Atlanta inches toward 100% clean energy goal as city girds for Trump

The array at Fire Station No. 40 is one of more than three dozen installed across the city that the mayor said are expected to save taxpayers $8 million on energy bills, with more in the pipeline. The savings are calculated over the term of the 20-year contract, and would increase as more systems are energized.

“We can clap for $8 million,” Dickens said to applause from the small crowd gathered in the station’s cavernous bay earlier this month. “We’re addressing the impending climate crisis, reducing energy costs and creating opportunities for our local businesses.”

Dickens, who was recently named to a leadership position in the bipartisan Climate Mayors group, reiterated the city’s commitment to achieving “100% clean energy” for all Atlantans by 2035.

The city is still a long way from that goal, however, and much remains outside its control.

For one, Atlanta’s monopoly utility, Georgia Power, does not share the city’s clean energy targets and still gets most of its power from burning fossil fuels. If projections of surging power demand from new manufacturing and technology come to pass, it could further slow the transition to cleaner alternatives.

Another factor that could complicate the city’s mission is the return of Donald Trump to the White House, propelled in part by his promise to gut climate programs.

Standing a few feet from the mayor, Atlanta’s chief sustainability officer, Chandra Farley, expressed confidence in the city’s ability to confront these challenges.

“We’ve been here before,” Farley said. During the previous Trump administration, she said “it was local governments and cities that stepped up.”

Now, she suggested those networks of local officials are in an even better position, with billions of dollars in climate change mitigation funds that have already been dispersed under President Joe Biden, who leaves office Jan. 20.

“We have a lot of dollars on the ground that we have been fortunate enough to receive over the last couple of years, so we’ll be driving forward on implementing those projects and being more ambitious than ever,” Farley said.

Where are we now?

In 2017, Atlanta City Council passed a resolution setting a target of 100% clean energy for municipal operations by 2025 and for the entire city by 2035. In 2019, council extended the timeline for the city to complete its transition, setting interim goals along the way while keeping the ultimate goal of 100% clean energy community-wide by 2035.

Credit: Daniel Varnado

Credit: Daniel Varnado

Farley said the plan is due for another update.

She said in a statement that the city is “confident and on track” to reach its 2035 target. Currently, she said, the city’s energy mix is the same as Georgia Power’s, which the company says is 18% renewable, including solar, wind, hydropower and renewable energy credits.

That figure does not include an additional 2.7 megawatts of solar power generation across more than three dozen municipal arrays, 21 of which have come online since Dickens took office in early 2022, she said.

“To help reach our goals, we’ve applied to multiple Georgia Power clean energy procurement programs, increased electrification of our fleet and have almost doubled the number of solar installations on city properties,” Farley said.

Farley and city representatives would not confirm if Atlanta is on track to meet an interim target of 30% clean energy for municipal operations by the end of this year.

Where Atlanta gets power

While the city can make progress by adding solar panels and battery storage, it’s not currently possible to get all its power directly from renewable or clean energy sources. A handful of U.S. cities have met their 100% clean energy targets through a combination of direction generation and purchased renewable energy credits.

Chicago recently announced it has reached its goal of transitioning city facilities and operations to 100% renewable energy, 70% of which will come from a new, 593-megawatt solar installation, with the remaining 30% coming from purchased renewable energy certificates or credits, known as RECs.

Because electrons on the grid are indistinguishable, these credits allow renewable energy to be tracked and sold, so buyers can purchase credits in an amount that matches their consumption. Credits have become a popular workaround for companies and local governments when renewable generation is intermittent — like solar and wind — or when their incumbent utility is unable or unwilling to meet their demands.

Credits will also be a key part of Atlanta’s strategy, Farley said.

In the meantime, the city is pushing Georgia Power, through hearings before the state Public Service Commission, to increase renewables and adopt policies that would make it more economical for residents and businesses to install their own solar panels.

State law grants Georgia Power a monopoly over its territory, including Atlanta and many of its suburbs. Its generation portfolio and rates must be approved by regulators on the commission, and it is guaranteed a minimum profit of 9.5% and a maximum of 11.9%.

Georgia Power’s parent, Southern Co., has said it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In 2024, fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal — accounted for 62% of its energy mix. Nuclear energy, which makes up 14% of Georgia Power’s generation, is not included in the city’s definition of “clean” energy.

John Kraft, a Georgia Power spokesman, said the utility is working to “responsibly transition our generation fleet to cleaner resources while also maintaining reliable and affordable electric service.” He said Georgia Power has reduced carbon emissions since 2007 by 60% while adding “thousands of megawatts of renewable energy.”

A diversified portfolio is key to cutting emissions and maintaining grid reliability and keeping customer bills affordable, he said.

Regaining momentum

Farley said the city will rely on three key strategies to reach its goal: improved efficiency, generating more electricity from renewable sources and purchasing environmental attributes like credits.

The array at Fire Station No. 40 is among more than three dozen installed for the city by Atlanta-based Cherry Street Energy, the company said. Cherry Street owns and operates the systems, and the city pays the company a monthly power bill. Another 14 arrays are slated for installation at the airport.

Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

Once a sustainability leader, Atlanta lost momentum during the previous mayoral administration of Keisha Lance Bottoms, which overlapped with much of Trump’s first term and the coronavirus pandemic that upended normal city operations.

Dickens has reconstituted the sustainability office as a stand-alone entity and relaunched the city’s clean energy advisory board. The city is adding solar and also focused on improving efficiency of city-owned buildings and other large buildings.

Farley’s office also oversaw a door-knocking effort to recruit low-income residents for home weatherization improvements.

During this time, Atlanta has benefited directly and indirectly from an influx of federal funding and incentives for clean energy, electrification, energy efficiency and electric vehicle infrastructure.

Atlanta has been working closely with a nonprofit that received $156 million to expand rooftop solar for low-income homeowners in the state. And thanks to changes to the federal tax code that passed with climate legislation in 2022, the city is now eligible to get money back on some of its investments, like solar panels, through the “direct pay” program that extended tax credits to local governments and nonprofits.

City Councilman Jason Dozier said the city’s sustainability work is important, and he is concerned about the potential impact of another Trump term coupled with rising energy demands. He said Atlanta should do more to exert influence over the things it can control, including updating its tree ordinance to preserve the canopy, limiting the number of data centers built in the city and encouraging residents to get out of their cars and walk, bike or take public transit.

“It takes time and it takes political support from not just the federal government and Congress, but also the state, and I hope that we continue to advocate and lobby for those efforts as best we can,” he said.

Note of disclosure

This coverage is supported by a partnership with Green South Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at ajc.com/donate/climate.