Clint Bullock, General Manager & CEO of OUC, is the first to sign the 2030 Solar Pledge.
OUC and City of Orlando on Oct. 19, 2021, launched the 2030 Solar Pledge, an initiative requiring participating OUC commercial customers to commit to using 100% solar energy at their facilities by 2030. Announced at an outdoor ceremony held at OUC’s Gardenia Innovation & Operations Center, the pledge was signed by Clint Bullock, General Manager & CEO of OUC, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and representatives with the City of St. Cloud, Orange County Government, UCF Downtown, boat maker Correct Craft, and Orlando City and Orlando Pride professional soccer teams.
The pledge also requires participating commercial customers to initially power their facilities with at least 10% solar energy, and they can increase their renewable energy commitment incrementally until 2030. The commitment is made possible through OUCommunity Solar, which gives OUC’s commercial and residential customers access to sustainable, maintenance-free solar without the installation and cost associated with adding panels on their facilities or homes.
“Solar is a critical part of meeting our strategic goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with interim goals of 50% by 2030 and 75% by 2040,” said Britta Gross, who as President of OUC’s Board also signed the pledge.
From left, Clint Bullock, General Manager & CEO of OUC, Orlando City/Orlando Pride mascot “Kingston,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Britta Gross, President of OUC’s Board, celebrate signing the 2030 Solar Pledge.
In signing the pledge, OUC vowed to invest heavily in solar energy, with Bullock noting that $420 million has already been committed to solar. OUC plans to expand its solar generation to 272 megawatts by 2023, providing enough power for 50,000 typical homes.
Bullock added that the pledge marks “another step toward . . . a greener future for Central Florida. The solar pledge guides commercial customers for future renewable investments, and we’re looking forward to working with all of our partners, like the City of St. Cloud, Correct Craft, Orange County Government, Orlando City Soccer Club, Orlando Pride and UCF Downtown, as they embrace solar energy.”
As a pledge signatory, the City of Orlando, which in 2018 became the first OUCommunity Solar commercial customer subscriber, will increase its solar energy use as part of a commitment to sustainability and increasing its reliance on renewable energy.
“We power all of City Hall, we power OPD [Orlando Police Department] headquarters, 15 fire stations, 12 neighborhood centers and senior centers, 21 parks, including Lake Eola Park; in total we have 52 facilities that are powered by solar energy,” said Mayor Dyer. “As we move forward we’re going to continue to subscribe new city buildings each year [to OUCommunity Solar]. As we look ahead, it’s important that more businesses adopt clean energy, and together we can make a better future for our community.”
Also signing the pledge were Keith Trace, Deputy Mayor of St. Cloud; Jeff Benavides, Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer of Orange County Government; Curtis Wade, Sr. Director of Utilities and Energy Services, UCF Downtown; Bill Yeargin, President and CEO of Correct Craft; and “Kingston,” the official mascot of Orlando City Soccer Club and Orlando Pride.
