Austin Approves Nation's Most Ambitious Utility Renewable Energyand Effi

Austin, Texas is on the leading edge regarding solutions to climate 
change, resource conservation and water quality concerns. (You'd be 
amazed at the efforts of republican lawmakers to screw us for the 
latter.)

Onward through the fog,

Tim

Dec 08,2003
http://treia.org/news.php?anchorat=87#gohere

Austin Approves Nation's Most Ambitious Utility Renewable Energy and 
Efficiency Plan
by Russel Smith (with excerpts from various releases)

On Thursday, December 4, the Austin City Council unanimously approved 
Austin Energy's proposed long-term strategic plan. The plan includes 
a section under which renewable energy and energy efficiency would 
meet up to 35% of the utility's energy needs by the year 2020. 20 
percent of the utility's energy would come from renewable sources by 
that year, and the other 15 percent would come from conservation. The 
goal, said by Austin Energy to be the most ambitious by any utility 
in America, keys on energy efficiency and green power programs 
already among the most successful in the nation.

As part of meeting the goal, Austin Energy says it will launch the 
nation's most ambitious solar energy initiative. The program will 
target the installation of up to 100 megawatts (MW) of solar 
installations by 2020 -- providing rebates that it says are the 
nation's largest to encourage solar installations on homes and 
businesses. Austin Energy, in partnership with the City of Austin 
Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Office, has also 
committed to development of "the nation's first subdivision of 
affordable Net Zero Energy Homes (100) - each powered 100% by 
solar-generated electricity."

In preparation for implementing a planned solar incentive program, 
Roger Duncan, Vice President, Governmental Relations, Energy and 
Environmental Policy for Austin Energy said, "We will commission a 
study to determine the comprehensive value of solar power. This study 
will factor in avoided costs related to transmission and 
distribution, generation, peak demand requirements and the value to 
local economic development, among other factors. We will facilitate 
the installation of solar facilities at or below the composite value 
of solar. This ensures that spending in this program will be cost 
effective."

On Tuesday, December 2, In a presentation during a public hearing on 
the strategic plan, Duncan benchmarked Austin Energy's planned 
progress toward meeting the solar goal as follows: "15 MW installed 
by 2007, 30 MW by 2010, 50 MW by 2014 and 100 MW by 2020."

The plan provides for the retirement of the Holly Power Plant by 
December 31, 2007 and delays until 2008 the need for a decision on 
the next power source for Austin. According to Austin Energy's 
statement, "this allows time to assess how new generation technology 
such as fuel cells are progressing and allows the utility to 
determine just how much of new load growth can be met through energy 
efficiency and renewable energy sources."

"Solar Austin is very excited to see this big step forward," said 
Amanda Buehler, clean energy coordinator for Public Citizen's Texas 
office and coordinator of the Solar Austin Campaign, which played a 
prominent role in promoting aggressive solar and other renewable 
energy aspects of Austin Energy's plan. "This plan will help us clean 
our air, stabilize our energy supplies, create jobs, and ultimately 
lower energy costs. Setting goals is also a crucial first step toward 
creating a clean energy cluster here in Austin. This plan puts Austin 
in the running to become the clean energy leader of the nation."

"It's a big commitment, and it would put Austin clearly in the 
leadership in all the cities in the United States in terms of 
development of renewable energy," said Tom "Smitty" Smith of Public 
Citizen. "There's a big competition going on. It's going to be the 
next industrial base in America." Mike Tomsu of the law firm of 
Vinson & Elkins, a major supporter of the Austin Clean Energy 
Initiative, summed of the feelings of many of the solar boosters in 
the audience when he announced "Christmas came on December 2nd! We 
can now go to work."

"Kudos to the many participants in the Solar Austin Campaign for 
their role in helping this landmark plan get adopted," said Russel 
Smith, Exec. Dir. of the Texas Renewable Energy Industries 
Association. "This well coordinated effort clearly played a large 
role in helping shape the Austin Energy plan and the Council's 
ultimate approval. Numerous individuals, organizations and companies 
contributed time and effort to the cause including, but certainly not 
limited to, Chip Wolfe, head of the Austin Clean Energy Initiative, 
the members of the City's Resource Management Commission who voted a 
series of important resolutions over many months that paved the way, 
Virtus Energy Research Associates, Inc., Good Company Associates, 
Inc., and many more. Everyone understands that the skeletal structure 
of the plan will require lots of work to put flesh on the bones, and 
meeting the goal will require years of vigilance and community 
support. The work has just begun."

Contacts: Ed Clark, Austin Energy, (512) 322-6514; Amanda Buehler, 
Public Citizen and Solar Austin Campaign, (512) 477-1155, 
abuehler@citizen.org, Russel Smith, TREIA, (512) 345-5446, 
R1346@aol.com.

--
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