Amid growing interest in renewable energy, sixteen of Utah’s nineteen eligible communities have chosen to engage in a new initiative designed to increase the use of sustainable power sources. Notable participants include Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Park City.
Glade Sowards, senior energy and climate program manager for Salt Lake City, announced that Rocky Mountain Power is ready to commence the program. He anticipates that the first renewable energy projects financed by this initiative will be operational by 2028 or 2029.
The program’s initiation will not be immediate, as necessary administrative structures for the Community Clean Energy Program need to be put in place. This includes notifying customers in participating areas about an upcoming $4 monthly rate increase for residential power users, with an option to opt out.
According to a tentative schedule, notifications will begin by November 2, and the new charge will appear on bills after January 1. Customers will have until May 1 to opt out without incurring penalties. Post this period, withdrawing from the program will entail a $30 termination fee.
Sowards stated, “We’re going to make it as easy as possible. We’d love for everyone to stay in the program, but we understand it’s a matter of choice. We want the people who remain in the program to be there because they want to be.”
Each community involved plans to conduct its own outreach to promote the program. The communities that confirmed participation by the June deadline include Salt Lake City, Ogden, Park City, and several others. However, Coalville, Cottonwood Heights, and Kearns have opted out.
Non-residential users in the program will have rates dependent on their energy consumption.
Wind, Solar, Geothermal, and Hydroelectric Projects
This initiative stems from Utah legislation HB411, passed in 2019, aimed at enhancing renewable energy usage while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The collected fees will be invested in developing renewable energy resources for the participating regions.
Sowards mentioned that broader participation would expedite the growth of renewable resources. The communities involved account for roughly 20% of Utah’s power consumption.
In pursuit of new renewable capacity, a request for proposals was issued last year, seeking potential projects in solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric energy across Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. A shortlist of finalists has been selected from the submissions.
The strategy is to initially establish “one or two kind of smaller resources,” observe participation trends, and then expand as needed. Sowards is hopeful that new renewable resources will be available by 2028 or 2029, contingent upon customer retention and fee collection.
Original Story at www.ksl.com