Sustainability was at the top of the agenda for the Thursday, Aug. 12 virtual City Council work session.
Dr. Vicki Foust gave a PowerPoint presentation on the work on the Strategic Energy Plan that had been completed and its recommendations on how to accomplish the goal established by the City Council to “Establish a pathway to 100% renewable energy by 2040 for City of Greensboro operations.”
Goal number one of the proposed policies is: “Clean energy audit/installation/maintenance contracts will give priority to Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB.”
The goals call for the city to reduce its electricity demand by 40 percent from what it was in 2005 by 2025. The city’s largest electricity user is the Water Resources Department so related goal is to reduce water demand by 20 percent by 2030.
To attain the goal of meeting the total electricity demand with renewable energy by 2040 the strategies listed are Ground PV Solar, Rooftop Solar and generation of electricity from “in-line hydro” and “incineration.”
Building a solar farm at the TZ Osborne Wastewater Treatment Plant and putting solar panels on the roof of the Central Library were listed as “immediate actions.”
Another goal is to reduce gasoline consumption by 5 percent per year by converting the city fleet to hybrid and then to electric vehicles and right sizing the fleet.
Most comments by City Councilmembers consisted of thanking Foust for all the work and support for the plan. No City Councilmember asked questions about the cost of converting the entire fleet of city vehicles to hybrid vehicles, or the cost of building solar fields and putting solar panels on the roofs of city buildings.
The report did include a page “Put Together a Financing Strategy” which included applying for grants and attempting to get Duke Energy to help finance some of the initiatives.
If the city is unable to reach 100 percent renewable energy usage by 2040 the suggestion is that the city purchase renewable energy tax credits and purchase carbon off-setts. Again there was no discussion by the City Council of what that might cost the taxpayers.
This City Council doesn’t care what such a program costs because it’s not their money; it’s ours!
So, we switch to solar, using Chinese panels and Chinese batteries, and then as our current power supplier to bear some of the cost
Then the sheeple change from fossil fuel fired vehicles to electric vehicles, with Chinese batteries.
I think AOC IS driving this bus! Yes, I know the arguments about the environment and cost savings, they are all paid for by the citizens!
We could just keep do the same thing and hope we get a different result on climate change. Oh wait, that is the definition of crazy. Hence I refer to hardliners anti-climate people as nutters.
I notice you went with “climate change” there Chris. You and your team seem to have abandoned “global warming” because it didn’t fit the narrative. Either that or you watched that movie, “The Day After Tomorrow”, and got spooked.
Anyway, climate change has and will always be occurring. Volcanoes alone put out at least 200 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. One major solar flare that hits us just right or the next ELE (Extinction Level Event) such as a good sized meteor will end it all anyway, and guess what? The earth will keep right on trucking. Yeah, you and I might not be here, but oh well. My point is, humans are not wrecking the Earth like you and jet setting Al Gore, Leo DiCaprio, and John Kerry try to insist we are doing.
If it were such a hard core emergency, then why aren’t the big talkers gong full green to set an example for us pleebs? When Hollywood and the government go all in on green, maybe I’ll take it seriously. As long as China continues to pump out more pollution than the rest of the world and we continue to buy from them like everytjing is A-OK, I’ll stay the course. As long as Leo and Al and John jet set around the world in carbon spewing private jets while they preach to me how bad I am, I’ll continue to drive my gas powered car guilt free.
I hope you truly have zero footprint Chris, otherwise, shut up. And buying a Prius or Tesla does not count. The amount of plastic and chemicals in those things is off the charts. Same for the plastic and chemicals in a solar panel. You think they are produced without emmissions? And when you plug that Prius up to charge its gigantic chemical battery, where exactly is that power coming from? Oh yeah, a coal fired or nuclear plant. So pretentious. Come on.
Imagine that, no clue on real cost! Oh wait, that is what city council does best.
They don’t care what it will cost taxpayers.
Another flippant money pit at John Q’s expense. Thanks Libs! Where exactly does a project of unknown cost fit on a balance sheet?
CA is blazing ahead to all-electric cars and outlawing gas utilities while the historic drought is taking water-driven power plants off-line. Government decisions make absolutely no sense. The best choice would have been building nuclear power plants years ago, pipelines across the country from the mid-west to the western states to carry floodwaters into large holding lakes for drought areas to use, an end to river and lake water storage in CA due to trying to save some silly fish or frog. NC follows CA’s lead on everything, and solar or windmills are not the answer to reliable electric sources for the future.
We should be considering another couple of nuclear power plants, finishing the oil pipeline, more efficient gasoline vehicles, more efficient use of electricity. Other options are expensive dreams.
Right!
“If the city is unable to reach 100 percent renewable energy usage by 2040 the suggestion is that the city purchase renewable energy tax credits and purchase carbon off-setts”
Once again, there are those who want the City to “invest” (which is a euphemism for “give us your money”) in these lamebrain projects.
Our City leaders can’t seem to get it, so let’s ensure they hear our message in March 2022 when it’s time to throw all of them out!
As I’ve often heard you can’t cure stupid I believe we have the most stupid council I have ever seen in Greensboro
100% renewables is a fantasy. Dr. Feel Good. How are you gonna mine and fabricate the minerals. How are you gonna deliver & install. Sun don’t shine at night, or not much way up North or South. Wind don’t blow all the time (except in Washington).
Something perhaps ignored. Have you noticed the steadily growing rate increases from The Master of Duke? The Dukie purveyor of junque fees? How do they make this electricity? Mostly natural gas & coal. No more nuclear, which is clean. Look it up for yourself.
So you find an EV that will do 600 miles without a charge? How much will the ever-increasing electric rates cut into your phantom savings? It is the same thinking when you say all it costs you to drive to the beach and back is a tank of gas.