Our Clean Energy Future

The City of Tallahassee’s Clean Energy Resolution (19-R-04) set a target of achieving 100% net, clean renewable energy no later than 2050 or sooner as technology advances and the rate at which the price of clean renewable energy production and storage decline. To assist in this endeavor, the City hired a consulting firm to study its electric utility system to identify the long-term clean energy pathways forward.

In-Depth Study of our Energy System

A key component of the clean energy planning effort is an Energy Integrated Resource Plan (EIRP) being conducted by an independent consulting and engineering firm with expertise in municipal electric and gas utility planning, clean energy, sustainability, and public engagement. The EIRP study evaluates the ability of various energy resources to meet our electric system’s operational needs and provides insights into the costs of various resource mixes, sustainability considerations, and resilience to external conditions. A robust EIRP provides for the flexibility and diversity needed to adapt and respond to ever-changing market forces, the regulatory environment, and retail customers’ preferences.

The consultant created a model of our utility system taking into account existing generation resources, system operating requirements, transmission capacity, market and fuel forecasts, load forecasts (with increased electric vehicle adoption), demand-side management, and regulatory and environmental requirements. In addition, the model includes a base load forecast for our community through 2050 along with assumptions about local trends in electric vehicle adoption, the price of natural gas and renewable natural gas (biogas), and costs associated with advances in renewable energy and clean energy technologies.

The consultant ran simulations through their model using “Resource Portfolios” that reflect different combinations of energy resources, such as utility-scale solar with energy storage, individual rooftop solar, wind and solar imported into our electric system, renewable natural gas, green hydrogen for fuel cells and conventional generation, and small modular reactors. These portfolios anticipate varying levels of community participation in electrification opportunities (i.e. adoption of electric appliances over natural gas-fueled) and demand response programs, which become increasingly popular with advances in Smart Home technologies and building controls.

The specific assumptions and resource portfolios were carefully reviewed by City staff and members of the Tally 100% Together Coalition (Tally100), who provided comments to help the consultant team shape the inputs to the model. Tally100 represents nearly 100 organizations and businesses in Tallahassee working with the city to achieve its clean energy goals. Preliminary findings from the initial simulations were presented to the City’s Clean Energy Plan (CEP) Steering Committee. This 9-member panel consists of city staff from: Communications, Customer Operations, Fleet, Sustainability & Community Preservation, and the following Electric & Gas Utility (E&G) Divisions - Power Delivery, System Integrated Planning, Energy Supply, System Operations, and Gas Operations.

The study’s findings reveal the combinations and amounts of clean energy resources that are technically viable for our community’s electric system plus associated costs to help planners identify a pathway towards a 100% net-zero carbon future for Tallahassee. The study includes ‘sensitivity’ cases to better understand the effects of adjusting preferences for resource options, environment goals, operational costs, system reliability, technological advances, regulatory impacts, etc.

As of summer 2022, Tallahassee has made tremendous strides towards its clean energy goals, including:

City Operations:  The City of Tallahassee is a vertically integrated electric utility with generation, transmission, and distribution operations. As the 4th largest municipal electric utility in Florida and the 22nd largest in the United States (of over 2,000), our 295 employees are dedicated to meeting your electric service needs.

The City has three fossil-fueled generating stations, which contain combined cycle (CC), combustion turbine (CT) and reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE or IC) electric generating facilities.  The Sam O. Purdom Generating Station, located in the City of St. Marks, Florida has been in operation since 1952; the Arvah B. Hopkins Generating Station, located on Geddie Road west of the City, has been in commercial operation since 1970; and the Substation 12 Distributed Generation Facility, located on Medical Drive, has been in operation since late 2018.  

The City also operates two large solar facilities located at the property of the Tallahassee International Airport (TLH). Solar Farm 1, which is 20 megawatts, sits on 120 acres and Solar Farm 2, which is twice as big at 40 megawatts, sits on 240 acres. Together, they become the largest airport-based solar farm in the nation. Since February 2020, a portion of the solar energy output from the solar farm has been allocated to cover the energy needs of all City-owned buildings, the first city in Florida to be powered by clean energy. The balance of solar energy generated has been fully-subscribed to the 1,600+ residential and commercial participants in the Tallahassee Solar program. In addition, the City maintains 20 rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations generating nearly 225 kW, another 14 solar thermal water heaters serving several fire stations and other City properties, and two solar pool heating systems.

City Fleet Transition: City Fleet operates 48 light duty electric vehicles (EVs), mostly Chevrolet Bolts, and 53 hybrid EVs with plans to purchase an additional five Chevy Bolts, 25 hybrid police SUVs, and five F-150 Lightnings this year. Fleet maintains a growing number of EV Level 2 charging ports around town to support City EV charging.

StarMetro Transition: StarMetro’s 19 all-electric buses continue to service Florida State University (FSU) campus, making it one of the first universities in the nation to use all-electric buses. StarMetro plans to add three more all-electric buses in 2022. Buses are charged at one of six charging ports located at StarMetro’s administrative offices along with two Level 3 Fast Charging overhead charging stations on FSU campus and a central Level 3 DC Fast Charging overhead charging station at CK Steele Plaza. StarMetro plans to place one 150 kW depot charging port inside its garage facility and is developing a conceptual design for a central bus charging depot that incorporates solar energy and battery storage to eventually  support a 100% electric bus fleet. 

Rooftop Solar: The pace of rooftop solar installations continues along a dramatic rise. Tallahassee saw more rooftop solar capacity installed in 2021 than in all prior years combined. Most of this growth is in the residential sector. Prior to 2019, the City received on average 10 net metering applications per year. This past year, utility customers submitted over 300 applications. By 2022, over 5,640 kWdc has been installed with an average rooftop solar system size of 9.35 kWdc. There are 20 different solar vendors active in our utility service area, according to permit records. Interest in rooftop solar is driven in part due to federal investment tax credit (ITC) and the City’s net metering policy, which together help lower the cost of ownership.

Public Electric Vehicle Charging: The City installed Level 2 charging ports for public use near Cascades Park and is in the process of installing similar charging ports at the Renaissance building and Kleman Plaza. Staff have identified several potential locations for the DC Fast Level 3 charging ports across town, including a Blueprint project on Orange Avenue, and anticipate starting the procurement process this year. In 2021, a rate ordinance was established that governs the prices that customers are charged for using these public charging ports.

Clean Energy Research: City staff regularly collaborate with local researchers from Florida State University (FSU), Florida A&M University (FAMU) to advance the science, economics, and implementation of clean energy.

One effort involves a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded demonstration project that seeks to improve operating characteristics of solar photovoltaic inverters tied to the electric grid. A 100-kW solar and energy storage facility will be sited on FSU’s campus to assist in the research, which is expected to wrap up in 2024.

Additionally, in collaboration with the Sierra Club and Energy Foundation, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provided technical assistance to City staff on its clean energy planning process.  NREL used their State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE)  and Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) tools to create customized analyses for Tallahassee, as well as county-level data for each county in Florida. Using these data-driven tools, NREL helped City staff identify and address opportunities to target clean energy and efficiency programs and policies that benefit low- and moderate-income residents.

Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage Technology Readiness: FAASSTeR (external site) was formed to study and assist in developing pathways for successful expansion of grid-integrated solar, energy storage, and other distributed energy resources in Florida in a way that maximizes value and reduces risk. Tallahassee is a founding member and primary contributor to the study of solar and storage in Florida by NREL researchers.

NREL’s State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) Tool
The State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) (external site) Platform is an easy-to-access online platform to support data-driven state and local energy and decarbonization planning. SLOPE includes two distinct tools to support jurisdictions’ planning needs.

DOE’s Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool
The LEAD Tool (external site) helps stakeholders make data-driven decisions on energy goals and program planning by improving their understanding of low-income and moderate-income household energy characteristics.

NREL Grid Modernization
NREL addresses the challenges of today’s electric grid through high-impact research and development in power systems engineering and resource assessment. Learn more at: NREL Grid Modernization Tool (external site)

Energy Equity: Expanding its efforts to ensure equitable energy access, City staff recently began a partnership with local stakeholders and neighborhood leaders to deepen their understanding about how to reduce barriers to solar in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. The project aims to provide a pathway to install solar at a neighborhood scale that can be replicated. The effort is spearheaded by ReThink Energy Florida (external site), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The initial focus is on Bond, Frenchtown, and Griffin Heights neighborhoods. Findings from the effort will help shape future policy and program recommendations that advance solar and other clean energy efforts.  

2022 Study of Energy Equity in Florida: Energy burden, or the share of household income spent on energy costs, exacerbates existing barriers to financial stability. Reducing energy burden can have a profound impact on the quality of life for low-to-moderate-income (LMI), minority, and rural Floridians. A statewide study commissioned by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) (external site) Office of Energy investigated the distribution of benefits and burdens from energy production and consumption and assessed the impact of environmental hazards on low-and moderate-income Floridians and vulnerable populations including minorities and rural communities. To view the complete study, refer to the linked PDF below.

2022 Community Carbon Dioxide Emissions Scorecard: The scorecard, produced by Sustainable Tallahassee, gathers information about the carbon dioxide production in Leon County over more than 20 years. The information is being used to inform planning for a sustainable energy future in Tallahassee/Leon County, as well as to monitor progress toward related objectives and goals as part of the community planning process. Within the community, Sustainable Tallahassee found that per capita carbon dioxide emissions per year have declined by 16.3%, from 12.1 to 9.8 tons, over the 2003-2019 period. To read the complete document, refer to the linked pdf below.

Energy Smart PLUS (e+): Utility customer participation in the City’s rebates, grants, and on-bill financing programs remains robust, and requests for free Home Energy Audit assessments continue to be a popular feature of the City’s comprehensive demand-side management strategy which promotes energy efficiency, conservation, and greater customer control of their utility consumption.

Learn more on our clean energy Resources site.