Leading by Example

Florida cities set 100% clean energy goals

by Sheryl S. Jackson

More than 150 cities and counties across 37 states have established 100% clean commitments – clean electricity as well as other energy sources – while more than 72 communities have already achieved that target.1

The City of Orlando formalized its commitment to clean energy in 2017 with a program designed to move 100% of all city operations to clean energy by 2030 and to transition the City’s electrical grid to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

The Kenneth P. Ksionek Community Solar Farm at the Stanton Energy Center, on top of an Orlando Utilities Commission retired coal-ash landfill.

Photo courtesy of City of Orlando

A technical assistance grant from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, provided the resources to develop and implement plans for city operations, said Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability and Resilience for the City. Rooftop solar installations at fire stations and community centers as well as solar carport canopies at city fleet and facilities operations centers are providing renewable energy.

“There are some facilities for which solar is not feasible due to roof architecture or the surrounding tree canopy,” Castro said. These fire stations, park facilities and community centers are subscribed to solar farms administered through the city-owned utility. “In 2019, 2% of city operations were powered by solar; today, 14% of our facilities are powered by solar.”

As the City moves to 100% clean energy, residents also have the opportunity to do so on an individual basis, said Castro. “Since 2016, eight cooperative solar farms have been established to support residents who buy into the program, and 350 homes are powered by solar.” Residents who want to install solar panels on their homes can participate in a cooperative buying program supported by the City. Nonprofit organizations provide low-interest loans to support residents and small businesses that want to use clean energy sources.

Tallahassee International Airport is home to two solar farms.

Photo courtesy of City of Tallahassee

Cities that own their electric utilities have an advantage in the race to clean energy, said Tallahassee Mayor John E. Dailey. “Owning the utility allows us to be more efficient as we implement our plans to reach 100% clean energy for city operations by 2035 and for the community in 2050,” he said. “Tallahassee International Airport, which is owned and operated by the City, is home to two solar farms that total 450 acres and produce more than 60 megawatts of clean energy per year,” he said. “The airport’s solar farms make up the largest airport-based solar farm in the world.” The airport was honored with the 2021 FAC J. Bryan Cooper Environmental Award for its recent solar farm development, the completion of Solar Farm 2.

One of the Tallahassee buses in the all-electric fleet at Florida State University that the City operates.

Photo courtesy of City of Tallahassee

Tallahassee Commissioners passed their clean energy resolution in 2019. Since then, the City has been transitioning city-owned light-duty vehicles to electric as well as some city bus routes. The City also owns and operates the buses that serve Florida State University (FSU). The FSU system is comprised of all-electric buses powered 100% by solar, which shows the feasibility of electric buses powered by clean energy, said Dailey.

Moving residents and businesses to clean energy is more complex, but Tallahassee’s first step is to offer free energy audits that identify ways to reduce energy use. The City has a financial incentive program to help residents install energy-saving measures and to finance some investments through their utility bills over several months, said Dailey. “We want people to rely on solar energy, but we first want to reduce energy use so the demand on a solar power grid won’t outweigh supply.”

PART OF OVERALL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

The City of Tampa has also pledged to meet sustainability goals. “We recently released our Resilient Tampa Roadmap, a groundbreaking plan to make our city stronger in the face of our current and future challenges,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “The plan contains 13 goals and nearly 60 actions that include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, investing in world-class green and open spaces that mitigate extreme heat and flooding, and more.”

“A Climate Action and Equity plan, which includes an updated greenhouse gas inventory, is being developed,” said Castor. “This plan directly supports our pledge to transition municipal operations to 100% renewable energy.” In addition to the City’s pledge to clean energy, Tampa has also pledged to be a carbon-neutral city by 2050. “This also aligns with Emera’s [Tampa Electric Company’s parent company] sustainability goals, so I am encouraged to see these regional efforts come to fruition in unison.”

Nicholas Sanzone, Satellite Beach's Environmental Coordinator, at the Scotty Culp Municipal Complex's 232-panel array.

Photo courtesy of City of Satellite Beach

Some examples of Tampa’s achievements include adding nine electric vehicles to the City’s fleet, under the overarching goal of moving to a 100% electrically powered fleet. “We already have 90 compressed natural-gas-powered garbage trucks and more than 30 hybrid vehicles and have a goal to buy at least 10 more every year moving forward,” said Castor.

It’s not just the largest cities that own their utility that are promoting clean energy. In 2019, the City Council of Satellite Beach passed a resolution committing the City to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy for municipal operations by 2032 and the entire community by 2050.

The resolution formalized goals, but the City created a nine-member Sustainability Board comprised of residents and staff members to recommend actions on a sustainability plan in 2016. “We began transitioning to solar years ago, but we have to do it in a way that makes sense for our city,” said City Manager Courtney H. Barker, AICP. “Our first step was to go through all city-owned facilities and identify simple ways to reduce energy use: seal windows, replace existing light bulbs with LED bulbs and install timers so that lights in public facilities automatically turn off when no one is in the area.”

An aerial view of the Scotty Culp Municipal Complex's 232-panel array on the two roofs.

Photo courtesy of City of Satellite Beach

Because solar relies on sunlight, the City of Satellite Beach partnered with NASA to create a solar map of the City. “This helped us determine which buildings were good candidates for rooftop solar and what sides of the roof would produce the most energy,” said Barker. The strategy to install solar is very deliberate, with solar automatically installed when a new roof is installed. “We don’t want to install solar panels on a roof that will be replaced in a few years because that adds unnecessary costs to remove and reinstall panels.”

The action plan developed by the Sustainability Board calls for an assessment of all roofs and the development of a timetable for replacement. “After the City Council approves the recommendations for the upcoming year, we budget for the roof replacement as well as solar,” said Barker. “Initial challenges to our plans were related to the upfront investment, but after showing the return on investment [ROI], we overcame those challenges.” For example, the ROI for City Hall was 10 years for a roof and solar panel installation with a 30-year life, she added.

It is very important for a city to work with the utility serving its area to ensure that the utility is working toward clean energy as well, said Barker. “We work closely with Florida Power and Light to support their clean energy initiatives since there are many buildings that cannot support a solar installation.”

An aerial view of the Scotty Culp Municipal Complex's 232-panel array on the two roofs.

Photo courtesy of City of Satellite Beach

Convincing residents and businesses to follow the City’s example requires constant communication and education, said Barker. In addition to offering a Solar Expo at which residents can learn about the technology, talk with consultants and see the options they have, the Sustainability Board maintains an active Facebook page. “We also have a display screen in the lobby of City Hall that shows real-time energy output of the rooftop panels as well as energy use in the building so people can see the results of solar,” she said.

One of the greatest challenges to cities that want to achieve 100% clean energy is the technology, said Dailey. “Today, we are purchasing technology to help us meet our 2035 goal, but there will be improvements in production and storage that we will want to take advantage of,” he said. “By investing in infrastructure upgrades now, we can ensure it is sustainable and will be able to support our energy needs in the future.”

Sheryl S. Jackson is a freelance writer.

1. Ptacek S. Race to 100% Clean. Natural Resources Defense Council. nrdc.org/resources/race-100-clean.

Resources

▸ American Cities Climate Challenge: This not-for-profit group helps cities advance ambitious renewable energy goals and offers tools, checklists, plans and success stories. cityrenewables.org.

▸ Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs: An innovative financing program to support energy efficiency improvements for individuals and businesses. Offered by the U.S. Department of Energy, the program enables cities to encourage investment in energy efficiency without putting municipal funds at risk. bit.ly/3ylLg2P.

The City of Gainesville unveiled three new battery-electric buses at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Photo courtesy of City of Gainesville

TRANSITIONING TO ELECTRIC BUSES IN GAINESVILLE

The City of Gainesville has set a goal to have 100% of all city operations supported by clean energy by 2045. A key component of plans to meet this goal includes city fleet vehicles.

“We have about 132 buses in our regional transportation system along with police and fire vehicles and fleet vehicles for city employees,” said Thomas Idoyaga, Transit Community Service Specialist for the Gainesville Regional Transportation System (RTS). “At this time, we have three all-electric buses in addition to five hybrid buses that were purchased in 2012.” The energy used to recharge electric vehicles is generated by the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center, a 102.5 MW biomass-fueled power plant, which meets the City’s commitment to clean or renewable energy.

As cities move to electric vehicles, there are a few things to consider beyond just placing charging stations in different areas, said Idoyaga. “Although braking recharges the battery, it is important to evaluate areas that might need a secondary charging station,” he said. “You also need to plan additional training for maintenance staff who may not be familiar with electric and hybrid vehicles.”

Another safety aspect not to overlook: fire department personnel training. “We conducted training for fire department personnel to show them how to shut off the engine in case of an accident,” said Idoyaga. “There is an exterior panel that shuts off the engine without exposing anyone to high voltage, which allows for a safe evacuation of the bus.”

While Gainesville started with hybrid vehicles, the results of the first month of use for the electric bus fleet is encouraging, said Idoyaga, who shared these statistics:

▸ In one month, the energy consumed by one electric bus was equivalent to less than 8% of the total amount of fuel used by a single diesel bus – 46 versus 599 diesel gallons.

▸ By operating the three electric buses in place of three diesel buses, 8.5 U.S. tons of greenhouses gases were not released. These reductions are the equivalent of charging 938,000 smartphones to capacity or powering 1.4 homes during an entire year.

▸ After one month, the electric bus fleet’s fuel efficiency is four times better than the target efficiency set by RTS and 4.5 times better than that of the existing diesel fleet.