Charlotte staff outline draft Strategic Energy Action Plan; seek committee approval to send SEAP to full council

Charlotte sustainability staff presented a progress update on a revised Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) to the Transportation Planning and Development Committee on March 3, asking the committee to prepare to refer the draft SEAP to full council in April.

Sarah Hayes and members of the sustainability team described the draft plan as an update to the city—s adopted 2018 climate framework. Staff said the revised plan adds an intermediate community-wide milestone for 2035, establishes a new community renewable-energy generation goal, and splits municipal targets for buildings and fleet into separate objectives. Staff said the municipal goal now calls for municipal electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2030 and net-zero municipal emissions by 2050; additional milestones cover municipal fleet electrification and building decarbonization.

Sustainability staff described the plan—s structure: four focus areas (buildings, energy generation, transportation and cross-cutting) with strategies and specific actions under each. Examples highlighted in the presentation included expanding residential weatherization and efficiency programs; incentivizing voluntary commercial benchmarking and recognition ("Power Down the Crown"); continuing to pursue public-private renewable generation projects such as the previously approved Green Source Advantage solar project; a target of about 600 megawatts of distributed renewable generation as a citywide objective; expanding city electric-vehicle charging and supporting a clean-fueling plan for the municipal and public fleets; and new actions to address waste reduction and tree canopy.

Staff also described public engagement to date: more than 60 conversations, 40 engagements at events and more than 353 survey respondents with 400 open-ended comments, which staff said helped shape priorities. Staff said the top survey priorities were sustainable modes of transportation, energy-efficient technologies and climate resiliency; the top climate risks respondents reported were extreme heat and severe storms.

Members of the committee praised the effort but pressed for simpler slide material and clearer communication for residents and businesses, asking staff to provide specific, plain-language explanations of what requirements or incentives property owners and businesses should expect, how the city will phase cost impacts, and what the plan—s near-term, measurable milestones will be. Committee members also urged staff to make the draft available early so council members and the public have time to review it before any vote; staff said the draft would be available in late March and the committee would be asked in April to vote to send SEAP to full council for adoption later in April or May.

Ending: Staff said the SEAP draft will be published by late March in time for public and committee review, that the plan emphasizes workforce development tied to implementation, and that the team will return to committee in April with a referral request to full council.