Other municipalities have been following Tampa Bay’s lead in clean energy initiatives for years.
St. Petersburg invested in solar panels a decade back and now has around 25 municipal facilities that generate electricity from sunlight. Dunedin has switched from fossil fuel to electric vehicles since 2018, and established a solar rebate program.
Clearwater, like smaller cities like Safety Harbor and Largo set goals for 100 percent clean electricity years ago. However, Clearwater is unable to make that pledge since it operates a natural-gas utility that sells fossil fuels to homes and businesses.
Clearwater is now making up the difference with a number of environmental initiatives that will help it achieve its goals of reducing greenhouse gases emissions and becoming more sustainable. The City Council approved a contract this month with Cenergistic, which is a Texas company that helps municipalities and other organizations reduce their natural gas, electric, and water consumption, save money, as well as lessen their carbon footprint.
Clearwater sustainability coordinator Sheridan Gemuendt said that the city is on track to complete a feasibility study on solar energy by next month. The council will then use the collected data to decide whether to install solar power in municipal buildings.
Jon Jennings, City Manager, approved the creation of two positions to support the city’s goals: a sustainability specialist (in the process of being filled) and an innovation-and-energy officer (in the process of being filled).
Jennings admitted that while we are certainly not behind the curve when it comes to focusing on alternative sources of energy, he made environmental initiatives a priority for the city when he joined it in November. However, this is part of the focus and will continue to be as we catch up with and hopefully surpass our neighbors.
Steve Jones, Cenergistic’s regional vice-president of client development, estimated that Clearwater will save $8.2 million on energy costs over the next five years. Cenergistic will pay Clearwater $3 million per year from the savings, which is a monthly charge.
Gemuendt claimed that this will lead to a minimum 20 percent reduction of the city’s electricity, water and natural-gas consumption.
Jones stated that Cenergistic personnel will work to change culture and behavior in the city. They will inspect buildings at night for water leaks, ensure HVAC equipment is running efficiently, and review billing statements for any anomalies that could indicate wasted energy. Gemuendt stated that the program also focuses on behavioral changes for city employees, such as getting them to turn off lights when they are not needed or switching to central appliances from minifridges in their offices.
According to Isabel Mascareas, public information officer Isabel Mascareas, Pinellas County Schools have saved $43 million in energy costs since 2015 when they hired Cenergistic. She stated that the school district has spent $17 million so far on Cenergistic.
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Jones stated that we change people’s perceptions of what equipment they need to use. We do it more efficiently. Most people don’t have someone who micromanages this type of behavior.
Cenergistic was initially considered by the council in January. It would have paid Cenergistic 50% of the estimated $8.2million savings over the five-year period. Some council members, such as Mayor Frank Hibbard, resisted the fee structure. Cenergistic offered a monthly payment structure that could allow the city to keep an additional $1 million of the savings.
The Greenprint 2.0 plan was adopted by the council in August. It outlines a number of environmental initiatives that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% below 2007 levels by 2035, and by 80 percent by 2050.
The plan includes solar initiatives, such as the launch of a co-op program that allows residents to coordinate bulk equipment purchases at reduced prices. Developers are encouraged to build homes that can be used for solar panel installation.
Clearwater enrolled in Duke Energy’s Clean Energy Connection program in 2020. This could lead to 40 percent of the electricity the city receives from the utility coming from solar systems starting this year.
Kathleen Beckman, Council member, has been pushing the city for a solar energy program in municipal operations since her election in 2020.
There was much debate at the dais, particularly between Beckman and Hibbard about the return on investment. Beckman stated that while solar energy requires upfront investment, it will save the city money over the long-term on energy costs and help reduce harmful emissions.
Hibbard said that he hasn’t seen data to support a sound return, but that he expects the feasibility study to shed more light about finances and logistics for municipal operations.
He said that if the municipality wants to invest in renewable energies for environmental reasons, without a clear return of investment, he could support it so long as officials are transparent about the financial commitment.
Hibbard said that you can make a decision to do something for reasons that don’t work financially, but that you at least own it.
He stated that he believes Clearwater has been proactive in protecting the environment since 2011 when the city adopted Greenprint, which set a goal for citywide emissions to be reduced by 10 percent by 2020. Clearwater surpassed that goal, with 12.9 percent of its emissions below 2007 levels by 2018, according city data.
Hibbard signed up last year as a Climate mayor, a network that includes roughly 470 U.S. Mayors who have committed themselves to taking bold action to combat climate change.
Beckman stated that the city could do more and was encouraged by Jennings’ simultaneous initiatives. However, she is concerned that the city’s natural-gas utility operation could be counter to its environmental goals.
Beckman stated, “I think we have been behind, and we haven’t shown ourselves to being leaders.” I feel that we are on the right track. Owning a gas utility makes these commitments more complicated so that’s something we will have to deal with.