Nishta Jijosh is a Jacksonville resident and concerned citizen. She is a junior and President of the Green P.E.A.S Club at the Bolles School.
The Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) has a diverse energy portfolio that includes solar, biomass and methane gas. The utility’s efforts in sustainability are evident in its strategic plans and recent expansions into solar energy.
With a goal of 35% clean energy by 2030, JEA is on a path toward a greener future. However, in 2023 only 3% of the fuels used to deliver electricity to customers were renewables, with the majority still being supplied by natural gas. The utility’s Electric Integrated Resource Plan mentions a 35% clean power supply portfolio as well as the retirement of less efficient generating assets.
As an extension to this, JEA should aim toward 100% renewable energy by 2050, as this shift will have numerous short-term and long-term benefits. Other than the massive reduction of carbon emissions and the implications of this shift on the environment (and future generations), renewable energy is more cost effective long-term as we eventually run out of our fossil fuel supply. It will also minimize the anticipated financial risk of associated fluctuating costs.
This is the only goal that is acceptable for the long term that aligns with other targets and ensures JEA’s prolonged success as the world inevitably shifts toward renewable energy. My generation and future ones face a complex interplay of environmental, health, financial, and social challenges from earlier generations’ actions.
Jacksonville has already shown increased threats of flooding, fires, storms and heat waves. These trends also predict about double the amount of extreme precipitation events by 2070, a 40% increase in the number of days with a heat index over 90 degrees per year by the mid-21st century, and over 10 times more flooding days in 2050 than in current times.
We cannot prevent or reduce these effects without taking immediate action. For the sake of our future, JEA should consider realigning their goals with a substantial focus on renewable energy.
Nishta Jijosh is a Jacksonville resident and concerned citizen. She is a junior and President of the Green P.E.A.S Club at the Bolles School.
