Although it’s not technically a renewable portfolio standard, or RPS, since no mandates exist, Texas utility Austin Energy wants to double the solar energy portion of its electricity generation mix to more than 35 percent.

Austin Energy’s 2008 carbon reduction plan targeted a goal of 30 percent; that is, almost one-third of this capitol city’s electricity generation would come from renewables through 2020. The new goal represents an additional 16 percent from renewables, and would help the utility reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels.

Most significant, however, in a state that seems increasingly aimed at wind generation, is the doubling of solar output, to 200 megawatts.

Currently, Austin Energy’s generation mix is 32 percent coal, 25 percent nuclear, and 31 percent natural gas. The 2020 goal will put wind in the lead, at 26 percent, closely followed by 22 percent nuclear, 23 percent coal, 19 percent natural gas, 7 percent biomass and 3 percent solar.

This might seem like a drop in the bucket to most observers, but in the United States, solar only accounts for one-half of one percent of the total mix of U.S. electricity generation, so 3 percent is well ahead of the curve – though still behind California, where solar represents one-quarter of one percent of total electricity generation.

Part of the impetus behind Austin Energy’s new goal is the fact that its renewable energy program, GreenChoice, is failing to gain new subscribers due to low energy prices. Though Austin residents have opted-in for almost 800 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy, most of this is represented by wind. In fact, Austin Energy’s November 2009 resource plan shows a mere 1 percent of solar generation.

This may be changed by the proposed 30-megawatt Gemini Solar farm, on 320 acres along Blake Manor Road, which Austin Energy labels America’s biggest solar installation. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2010, and completed within the year, producing enough electricity to power 5,000 homes.

City-owned Austin Energy was recently ranked second out of 100 utilities in the U.S. by IDC Energy Insights (see July-August issue, Intelligent Utility Magazine). This “near genius” rating was based on the utility’s reliability, affordability and sustainability, particularly in the area of smart-grid applications, which will see the utility installing nearly 400,000 smart meters. San Diego-based Sempra Energy ranked first.

In any case, Austin Energy is well ahead of the Texas curve, which sees a 2025 goal of 500 megawatts of energy by 2025 with non-wind renewable energy. This RPS, per Senate Bill 20, would be ideal for solar if not for the fact that it includes some very iffy, and likely nonrenewable, sources of energy like biomass.