Traverse City sets path to 100% renewable energy

Jim Carruthers | Detroit Free Press

Surrounded by beautiful lakeshore and majestic sand dunes, we are proud of what Traverse City has to offer. This month, the Traverse City Light & Power board, which governs the city’s municipal utility company, gave us something else to be proud of.

The board voted to set a goal to power the entire city with 100% clean, renewable energy by 2040, with an interim goal of 40% by 2025. This clean energy goal will help protect our air and water, create clean energy jobs and ensure Traverse City has affordable and reliable energy for years to come.

Traverse City is the first city in Michigan to set a 100%, communitywide clean energy goal, making it one of more than 70 in the U.S. to do so. This new goal builds upon the 2016 goal to power 100% of city operations with renewables, which I worked on with the city commission as the first step. We're thrilled that this communitywide goal followed so quickly, expanding a 100% commitment to include all residences and business.

A rapid shift to clean energy is necessary, achievable and will bring many benefits to Traverse City as well as cities across Michigan. Now is the time for bold leadership on clean energy and cities are stepping up to lead the way.

Aging coal-fired power plants have become expensive to operate and maintain. They also emit dangerous pollution that is harmful to the health of Michigan families and our children’s future. Transitioning from our overreliance on these dirty sources of energy in favor of cleaner sources, like wind and solar, will help improve our health and save lives. It will protect our beautiful natural resources for future generations and reduce the pollution impacting our climate. In fact, powering Traverse City with clean energy is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 200,000 metric tons annually.

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The transition will also create jobs and drive investment to the community. In 2017, Traverse City Light & Power spent about $13 million importing energy from outside of northern Michigan, and more than half of that was spent on coal, a fuel imported from other states. Michigan is home to more than 122,000 clean energy jobs, and our clean energy goal will build upon this important sector of our economy, opening the door to clean, renewable energy projects that support homegrown jobs and local businesses.

Clean, renewable energy is also more affordable than ever, making this transition a smart investment for customers. According to an analysis by Lazard Investment Bank, prices for clean energy sources, like wind and solar, are now cheaper than coal and cost-competitive with natural gas. With technological advancements, renewable energy is a reliable source of electricity, and battery storage technology is advancing rapidly.

I applaud Traverse City Light & Power for taking this bold step towards a clean energy future for the city, and I applaud Traverse City residents and businesses for their overwhelming support of this decision. I look forward to working together to achieve this bold goal, and hope it serves as a model for other cities across Michigan to invest in a more rapid shift to clean, renewable energy.

Jim Carruthers is mayor of Traverse City.