No City Limits

Bill Opalka | Mar 03, 2010

 

When people call Austin the "Berkeley of Texas," I'll let you decide if that's a compliment. It's good for a laugh and the city's former mayor can repeat it with a smile, as he did at this week's EnergyBiz Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. Will Wynn, the former mayor of Austin, Texas and former chairman of Austin Energy, can afford to laugh, especially when he tells the municipal utility's energy story.

Some of the highlights include: a metropolitan population that has leapfrogged in three decades from 42nd-largest nationally to unofficially 10th today; no rate increase since 1994 because it hasn't had to finance any power plant construction; an aggressive efficiency program, etc.

The renewable energy part of the story is even better. There's the 30 percent renewable portfolio by 2030 goal, the 30-megawatt solar array being built on land originally intended decades ago for a coal plant that was never built, and the 12 percent of the city's energy supply coming from wind.

That story ties in neatly with another phrase I heard at least four times this week, which often starts with something like, "When wind blows at night..." and usually ends with "...you don't need it."

Wynn has a different ending. "We're taking that energy and making ice overnight," he said.  The wind energy helps energize underground chillers with a piping system that taps into the heating and cooling systems of buildings throughout downtown. "When the air conditioning turns on, there's barely a tick," he added. And the system has allowed the new office towers that have sprung up in Austin to eliminate the massive AC units that mar the aesthetics of the tops of the structures.
 
Austin has tied all city offices into the system and commercial space and landlords are signing up.

That poses some interesting questions about wind. Could this work elsewhere? Do you need new building stock in a booming city for a quicker turnaround on costs? Are the famous Texas wind resources partly responsible?

Questions worth asking, I suppose, but in Austin they're answering the "wind only blows at night" objection.

The editorial staff at RenewablesBiz.com is passionate about exchanging ideas and dedicated to promoting ongoing conversation about renewables and sustainable energy issues.  We invite you to join and contribute to our online community. If you have an idea for an article or editorial contribution, please contact me via email, bopalka@energycentral.com, or phone, 860.633.0090.