{"id":11416,"date":"2015-10-27T11:20:50","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T16:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=11416"},"modified":"2015-11-02T16:21:07","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T22:21:07","slug":"the-dominos-are-falling-conservative-texas-towns-embrace-renewables-low-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2015\/10\/27\/the-dominos-are-falling-conservative-texas-towns-embrace-renewables-low-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dominos are Falling: Conservative Texas Towns Embrace Renewables\u2019 Low Prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"georgetown<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the next four years, Texas\u2019 energy landscape will change dramatically. For example, throughout the 630-mile, nine-hour drive from Denton, Texas to El Paso, rolling hills will dominate the horizon and aromas from pastures and barbeque pits will waft through windows, as they have for the past hundred years. What will have a far less prominent role, however, are coal-fired power plants.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because there seems to be a domino effect occurring in Texas: more and more cities are turning to affordable, renewable energy to power their needs.<\/p>\n

Denton, Georgetown, and other Texas clean energy pioneer cities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the municipal electric utility that serves Denton, a North Texas city of 130,000 people, announced plans<\/a> to get an impressive 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2019. That\u2019s well above the 10 percent Texas currently receives from renewables (on average).<\/p>\n

This ambitious renewables target echoes one set earlier this year by Georgetown, a fellow Texas city just north of Austin, which is on track to be<\/a> 100 percent renewable by 2017. The city\u2019s mayor, Dale Ross, minced no words in clarifying the reason behind the decision<\/a>, \u201cenvironmental zealots have not taken over our city council [\u2026] Our move to wind and solar is chiefly a business decision based on cost and price stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Conservative Texas towns are increasingly embracing #renewables\u2019 low prices”]<\/p>\n

More specifically, this move yields Georgetown the security of a fixed rate plan, which protects the city from fossil fuel price fluctuations for the next 25 years. Essentially, Georgetown is locking down a price<\/a> on electricity to enable better planning for the future.<\/p>\n

Plus, Mayor Ross anticipates that this low, long-term, predictable rate will spur economic development and bring businesses to the area. According to his editorial for Time<\/em><\/a>,<\/p>\n

Many companies, especially those in the high-tech sector, are looking to increase green sources of power for both office and manufacturing facilities. Our 100 percent renewable energy can help those companies to achieve sustainability goals at a competitive price without the burden of managing power supply contracts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition to economic development, this switch to renewables doubles as a water conservation strategy \u2013 particularly important in our drought-ridden state. As of October 6, 2015, about 70 percent of Texas was abnormally dry<\/a>, and 10 percent was experiencing extreme drought, including the area around Georgetown. This is impressive considering that earlier this spring, Texas was hit with historic floods and enough rain to cover the entire state<\/a> with 8 inches of water.<\/p>\n

Fossil fuel and nuclear power plants consume significant amounts of water<\/a>, but the wind and solar PV plants to which Georgetown is transitioning use negligible amounts. The move to renewables thus means more water for Georgetown\u2019s families and businesses.<\/p>\n

Denton and Georgetown are not the only Texas cities for which low-priced renewables have inspired ambitious clean energy targets:<\/p>\n