{"id":8655,"date":"2024-01-08T09:27:54","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T16:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.srpnet.com\/?p=8655"},"modified":"2024-01-08T09:27:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T16:27:57","slug":"decarbonization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.srpnet.com\/es\/decarbonization\/","title":{"rendered":"Responsibly reducing carbon in the desert"},"content":{"rendered":"

SRP\u2019s top sustainability executive explains how the 120-year-old utility ensures that customers, including businesses, schools, hospitals and households, have reliable and affordable energy as it works to reduce carbon emissions intensity. Bobby Olsen, Associate General Manager & Chief Planning, Strategy and Sustainability Executive<\/em>, describes this approach as \u201cresponsible decarbonization.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States, according to phoenix.gov<\/a>, and providing reliable water\u202fand power to its 2 million residents is critical to ensuring that customers can go about their daily lives.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also a safety issue. In 2023, the Associated Press ranked Phoenix as America\u2019s hottest large city<\/a>, with 55 days at 110 degrees or higher and more than 130 days at 100 degrees or higher. Many summer nights failed to drop below 90 degrees, meaning that even a lack of desert sun couldn\u2019t quell the heat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With temps like these, it\u2019s easy to see how weather-related power outages like those seen in other states would put Arizonans at high risk during the summer.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So as SRP\u2019s service area experiences a dramatic increase in power use \u2013 including a projected 25% growth in demand by 2030<\/a> \u2013 we need the right balance of power sources to keep the lights on and the AC running. In fact, we\u2019ll need to roughly double our existing power grid in the next decade to do so.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

10-year plan outlines how SRP can keep power reliable, affordable and sustainable <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As part of our recent Integrated System Planning (ISP)<\/a> process, SRP met with stakeholder groups around the Valley, including low-income advocates, nonprofits, businesses and universities. The goal was to understand how our power generation strategies would need to evolve to meet their needs while taking both the Valley\u2019s growth and a changing climate into account.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this process, we also conducted surveys and focus groups with customers. They made it clear that reliable and affordable power were their top concerns. Sustainability was also listed as important to customers, but not at the expense of higher bills or power outages on hot summer days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why SRP\u2019s long-term resource planning balances our goals for carbon reduction with our commitment to customers and the reliability and affordability they desire.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We call this responsible decarbonization: Reliability, affordability and sustainability \u2013 done responsibly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responsible decarbonization at work for a better Arizona <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re hard at work researching and testing the technology of tomorrow \u2013 like pumped storage, hydrogen hubs and long-duration energy storage. We\u2019re investing in sustainable resources like wind and solar. And we\u2019ve made one of the largest energy storage commitments in the West.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we\u2019re also balancing those investments with flexible natural gas generation assets to avoid high prices and outages. With fast-ramping natural gas, we can ensure that customers don\u2019t lose power on days like July 18, 2023, when our estimated retail peak demand reached a record-breaking 8,163 megawatts (MW) between 4 and 5 p.m., and that customers don\u2019t pay extra by us relying on energy markets where high demand can cause price increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re taking proven steps to achieve ambitious goals. Despite growth larger than nearly every other utility in the United States, SRP has managed to reduce carbon emissions by generation.\u202f  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we\u2019re not doing so at the expense of reliable, affordable power. Proven resources like quick-start, flexible natural gas keep Arizonans safe from power outages and higher bills while we transition to these renewable power sources.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s sustainability done responsibly.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n