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Durham sustainability manager: planned solar field will cover roughly 70% of county electricity use, not total energy costs
Summary
Durham County sustainability staff told commissioners a forthcoming solar field will supply about 70% of county electricity consumption (based on 2020 figures), and officials said the project will advance county renewable goals but won’t alone meet 2030 and 2050 targets.
Durham County officials said on April 20 that a planned solar field expected online in 2027 will deliver roughly 70% of the county government’s electricity use, based on 2020 consumption figures.
Tobin Bridal, Durham County sustainability manager, clarified the figure during discussion of a consent agenda item: the 70% figure refers to electricity use only, not total energy use or energy costs. He said the county’s overall energy profile still includes natural gas and vehicle fuels.
“When this solar field comes online in 2027, it’s really gonna take us a big jump towards those 2030 goals,” Bridal said, while noting the county would still need additional measures to meet its targets.
Bridal reminded the board the county adopted goals to reach 80% renewable energy for county operations by 2030 and 100% by 2050, and said work on electrifying fleet vehicles, installing geothermal in a new youth home and adding rooftop solar on county buildings are part of the effort.
The clarification followed Commissioner Jacobs’ question about the item on the consent agenda. County staff said the 70% reference uses 2020 electricity numbers and that staff will return with additional proposals to further reduce the county’s energy footprint.
Why it matters: county officials said the project could materially reduce the county’s electricity-related emissions and move operations toward the board-adopted renewable goals, but they cautioned that electricity is only one piece of the county’s total energy use and that additional changes will be required.
