5 Takeaways on the Decatur Clean Energy Plan

Good news! After a year of work, and input from hundreds of residents, the City of Decatur released its Clean Energy Plan yesterday, Thursday, July 14. You can find a copy of the plan here.

Here are five takeaways.

1. Decatur commits to 100% Clean Energy by 2035

Decatur is planning to eliminate its government and community carbon emissions by 2035

The City of Decatur and its stakeholders have decided to break up the goal into targeted, intermediate timelines to tackle the ambitious goal of shifting toward 100 percent clean and renewable energy:

• All municipally owned buildings will be supplied by 100% clean and renewable Energy (fully electrified) by 2030.
• By 2035, community buildings, which include commercial and residential buildings, will be supplied by 100% clean and renewable electricity.
• All municipal vehicles will be fully electrified by 2035.
• By 2050, all other community uses, including transportation, will be supplied by 100% clean and renewable energy.

2. Benefits and Investment

The City was presented with a number of scenarios by the consulting company working on the plan and has selected “The Social and Local Impact Scenario” which calls for a cumulative investment of $57 million, including government and private, in Clean Energy over the period of the goal, reaping cumulative benefits of $520 million and avoiding nearly 1 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.

3. A commitment to equity

The City is committed to making this an equitable transition. We have over 800 households in our city with severe energy burden, defined as greater than 10% of income spent on energy. The national average is 3%. Residents with greater than 6% are often forced to make choices between keeping the lights on and other critical purchases from clothing to food.

The plan also focuses on local training and job creation.

4. A few guiding principles.

The plan follows five principles set out in the 2030 Strategic Plan: 1) Think Holistically, 2) Confront Climate Challenges, 3) Work Together, 4) Embrace Accountability and 5) Pioneer Innovation.

Just as important is how we achieve our goals.

1. Leading by Example in the transition of government operations to clean and renewable energy, Decatur sets the example for and becomes a resource to the community.
2. Building Community Through Investments by expanding and advancing weatherization programs and partnerships within local organizations.
3. Creating a Clean Energy Fund for different avenues of sustainable funding for clean and renewable energy projects.
4. Greening the Built Environment through Building Performance Standard (BPS)13 policies and making new buildings Zero- Energy Ready by 2030.
5. Moving to Low-and-No Carbon Transportation through transportation demand management (TDM) reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMTs), implementing improved bike and pedestrian goals, and initiation of electric shuttle and EV charging infrastructure.
6. Advocating for Larger Solutions by partnering with other Georgia municipalities to engage with and intervene in Georgia Power’s Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) every three years.
7. Closing the Gap by creating a local renewable energy credit (REC) strategy to cover the electricity that cannot be converted to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

5. The devil is in the details and accountability

Our work is just starting. This is the time to thank our mayor and commissioners, and each other, but to achieve our goals, it will require all residents of our city. It will require us working together on dozens of projects over the coming years. This also means measuring progress and holding each other accountable.

The plan acknowledges the constraints we face. Georgia Power currently supplies our electricity. We may have constraints by the Public Services Commission… the reason the City is intervening in the IRP process. There may be legislative constraints. But we know that our creativity, our values, and our dedication will make this a successful and equitable transition in the long run. We will become a positive example for our state.

Mark your calendars. The city will be reviewing this plan for our community and seeking additional input on Thursday, July 28th from 4 to 7 PM at the Decatur Rec Center.

Thank you all for your efforts in making this possible. Decatur 100 looks forward to working with you to make our city entirely equitable, delightfully livable, and completely sustainable through our clean energy and climate initiatives.