City Explores Renewable Energy Credits Program for Residents and Businesses

The Sedona City Council meeting held on August 27, 2025, focused on the potential for the city to procure renewable energy beyond its municipal consumption. The discussion centered around the concept of renewable energy credits (RECs) and how they could benefit both the city and its residents.

The council explored the idea that by acquiring more energy than it uses, Sedona could generate RECs that could be allocated to local residents and businesses. This would allow community members to either sign up for these credits or have them managed on their behalf. The timeline for implementing such a program is estimated to be around two to three years, during which the city would work on the logistics of the initiative.

A council member highlighted the municipality's annual energy consumption, which is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 megawatt hours, compared to the area's total usage of about 167,000 megawatt hours. This context was provided to illustrate the scale of the proposed energy procurement.

Further discussion raised questions about the tangible benefits of RECs, with a council member seeking clarification on how these credits would translate into real-world impact rather than merely serving as a symbolic gesture. The response emphasized that the city would be able to directly associate its energy credits with specific renewable energy projects, such as solar or wind farms, thereby ensuring that the initiative is grounded in concrete actions rather than abstract claims.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to further explore the feasibility of the renewable energy program, with the aim of enhancing the community's sustainability efforts while providing clear benefits to residents.