Austin Pushes For Greater Focus on Solar Energy
Austin’s future is looking a little brighter thanks to a new solar energy resolution. The City Council passed the Affordable Energy Resolution on August 28, which aims to shift Austin’s energy sector from coal-burning power plants to solar energy.
Among other things, the new resolution states that Austin Energy – the city’s largest provider of energy and the country’s 8th largest publicly owned utility company – is to generate a minimum of 600 megawatts of power through solar panels by 2025. In other words, well over half (65%) of the city’s power will come from clean, renewable sources in just over a decade.
The Affordable Energy Resolution also aims to eliminate all carbon emissions from Austin Energy’s coal-burning power plants by 2030. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon dioxide accounts for approximately 82% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. (source).
When power plants burn coal to produce electricity, they subsequently release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Experts believe these carbon emissions are contributing to global warming, respiratory illness, and even deaths.
This is a monumental step for not only Austin, but the entire state of Texas. Assuming the energy companies follow through with the commitment set forth in the resolution, Austin will produce more solar energy than nearly any other city or state by 2025 – with the exception of Arizona, California and New Jersey.
Normally, a transition from coal to renewable energy sources like solar is done for environmental reasons. Solar is a completely renewable source of energy that doesn’t emit harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. What makes Austin’s Affordable Energy Resolution different, however, is that it’s being implemented to reduce costs.
Recent advancements in solar energy technology has allowed manufacturers to produce better panels at lower prices, which ultimately means lower utility prices for customers connected to solar power grids.
“In the past, the people involved used environmental arguments to justify renewable goals. This time around, the case for renewables was based on economics – operational cost data from the utility, robust dynamic models projecting market prices and the very low PPA rates that we have seen from PV in response to recent RFPs,” said Chad Blevins, a financial analyst who works primarily on transactions involving renewable energy sources.
There are still plenty of hurdles city officials must pass to achieve the goals defined in the Affordable Energy Resolution. However, everything is on track to make Austin a cleaner and safer city.
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