Great news for the state of Texas, pushing forward in renewables and becoming a leader in the industry. I’m interested to see how other cities follow their example.
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ROB BENNETT/NYT
Workers from SunEdison, a large solar installer, putting a solar system on the roof of a Kohl’s store in Hillsborough, N.J., on Thursday, June 19, 2008. Georgetown is planning to become the first city in Texas powered entirely by renewable energy in a deal with solar developer SunEdison. (Rob Bennett/The New York Times)
Georgetown says it plans to be the first city in Texas entirely powered by renewable energy. The city’s electrical utility is planning to announce Wednesday that it is signing a deal with solar developer SunEdison for 150 megawatts of solar power beginning in 2016. Combined with a 2014 deal with wind developer EDF, the city of 54,000 north of Austin says it now has enough renewable power under contract to cover its customers’ entire electricity needs. As wind and solar farms proliferate around the United States, communities have slowly begun to commit to all-renewable power deals in what have been billed as a response to residents’ concern over the impact of carbon emissions on global warming. On its website, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists 12 municipalities that have made commitments to 100 percent renewable power. Some, like Burlington, Vt., have already achieved the goal. Others have a longer-term view. San Diego is not planning on reaching 100 percent until 2035. “We have not found another municipal utility in the state or in the South doing this,” Georgetown spokesman Keith Hutchinson said. In Texas, most cities do not have their own utilities, leaving residents to buy their electricity from any number of retailers, including those that promise 100 percent renewable energy. Besides Georgetown, exceptions include Austin, Garland and San Antonio. Georgetown officials said the switch to renewables was more about cost than the environment. The deal with SunEdison delivers electricity at a lower rate than the city now pays, meaning no rate increase. And the contract runs through 2041, offering protection against spikes in electricity prices. “When Georgetown Utility Systems opted to seek new sources of power in 2012, we were charged with a mission to secure the most cost-effective energy that balanced risk and reward,” interim city manager Jim Briggs said in a prepared statement. In Georgetown, the cost of 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity runs $114 a month. That is $5 less than the average Texas customer pays, according to federal data. EDF’s 194-megawatt Spinning Spur 3 wind farm is already under construction 50 miles west of Amarillo. It is scheduled to begin delivering electricity to Georgetown next year. SunEdison said it expects to begin construction soon on a series of solar farms in West Texas that will connect to the grid in 2016.
Follow James Osborne on Twitter at @osborneja.
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