For Star subscribers: The major study will also look at allowing Tucson to buy and sell solar and wind energy to residents to boost renewable energy use.
Tony Davis Tucson will embark on a major study of whether it makes sense to boost renewable energy use by forming a city-run electric utility or by starting a program allowing the city to buy and sell solar and wind energy to residents.
"It makes no sense for the city to form a public power utility," said Shelly Gordon, president of Arizonans for Community Choice, which supports the formation of programs that let the city buy energy supplies of its choosing."They can do the same thing for less money with community choice ." Under community choice or community aggregation programs, as they are known in various states, the city could buy energy from sources of its choosing to deliver to customers. Its backers say it would bring competition to what they now regard as a monopoly utility that controls Tucson's energy sources.
TEP: Electric bills would go upBoth public utility and community choice options draw skepticism from Tucson Electric Power officials, and, in the case of a public utility, outright opposition. Disagreeing is Russell Lowes, a longtime, Tucson-based solar energy advocate. He said he's done computer modeling that showed exit fees set at the rate he's typically seen nationwide would make electricity rates 22% lower than TEP's. Double the fee, and ratepayers would still save 10%, he said.
Three energy economics experts interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star described TEP's 2035 goal of 70% renewables as ambitious or very ambitious. One, Loyola University of Chicago professor Gilbert Michaud, noted the most aggressive renewable energy goals pushed by utilities nationwide typically reach their maximum renewable percentage, sometimes up to 100%, by dates such as 2050.
The study, whose cost isn't yet known, is being launched due to input from residents"about the importance of having reforms in our energy sourcing to drive climate action," Thomure said."It's to give community members options." About 90% of the $5 million raised annually by the fee would be used to build future power lines underground, while the rest of the fee would raise about $500,000 annually to pay for various climate change mitigation programs.
While Los Angeles, Seattle and San Antonio have public power utilities,"the vast majority" operate in smaller communities, said Schryver. But new such utilities continue to be created — 18 in the past 20 years, she said. Today, a number of cities are looking at it and the association is contacted annually by dozens of organizations wanting to set up such a utility.
Heavy opposition by Xcel kept the struggle in court for years. Concern about costs was another factor. The city was starting to run out of the $29 million that local taxpayers provided for the fight, and the COVID-19 pandemic at the time made the budget situation shakier, Colorado Public Radio reported in 2020.
TEP's Barrios said the company can help Tucson achieve its clean energy goals sooner and more cheaply than would a municipal utility. Of those, 60% have achieved renewable energy percentages exceeding the state's minimum standard. Thirty percent of cities with typical community choice programs are already at 100% renewables, the study found.
"Since their emergence, Community Choice Aggregation in California have played an important role in accelerating the state’s transition to zero-carbon electricity," the study said."The vast majority of CCAs procure more renewable energy than the investor-owned utilities they compete with."
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor' is 'Star Wars' storytelling at its best'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor' is a video game that feels like a 'Star Wars' greatest hits package. It also makes the argument that the Jedi are what make the franchise special, writes toddmartens. Read the full review 🎮
Read more »
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Brought Me Back to Star WarsStar Wars Jedi: Survivor is a good reentry point for Star Wars fans who feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Star Wars content from the last decade.
Read more »
Tucson native Bijan Robinson selected by Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 in NFL DraftBijan Robinson was taken eighth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL draft.
Read more »
Crash closes Interstate 19 in TucsonThe I-19 southbound and northbound lanes are shut in Tucson as of 6 p.m. Thursday, April 27, while a crash is investigated.
Read more »
Tucson speaks out: April 28 letters of the dayLetters to the Editor for April 28
Read more »