What is Rochester doing to prepare for a future powered by renewable energy?

In 2015, former Mayor Ardell Brede set forward an ambitious goal of making Rochester energy net-zero by 2031. The proclamation positioned the city as an early adopter in the movement to begin mitigating the effects of climate change. 

But turning political will into action isn’t always easy — and despite significant progress, including a pledge from Rochester Public Utilities to transition its electricity to 100 percent renewable resources — the city remains a long way from becoming carbon-free.  

The city’s latest goals set a benchmark for reducing greenhouse emissions by 30 percent by 2035, and 80 percent by 2050. Both are below the targets set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which calls for a carbon-free future midway into this century.

The latest IPCC report warns that while political and economic decisions are the primary drivers of conflict, climate change will continue to grow “as a threat to global and local stability.” It says that climate impacts are only likely to worsen in the years ahead as the world continues to warm, “with growing adverse effects on economies, ecosystems, and human health.”

Climate activist Ivan Idso said while recent actions taken on the city level are commendable, they are not nearly enough to alleviate the worse impacts of climate change. Idso, the 2019 recipient of the Mayor’s Medal of Honor for sustainability, said more aggressive action will need to be taken to address what he described as a “climate emergency.” 

“We have been more ahead on the desire to do something than we have been actually doing anything, in my opinion,” said Idso, who helped organize the city’s first EarthFest. “We don’t have another planet. We only have one planet, and we need to start living that way.”

RPU shifts toward renewables

In 2019, the RPU board made a historic commitment — over the next decade it would commit to weaning off fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

In doing so, the Rochester municipal power agency joined only a handful of others in the state pursuing such an aggressive timeline.

“I would say it’s unique that we are actually doing this in 2030 — that we will be able to get to 100 percent renewables by then,” said Jeremy Sutton, director of power resources for RPU. “Many other utility providers have goals that are much further out.”

In an effort to realize its commitment, RPU decided against renewing its contract with the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, which now supplies the majority of its energy, only 25 percent of which comes from renewable sources; much of the rest comes from coal.

RPU also purchased 138 acres of land on Valleyhigh Drive in northwest Rochester where it is developing a 10-megawatt solar field. The solar field is a milestone investment, though it will only cover a fraction of the total energy needed, with RPU buying into other sources to fulfill demand. 

“Just to give some scale, it takes 138 acres for 10 [megawatts]; we need 500 megawatts of renewables,” said Sutton. “That’s going to take some time, and that’s a billion-dollar plan.”

With Rochester’s population expected to continue growing, Sutton emphasized conservation as a key part of RPU’s strategy toward reducing greenhouse gasses. He said the reduction in energy use would be similar to a “good-sized” power plant.

Sutton also noted that while RPU’s goal is to rely on 100 percent renewable energy, there will be times — such as during extreme weather events — when there won’t be enough renewables online to meet demand. For those scenarios, RPU is recommending an investment in a natural gas turbine or battery resource to provide back-up.

Still, Sutton said, any use of natural gas or another resource would be offset by the renewable energy produced through RPU’s commitment. He estimated that the use of a turbine or batter would be limited to less than 5 percent of the year.

“As long as the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, those units will be online,” said Sutton, adding that the shift to renewables is expected to add less than $2 per month to the average residential customer’s energy bill.

What about other emissions?

While Idso has been a proponent of the RPU plan, calling it a “great opportunity for Rochester,” he does have concerns about the city’s ongoing dependency on fossil fuels for heating and transportation.

“Those are going to be the tougher ones to really bite off,” said Idso.

Today, electricity accounts for about 50 percent of the city’s energy use, with the remaining half coming from heating buildings and operating vehicles. Given Rochester’s population trajectory, the latter are expected to continue to increase even as the city’s electric supply shifts green.

“What can we do to start mitigating the effect of those emissions?” asked Lauren Jensen, the city’s sustainability coordinator, during a recent presentation to the city council.

Jensen outlined a number of strategies, from shifting away from single-occupancy vehicles to incentivizing developers to build more efficient homes. She also noted the potential for more electric-fueled vehicles and buildings.

One example she pointed to is a proposed $15.6 million project to electrify the heating and cooling needs of downtown buildings, including City Hall, the Rochester Public Library, Mayo Civic Center, as well as other privately-owned buildings. 

“We continue to look at district energy systems, and how those can grow and be built in other areas of our community,” said Jensen. “It makes it really easy to electrify a large amount of square footage of buildings.” (Jensen also noted that Mayo Clinic, the city’s largest employer has started looking at a decarbonization plan, though no timeline has been set.)

Some of the city’s strategies, however, have been met with skepticism. Councilor Nick Campion suggested that if the city is truly concerned about sustainability, then it should start thinking more broadly about the impacts of new construction in the city.

Describing some of the talk around sustainability as “window-dressing,” Campion said the city should be measuring the environmental impacts to developments — such as sprawling housing projects — on a regular basis, rather than revisiting the topic from time to time. 

“I know we are concerned about sustainability, but our hesitancy to do really basic changes that would promote this — maybe, to me, that’s a measure of where we’re at,” said Campion.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.

Cover photo licensed via Canva