Can South Lake Tahoe use 100% renewable energy by 2030?

There are now 27 cities in the United States committed to operating with 100 percent renewable energy, will South Lake Tahoe be #28?

Cities already on board include both large an small communities. Some of those are Madison, Wis.; San Diego, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Pueblo, Aspen and Boulder, Colo.; and Moab, Utah. Efforts are currently underway for Truckee to join that group. Even Las Vegas operates their municipal buildings and facilities with 100 percent renewable energy.

There is a new California bill that would require the state to obtain 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. The state has a target of being halfway there by 2030.

The 100 Percent Renewable Collaborative, a group of local advocates in South Lake Tahoe, wants the city to meet that milestone by 2030.

TRPA Sustainability Program Coordinator Devin Middlebrook spoke at the City's February 14 Pre-Strategic Planning session along with other sustainability proponents Bonnie Turnbull and Nick Exline. They spoke of how a partnership between multiple agencies could get South Lake Tahoe to that 100 percent benchmark.

In 2014, renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, solar, biomass, and burnt waste provided 19 percent of the total energy consumed worldwide, with roughly half of that coming from traditional use of biomass. There are many places around the world with grids that are run almost exclusively on renewable energy. At the national level, at least 30 nations already have renewable energy contributing more than 20 percent of the energy supply.

Over the hill in Reno, Tesla's new Gigafactory will be clean and energy efficient once complete. Their operation will be powered by renewable energy sources, with the goal of achieving net zero energy, meaning it generates and stores as much renewable energy as it needs to run the facility.

What steps need to be taken in South Lake Tahoe?

Most of the communities committed to becoming 100 percent renewable are still working on their strategies and action plans. Local sustainability advocates are proposing to the City that they form a collaborative group representing numerous sectors in the community to help get the City to the 2030 target date.

The first step according to Middlebrook is to get the City of South Lake Tahoe to commit to the 2030 goal. A suggested resolution would say something like this: Renewable Energy Goals: 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030. The City of South Lake Tahoe will ensure the transition to 100% renewable electricity for its municipal operations and community electricity supply by 2030. Progress on these transitions will be reviewed at least every other year starting in 2018.

The next step after that is to work with Liberty Utilities to get from their current 25 percent renewable energy to 100 percent. The State of California is requiring them to have 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 and the local sustainability committee will help them to determine how to best achieve the remaining 50 percent in the next ten years.

Here are the next four steps to follow to get to the goal according to Middlebrook:

1. Forming a Local Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) - This is where the municipality still uses local utility infrastructure but they can enter into delivery contracts directly with renewable project developers through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA's) and thereby secure long-term and predictable sources of renewable energy. There are five CCA's in California right now including Marin, Sonoma and City of Lancaster. Placer County is the process of becoming one. This approach is also sometimes referred to as Community Choice Energy (CCE).

2. Joining an Existence or CCE - Some cities have opted to join into existing CCAs. To do so, the two entities must use the same energy provider (e.g. PG&E for the examples above). Given that Placer County is currently under negotiations with Liberty to develop a CCA, one option might be to join forces with them.

3. A Collaborative Partnership between the City and the Utility. Under this approach, the utility sources the renewable energy - either through expansion of its own renewable facilities or through PPAs with renewable energy providers. The utility can also work with the city users to promote energy efficiency measures. This reflects the approach that Park City is developing. Additionally, as Liberty Utilities partners for energy with NV Energy, it may be possible for a unique partnership to achieve the 100 percent renewable goal for Tahoe. NV Energy already offers renewable energy programs (Green Energy Rider and Green Energy Choice), under which the City of Las Vegas municipal operations has committed to become 100 percent renewable. Liberty Utilities is considering adopting similar programs for our region.

4. Creation of a Municipal-Owned Utility - In some cases, cities have opted to develop their own municipal-owned utility - particularly in places like Aspen, Colo. and Burlington, Vt. where they have available local renewable facilities. However, with Tahoe's limited local renewable potential, we would not recommend this approach.

The City of South Lake Tahoe will soon be looking at a commitment to using 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030.

"If all goes as planned the resolution will be adopted next council meeting," said Middlebrook.