Renewable Energy in Austin: A Regional Leader with the AMS Committee on Environmental Stewardship (Invited Presentation)

When most people think of Texas, they think oil and gas. But in a state blessed with plentiful wind and sun, the reality is changing. Municipal utilities have led the transition to clean energy in Texas. Reporting to their local government, rather than shareholders, “munis” have set significant renewable energy targets and climate goals. Come hear from Danielle Murray, Manager of Customer Renewable Energy Solutions at Austin Energy, about how the nation’s seventh largest public power utility has gone from having the first commercial wind project in Texas in 1995, to being on track to supply over 50% of its energy from renewable resources by 2020. With a mix of west Texas and coastal wind, rooftop and utility scale solar, and battery storage integration pilot, the utility is working to balance intermittent resources to maintain reliable supply and high power quality. And on top of that, it’s keeping rates low – with no more than a 2% increase per year, rates in the bottom half of Texas utilities, and the lowest bills in the state after only El Paso.