon fee ordinance applied to fossil fuel heating systems in certain buildings.

How Other Communities Compare

Since 2014, several other U.S. communities have reported reaching 100 percent renewable electricity, including Aspen, Colorado, and Georgetown, Texas, among others, often through power purchase agreements for wind and solar. Many more cities have adopted goals for 100 percent renewable or carbon-free electricity by dates in the 2030s or 2040s. Few have yet tackled heating and transportation as directly as Burlington’s Net Zero Energy plan, which is why its progress is watched closely.

Lessons for Other Cities

Public ownership can help. A municipal utility gave Burlington direct control over its energy sources, something most cities served by investor-owned utilities lack.

Local resources shape options. Burlington’s path relied on Vermont’s forests and rivers. Cities elsewhere may rely more on wind, solar, and storage.

Accounting matters. Clear, transparent reporting of how renewable claims are calculated, including the treatment of renewable energy credits, builds credibility.

Not all renewables are equal. Biomass and large hydro carry environmental trade-offs that wind and solar generally do not, and these should be weighed openly.

Electricity is the easier part. Decarbonizing heating and transportation requires changes in millions of individual decisions, from furnaces to cars, which is why Burlington’s Net Zero goal is far harder than its 2014 milestone.

Since Burlington, a number of other U.S. communities have announced 100 percent renewable electricity achievements or goals, and many cities worldwide report renewable electricity supply to organizations such as CDP.

The Role of Energy Efficiency

Burlington’s utility also serves as the city’s energy efficiency utility, and efficiency has been a quiet but important part of its strategy. Programs have helped residents and businesses upgrade lighting, appliances, insulation, and equipment for decades. Burlington Electric has reported that efficiency investments have essentially flattened its electricity demand for years, meaning the city has avoided needing additional generation even as it grew. Lower demand makes it easier and cheaper to meet needs with renewable sources and helps offset increases in electricity use from heat pumps and electric vehicles.

Transportation: The Hardest Sector

Transportation is often the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in American communities, and it depends on millions of individual vehicle purchases and travel decisions. Burlington’s approach combines incentives for electric vehicles and chargers, support for electric bicycles, electric transit buses, and land use and transit policies that make it easier to live without driving. The 2025 roadmap update’s finding that residents’ gasoline and diesel use fell by roughly a quarter since 2019 suggests progress, aided by fewer vehicle registrations and growing electric vehicle adoption. Still, with electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles making up only a small share of registered vehicles, eliminating fossil fuel use in transportation by 2030 remains a steep challenge.

Financing the Transition

Burlington Electric has used innovative financing to support its goals. In 2022, it issued what it described as a first-of-its-kind Net Zero Energy revenue bond to fund electrification programs, electric vehicle fleet conversion, and investments in its renewable plants, and it has pursued additional bonds for grid reliability and net zero investments. Revenue bonds are repaid from utility revenues rather than taxes, tying the investments to the utility’s operations. Federal and state incentives, along with programs run by Vermont’s gas utility, have also supported customers making the switch to cleaner heating and vehicles.

What Residents Say

Public opinion in Burlington has generally supported the city’s clean energy goals, as shown by voter approval of the Winooski One bond and support for net zero initiatives. At the same time, specific measures have drawn debate, such as the carbon fee on fossil fuel heating in certain buildings, the costs of building upgrades, and the role of the McNeil plant. These debates reflect broader tensions in climate policy between ambition, affordability, and individual choice, which every community pursuing similar goals must navigate.

What Other Cities Can Borrow

Even cities without municipal utilities or abundant hydropower can apply parts of Burlington’s approach. Many cities can sign power purchase agreements for wind and solar, join community choice aggregation programs where state law allows, set building codes favoring efficient electric heating, offer or promote incentives for heat pumps and electric vehicles, and track progress transparently with independent analysis, as Burlington does through regular roadmap updates prepared by an outside consultancy. The common thread is pairing clean electricity with programs that shift heating and transportation to that electricity.

Resilience and Local Generation

Local renewable generation can also support community resilience. A dispatchable local plant like McNeil, and hydropower like Winooski One, provide generation within or near the city, which can be valuable during regional supply disruptions, although the grid’s design and operating rules determine how local plants can serve local load during outages. As battery storage becomes cheaper, utilities including Burlington’s are exploring storage to manage peak demand and support reliability, which will become more important as electrified heating raises winter peaks.

Measuring Progress Honestly

One strength of Burlington’s approach is regular public reporting. The city’s roadmap updates, prepared with an outside energy consultancy, track fuel consumption, emissions, and adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles against a baseline, and they report setbacks, such as the 2025 rebound in heating emissions, along with successes. Transparent tracking allows residents and other cities to see what is working and adjust policies. It also guards against the temptation to declare victory based on a single milestone, such as the 2014 renewable electricity achievement.

Climate Context

Burlington’s efforts take place against a backdrop of a warming climate that affects Vermont directly. The state has experienced more intense rainfall and flooding in recent years, including severe floods in July 2023 and again in July 2024 that damaged communities across the state. Warmer winters affect snow-dependent recreation and agriculture. Local climate action cannot by itself prevent these impacts, which depend on global emissions, but cities like Burlington aim to demonstrate practical pathways that others can follow and to build local resilience, including through efficient, electrified buildings and a more distributed energy system.

Looking Ahead to 2030

With only a few years remaining before its 2030 target, Burlington faces difficult choices. Accelerating progress will likely require faster replacement of fossil fuel heating systems in existing buildings, which is costly and disruptive, wider electric vehicle adoption, more transit and active transportation, and completion of large projects such as district energy. City and utility officials have acknowledged that reaching net zero by 2030 is ambitious. Whether or not the city meets the exact deadline, its progress and the lessons it documents will inform other communities pursuing similar goals over longer timelines.

Why Burlington Became a Symbol

Burlington’s 2014 milestone became a symbol in national debates over renewable energy partly because it was easy to communicate: an entire city running on renewable electricity. Advocates cited it as proof that clean energy was practical; skeptics pointed to its small size, municipal utility, and reliance on biomass and hydropower as reasons it could not easily be replicated. Both readings contain truth. The more durable lesson may be the city’s willingness to set a second, harder goal and to measure progress openly, treating the first milestone as a starting point rather than a finish line.

Visitors and researchers from other cities and countries have studied Burlington’s approach, and its utility leaders have testified before state legislative committees about lessons learned, contributing to broader Vermont energy policy discussions.

How Residents Can Take Part

For Burlington residents, participation in the net zero goal is practical: weatherizing homes, switching to heat pumps when heating systems need replacement, choosing electric vehicles or e-bikes, using transit, and taking advantage of utility rebates and income-qualified programs. Residents can also take part in public meetings on the roadmap, carbon fee, and district energy plans. Similar options exist in many other communities through utility and state programs, even where local goals are less ambitious.

For readers outside Vermont, checking whether their own utility offers green power programs, rebates for heat pumps and electric vehicles, or community solar options is a practical first step toward the kinds of changes Burlington has pursued at the city scale.

Summary of Key Numbers

Burlington’s story can be summarized in a few figures from the sources cited here: about 25 percent renewable electricity in 2004; 100 percent renewable generation matched to annual use since 2014; a 7.4-megawatt hydro plant purchased with a $12 million voter-approved bond to reach that mark; a 2019 roadmap targeting net zero energy by 2030; and, by 2025, a 17.8 percent reduction in transportation and building emissions from 2018 and a 24.3 percent drop in residents’ gasoline and diesel use from 2019. Together they show both how far the city has come and how far it still has to go.

Common Questions About Biomass Power

Because biomass is central to Burlington’s story, it helps to understand the main points of the debate. Biomass plants like McNeil burn wood that would otherwise often decompose or be burned in other ways, such as forestry residues, low-grade trees removed during forest management, and sawmill byproducts. Whether this is climate-friendly depends on what would have happened to the wood otherwise, how forests are managed afterward, and the time frame considered. Over long periods, sustainably managed forests can regrow and reabsorb carbon; over the next few decades, which matter most for limiting warming, the carbon released at the smokestack can outweigh that regrowth. Air quality is a separate concern: wood combustion emits fine particles and other pollutants, which modern plants control with emissions equipment but do not eliminate.

Vermont’s approach treats biomass as renewable, consistent with many U.S. state policies, while some environmental groups and scientists argue that large-scale biomass power should not be counted as carbon-neutral. Burlington’s officials have pointed to sustainable sourcing practices and the plant’s role in providing dispatchable power and potential district heat.

Key Terms

Renewable energy credit (REC): A certificate representing the environmental attributes of one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity.

Municipal utility: An electric utility owned by a city or town.

Net Zero Energy: In Burlington’s plan, eliminating fossil fuel use across electricity, heating, and ground transportation.

Biomass: Organic material, such as wood, burned or converted to produce energy.

District energy: A system distributing heat or cooling from a central source to multiple buildings through pipes.

Heat pump: An electric device that moves heat into or out of a building, providing efficient heating and cooling.

The Bottom Line

Burlington showed in 2014 that a small city with a municipal utility and local resources could match all of its electricity use with renewable generation. Its reliance on wood biomass shows that renewable is not the same as emission-free, and its accounting reflects the annual-matching approach common to such claims. The harder challenge is the one Burlington set next: eliminating fossil fuels from heating and transportation by 2030. Progress through 2025 has been real and ahead of state averages, but the gap to net zero remains large. Burlington’s experience offers useful lessons for other cities on what clean electricity can and cannot achieve on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Burlington, Vermont really 100 percent renewable?

Its utility has sourced renewable generation equal to all of its customers’ electricity use since 2014, the standard used for such claims. The physical power on the regional grid at any moment includes other sources.

Where does Burlington get its electricity?

From a mix of wood biomass, primarily the McNeil Generating Station, hydropower including the city-owned Winooski One plant, wind, and solar.

Is biomass really clean?

Biomass is considered renewable because forests regrow, but burning wood emits carbon dioxide and air pollutants. How quickly regrowth offsets emissions, and how biomass should be counted, is debated.

What is Burlington’s Net Zero Energy goal?

To eliminate fossil fuel use across electricity, heating, and ground transportation by 2030, under a roadmap adopted in 2019.

Is Burlington on track for Net Zero by 2030?

It is making progress ahead of state averages, with transportation and building emissions down 17.8 percent from 2018 by 2025, but reaching net zero by 2030 would require much faster change.

References

1. Next City. For Burlington, Vermont, Going 100% Renewable Was Just the Start. nextcity.org
2. CDP. Burlington: 100% renewable electricity city. cdp.net
3. Burlington Electric Department. 2025 Net Zero Energy Roadmap Update. April 2026. burlingtonelectric.com

Last updated: October 1, 2026