Austin Energy
Encyclopedia
Austin Energy is the public utility
providing electrical power
service to a 421 square miles (1,090.4 km²) area including Austin, Texas
and parts of the surrounding area in Travis
and Williamson
counties. It has been owned by the City of Austin since its inception in 1893.
sources such as wind power by enrolling in the GreenChoice plan. Austin Energy purchases wind power
generated in West Texas
and power generated through the burning of landfill gas
at landfills in Austin and San Antonio
. As part of its Power Saver program, rebates of $2.50 per watt
are offered for the purchase of solar photovoltaic cells. The utility has also offered rebates on some Energy Star
appliances.
On March 5, 2009, the Austin City Council authorized Austin Energy to enter into an agreement with Gemini Solar Development Co. to build a 300 acres (1.2 km²), 30 megawatt solar array. When completed in 2011, the plant, located in Webberville, Texas
, will be the largest solar power generating project in the United States.
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
providing electrical power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
service to a 421 square miles (1,090.4 km²) area including Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and parts of the surrounding area in Travis
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
and Williamson
Williamson County, Texas
Williamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
counties. It has been owned by the City of Austin since its inception in 1893.
Power plants
- Holly Street Power Plant — Constructed 1960-1974, the Holly Street plant was designed to run on natural gasNatural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, with fuel oilFuel oilFuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
as an alternative. At its peak, Holly produced up to 558 megawatts. Its location in a residential neighborhood resulted in considerable pressure to retire the plant, which occurred in 2007. The plant was decommissioned in September 2007 and deconstruction, which was originally planned for the summer of 2010, began in October 2011. - Decker Creek Power Station — Constructed 1967-1978, the Decker Creek plant was designed to run on natural gas, with fuel oil as an alternative. The Decker Creek Power Station has an output of 926 megawatts.
- Sand Hill Energy Center — Constructed 2001-2004, the Sand Hill unit is a natural gas fired combined cycleCombined cycleIn electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem off the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators...
power plant capable of generating 480 megawatts. Sand Hill Energy Center also has 4 natural gas simple cycle peaker units(LM6000) each capable of 50 megawatts. During the summer of 2009 work began on two new 50 megawatt simple cycle units. The project should be complete by the summer of 2010.
- Fayette Power ProjectFayette Power ProjectThe Fayette Power Project, also known as Sam Seymour power plant, is a coal fired power plant located at near La Grange, Texas in Fayette County, Texas...
— Austin Energy owns 50% of two units (Unit 1 and Unit 2) of this coalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
fired power plant, with the Lower Colorado River AuthorityLower Colorado River AuthorityThe Lower Colorado River Authority or LCRA is a nonprofit public utility that was created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to protect people, property and the environment by providing public services for more than one million people in Central and Southeast Texas... - South Texas ProjectSouth Texas Nuclear Generating StationThe South Texas Project Electric Generating Station , is a nuclear power station southwest of Bay City, Texas, United States. The STP occupies a 12,200 acre site on the Colorado River about 90 miles southwest of Houston...
— Austin Energy owns 16% of this nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
plant
Green energy
Energy customers can choose to pay a fixed 20 year rate on power obtained from renewable energyRenewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
sources such as wind power by enrolling in the GreenChoice plan. Austin Energy purchases wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
generated in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
and power generated through the burning of landfill gas
Landfill gas
Landfill gas is a complex mix of different gases created by the action of microorganisms within a landfill.-Production:Landfill gas production results from chemical reactions and microbes acting upon the waste as the putrescible materials begins to break down in the landfill...
at landfills in Austin and San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. As part of its Power Saver program, rebates of $2.50 per watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
are offered for the purchase of solar photovoltaic cells. The utility has also offered rebates on some Energy Star
Energy Star
Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
appliances.
On March 5, 2009, the Austin City Council authorized Austin Energy to enter into an agreement with Gemini Solar Development Co. to build a 300 acres (1.2 km²), 30 megawatt solar array. When completed in 2011, the plant, located in Webberville, Texas
Webberville, Texas
Webberville is a village in Travis County, Texas . Its population was 336, according to a 2008 census estimate.Comprising settlements dating back to 1827, Webber's Prairie was formally established by retired physician John Ferdinand Webber in 1839...
, will be the largest solar power generating project in the United States.