[Watchdogs] Even greener than Austin? - San Antonio Express-News

[Milton Hawkins]

Even greener than Austin? - San Antonio
Express-News<http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/energy/article/Even-greener-than-Austin-908796.php>

>From the article:

“Rising costs are not being recovered,” said Karl
Rábago<http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fenergy&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Karl+R%C3%A1bago%22>,
vice president of distributed energy services for Austin Energy.

Utility executives are working on a rate increase for 2012, and *some in the
city fear that its aggressive renewable goals could force rates even higher*
.

In April, the Austin City
Council<http://www.mysanantonio.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news%2Fenergy&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Austin+City+Council%22>approved
a generation plan that calls for 35 percent of its energy to come
from renewable sources by 2020. By comparison, CPS Energy's goal is 20
percent of capacity by 2020.

Rábago explained the difference this way: “Capacity is the size of the hose,
and energy is the amount of water you push through that hose. CPS is
focusing on how big its hose is, and Austin on how much green water it can
push through that hose.”

That means 35 percent of energy would be an even higher percentage of the
utility's capacity.

*Currently, low natural gas prices mean that some renewables aren't as
competitive as they have been in the past, and a decision to buy costly
biomass power has added additional pressure on the Austin utility.*

Earlier this month, Austin's mayor told the utility's general manager it
should slow down the plan if it cannot be reached affordably.


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