Scarcity. It’s that undercurrent of stress that keeps you up at night. And if you have an EV charging business that depends on your utility to keep the power flowing, that stress has probably reached peak levels as seasonal weather patterns threaten power outages at every turn.
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The cure—at least for EV charging business owners—is renewable energy sources. Specifically, those utilities pledging to be 100% renewable by 2060.
If your utility is among those pledging to be all renewable by 2060, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Meet five future-focused utilities that have taken steps to source their electricity from renewable sources in fewer than 40 years.
1. Xcel Energy
According to a recent University of Colorado Boulder-led study, many utility companies have taken the initiative to go renewable without waiting for government regulations to kick in. After all, their goal is to provide stellar service to their customers. With renewable energy sources, their customers won’t have to worry about the grid going down.
One of the leaders in this movement is Xcel Energy. But they’re not waiting for 2060 to arrive before they hit their goal. Xcel has taken steps to get to 100% carbon-free power by 2050.
To achieve this milestone, Xcel has already cut its greenhouse gas emissions. But that’s only the beginning. The utility has set several targets to hit by 2030 to put its long-term plan into place. Those targets include:
- Lowering carbon emissions by 80% to current customers
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from its natural gas service
- Enabling one in five vehicles across its service areas to be EVs by 2030
Setting the bar high has already led to significant progress. The electricity it produces is 50% cleaner than it was in 2005.
2. Southern Company
As the University of Colorado study notes, the states Southern Company serves — Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi — have not enacted net zero portfolio standards. Yet this Deep South utility can see the benefits of renewable energy for its customers and has made providing them with “clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy” a centerpiece of its mission.
Specifically, the utility has grown its portfolio of carbon-free resources and has set a goal to become net zero by 2050. To that end, it conducts leading-edge research on clean energy technologies, develops energy-saving programs and services for its customers, and continues to build its portfolio of renewable energy sources.
Southern Company’s decarbonization plans have already borne fruit. By 2022, it reduced carbon emissions by 46% and is on track to achieve a 50% reduction in its emissions by 2030. If it continues on the same track, it should easily achieve net zero by 2050.
With these goals top of mind, Southern Company has already become the fifth-largest renewable-owning company in the US. If their leadership’s plans bear fruit, it should become all-renewable by 2060 — or much earlier. Those plans include:
- Reducing its reliance on coal-generated energy
- Using their natural gas resources more efficiently
- Continuing to grow their clean energy portfolio
- Enhancing their energy efficiency initiatives
- Deploying negative-carbon solutions
- Researching and developing more clean energy technologies, such as solar, nuclear, wind, biomass, landfill gases, hydropower, and batteries
- Partnering with suppliers and customers to reduce their carbon emissions
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3. NextEra Energy
Upping the ante on the previous two utilities, Florida’s NextEra Energy looks to exceed its goal of going 100% renewable by 2050. It’s no wonder it’s the nation’s largest utility company with such progress toward a sustainable future for its customers. So far, the company is on track to be carbon emissions-free by at least 2045.
Working in five-year increments, the company has already reduced its carbon consumption by 58% from 2005 to 2021. Its recipe for success includes its national dominance in the wind and solar power industries and its global leadership in battery storage.
Investing “billions of dollars in energy infrastructure across North America,” NextEra has put its money where its PR mouth is. Saving its customers over $12 billion in fuel costs, NextEra’s commitment has driven customer loyalty as it has reduced its carbon output.
It doesn’t plan to stop there. To reach its target by 2045, NextEra has invested in EV charging infrastructure, hydrogen, and distributed generation projects.
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4. CenterPoint Energy
With its goal to provide “comprehensive energy solutions for customers” and create a more efficient energy supply for businesses, CenterPoint Energy has driven ahead with its plan to transition to all-renewable energy sources by 2050.
To hit its target, the Houston-based utility provides its customers with affordable energy efficiency and conservation programs. In addition, it plans to take the lead in offering its customers more and better choices in sustainable transportation, such as natural gas and battery-powered vehicles. To this end, it plans to expand EV charging infrastructure across its service area.
CenterPoint’s influence extends well beyond its own service area, though. Partnering with Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Evansville, Indiana, the utility has helped these Midwestern cities implement their own zero-emissions, zero-waste goals. For a utility planted deep within an oil country, that’s an accomplishment well worth mentioning.
5. Entergy
Like CenterPoint, Entergy serves a region where oil is king. Yet this Louisiana utility has committed itself to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.
With a solid commitment to a cleaner environment, Entergy has taken a step-by-step approach to meet that goal. These steps include:
- Producing 50% of its electricity with carbon-free energy sources backed up with battery storage by 2030
- Reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 50% from the year 2000 to 2030
As of 2023, Entergy has already reached 23% of its 2030 carbon-free goal and 38% toward its 50% 2030 emissions rate reduction.
What is stunning — and the University of Colorado study concurs — is that Entergy and many other top US utilities serve areas without strict carbon-reduction protocols. Clearly, the move toward renewables is winning the public over.
For that reason, it looks like the study’s conclusion might be well within reach. The nation’s electrical grid could very well go carbon-free by 2060.
Find Your Way Toward a Renewable Future at an EV Charging Summit Event
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Whether you head a local utility or an EV charging infrastructure company, you need to play a part in the nation’s path to 100% renewable energy. At an EV Charging Summit event, you’ll learn about all the cutting-edge technologies you can leverage to achieve that goal in your community. Register for your place at our next event today!
