In 1991, Austin Energy Green Building developed the first rating system in the country to evaluate the sustainability of buildings, creating a model for other cities and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system. Heidi Kasper, energy efficiency services director at Green Building EVET, gave an overview of the […]
Austin Energy
As a municipally-owned electric utility, Austin Energy is a rarity in the largely deregulated State of Texas. Its annual budget clocks in at over $1 billion. The utility’s annual direct transfer of a Council-determined percentage of its revenues offers the city a notable revenue stream.
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy seeks to dampen fears of cooling department employees
Despite assurances that Austin Energy is not currently contemplating a sale of its District Energy and Cooling Department, called the DEC, some employees remain concerned that the utility might decide to sell the cooling system, which provides chilled water cooling for producing electricity. According to the utility, “overall, Austin Energy’s district cooling facilities serve more […]
Posted inEnergy
Incentives for customer-owned batteries among new programs in Austin Energy’s pipeline
After ending last year with a successful vote for its Climate Protection Plan at City Council, Austin Energy is taking no breaks to celebrate, moving right ahead with plans to make good on its promises for a more sustainable and resilient power grid. Earlier this month, department heads met with the city’s Electric Utility Commission […]
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City Council passes new energy plan through 2035. Here’s what it does.
After nearly two years of study, revision, public outreach and intense debate, the city of Austin finally has a new plan for how it will meet its energy needs over the next 10 years. Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035 serves as a road map, not just for how the city’s […]
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Kirk Watson, Ryan Alter propose competing amendments to Austin Energy plan
Gearing up for a vote Thursday on Austin Energy’s Resource Generation Plan, Mayor Kirk Watson and Council Member Ryan Alter have each proposed amendments to a plan that has gone through a variety of iterations and gained the endorsement of the Electric Utility Commission and the Resource Management Commission. Both groups suggested changes that do […]
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Electric Utility Commission sounds alarm on Austin Energy peaker plant plan, hoping for alternatives
Pivoting from its now-scrapped draft, Austin Energy is putting the finishing touches on its long-awaited Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan proposal, just in time for a vote at the very last City Council meeting of 2024. But first, the plan will face the judgment of the city’s Electric Utility Commission, which voiced concern last […]
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Austin Energy proposes gas peaker units, not larger combined cycle plant
Austin Energy has been working for more than a year – collaborating with stakeholders and looking at a variety of technologies, “including energy efficiency, demand response, batteries, rooftop solar expansion and natural gas peaker units or combined-cycle generation and more” – in order to deliver the Austin Energy 2035 plan, according to Austin Energy Chief […]
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Austin Energy looking forward to using geothermal energy
While some environmentalists continue to argue against a new gas plant that would serve Austin Energy’s customers when the prices of electricity are at their peak, Mike Enger, the utility’s vice president for energy markets and resource planning, is looking forward to a new technology set to become part of Austin Energy’s carbon-free portfolio. Enhanced […]
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Updated: Austin Energy still considering options to answer to grid growing pains
As its end-of-year deadline approaches, Austin Energy is busy crunching numbers, hoping to finally nail down a much-anticipated update to its Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan. Update: Following publication of this story, Austin Energy reached out to the Monitor to let us know that the utility is no longer proposing hydrogen as part of the plan. […]
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Austin Energy hopes new solar standard offer can scale up sorely needed local generation
Update 10:35 p.m. Oct. 2: On Monday, the Electric Utility Commission (EUC) approved an update to the city’s solar program after a quick discussion. As Austin Energy grapples with an electric future and unprecedented demands on the grid, the utility is making moves to secure a place for locally generated renewables with a new approach […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy still pondering new generation plan
As part of Austin Energy’s effort to arrive at a new generation plan, the utility has spent this year talking to the public about what is most important to them when they think about electric service. According to Austin Energy’s chief operating officer, Lisa Martin, what the public wants most is reliability in their electric […]
Posted inEnergy
Critics still say hydrogen gas plant would be a dealbreaker in Austin Energy Resource Generation Plan
As Austin Energy continues to iron out the details of its Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan, environmentalists are keeping the pressure on, demanding the utility abandon its proposal to build a new hydrogen-capable combined cycle power plant. Austin Energy says the plant, which would run on natural gas before transitioning to a cleaner hydrogen […]