Author: Ivan Penn / Source: New York Times
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ORLANDO, Fla. — This city has long been a leading tourist destination.
Now, it is vying for another distinction: to be a pioneer in weaning itself from carbon-based energy.You can see its aspirations in the thousands of ponds all over the city that collect the runoff from Central Florida’s frequent downpours. Floating solar panels rise and fall in the water, sending power to the grid.
There is also evidence along city streets, where solar panels sit atop streetlights to power them instead of using the electric grid. About 18,000 of the 25,000 in the city already have been converted to high-efficiency light-emitting diodes.
Even algae pools may play a role. That’s where officials are testing a system to trap the carbon that the city emits from power plants or transportation, rather than release it into the atmosphere.
Orlando, in short, is charting its own course to help curb the effects of climate change. In part, it is stepping in where the federal government has pulled back. It is among almost 300 American cities and counties that have reaffirmed the goals of the Paris climate accord since President Trump announced last year that he intended to withdraw the United States from the pact.
“Cities, we’re having to take the lead,” said Chris Castro, the city’s director of sustainability. “You would have expected the federal government to be taking the lead, but the federal government seems to be backing away every day from the commitments they’ve made.”
Orlando has set a goal of generating all of its energy from carbon-free sources by 2050. Its efforts will be recognized next month at a major climate conference in California. But setting goals is proving far easier than achieving them. And environmental groups like the Sierra Club are agitating to make sure the commitments are more than just talk.
[Read more: California legislators voted to require that 100 percent of the state’s electricity come from carbon-free sources by 2045.]
Mayor Buddy Dyer acknowledges that the city’s goals will require more than resolve. “As a community, we’ve been really good about creating visions,” he said. “I think we all recognize that we need technology advancements to get to 100 percent.”
Here in the center of the Sunshine State, significant potential rests with solar power.
By 2020, solar power is expected to make up 8 percent of the electricity generation of the city-owned utility, which powers much of the metropolitan area, including Universal Studios and SeaWorld, while investor-owned utilities serve some neighboring areas.
The municipal utility has installed equipment to generate 20 megawatts of community solar power — enough to power roughly 3,200 homes — on places like canopies over parking lots. The city’s 280,000 residents contribute an additional…
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