100% clean electricity for Louisville Metro Government operations by 2030
Louisville Metro Government has partnered with the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, to develop a roadmap on how to achieve 100% clean electricity across all of Louisville Metro operations by 2030.
Phase I of the partnership identified the following three possible avenues for Louisville Metro to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2030. In Phase II, NREL will explore these avenues to provide the data needed for us to determine how to achieve our goal. Phase II is expected to start in late 2021 and continue for 12 to 18 months.
In addition to the NREL partnership, the city hired its first full-time Energy Manager, Zachary Tyler, in February of 2020. Zach has worked with local energy provider LG&E to compile Louisville Metro’s energy usage data and used EnergyCAP, an energy management and utility bill accounting software, to better understand and analyze the city’s energy use. Reducing electricity demand and implementing projects that conserve energy will help us achieve the goal of 100% renewable electricity, in addition to saving the city significant money.
View the city’s energy dashboard
To learn more about NREL and its work in Louisville, contact Partnership Program Manager Thomas Bowen, Researcher II, at (303) 275-3740 or thomas.bowen@nrel.gov.
The Green Tariff program offered by Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) includes an option for large customers to buy energy sourced from new renewable projects and have it delivered to them through LG&E’s transmission and distribution system.
LG&E’s Solar Share program allows customers to purchase limited quantities of shares in its 4-megawatt solar development in Simpsonville, Ky.
Municipalization involves public ownership of an electric utility, and allows for local control of a community’s energy supply and distribution.
Louisville Metro Government (LMG), through its Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (OS), presented the outcomes of the partial municipalization study undertaken over a year ago during a virtual public meeting on July 25, 2024. The partial municipalization study assesses the feasibility of creating a municipally owned utility to serve the electricity needs of LMG, powered entirely by clean renewable energy. This study was born from efforts led by OS on behalf of LMG to explore all possible pathways to achieve the 100% clean energy goals set in resolution by Metro Council in 2020. Siemens PTI was chosen as the contractor to lead this analysis through a competitive bidding process.
OS is currently exploring multiple pathways, including working with LG&E to explore the possibility of building large scale renewable energy facilities through their green tariff program, advocating for clean energy sources with LG&E and the Kentucky Public Service Commission, and completing the partial municipalization study.
The scope of this preliminary study was to evaluate technical and financial viability only. OS convened experts in energy, utilities, and environmental justice to advise on the study. Many important questions were raised regarding the social and economic impact of partial municipalization on ratepayers. While this study did not address socio-economic impact, if LMG decides to move forward with partial municipalization in the future, these assessments and extensive community engagement will be undertaken.
The partial municipalization study’s findings discovered that LMG’s energy loads along were not large enough to make the economies of scale feasible and partial municipalization cost competitive. Louisville Water Company’s (LWC) energy loads were also added, which further improved cost competitiveness. Ultimately, the study concluded that if the total current loads (LMG and LWC) were to be tripled, partial municipalization would become cost competitive, although still more expensive than other options being explore by OS.
The meeting was recorded and is available here:
Louisville Municipalization Public Meeting recording:
https://louisvilleky.webex.com/louisvilleky/ldr.php?RCID=88da0270c86c71f61804f15da63530e4.
Password: mJD3mxHr
OS welcomes questions and feedback using the survey: https://forms.gle/JQfaoppPkwQZ5a4KA
