Gahanna Councilman Stephen A Renner

08/10/2026

Beyond the Labels: What Sustainability and Resilience Really Mean

Sustainability and resilience are sometimes dismissed as “green” ideas, as though environmental concerns were separate from the everyday responsibilities of local government. But that really misses their most important and true meaning.

Local government exists to serve its residents. Sustainability and resilience are modern frameworks for effective governance in service to that fundamental purpose.

Human society does not exist apart from the natural world. It operates within, and depends upon, the larger ecological system that sustains life. Our economy depends upon people, and every community depends upon clean water, breathable air, productive land, energy, natural resources, and a reasonably stable climate. These are neither luxuries nor amenities outside the human system, but are essential foundations of public health, economic prosperity, and community well-being.

In fact, that is the task of good governance: meeting human needs and supporting prosperity within the ecological limits that make both possible.

This ecological foundation and systems viewpoint are why sustainability and resilience are often associated with environmental or “green” efforts. Yet their meaning and application are much broader.

During a recent Council discussion, a question was raised about whether sustainability and resilience should be community priorities. We did not have time to explore the issue fully, but I believe it deserves more than a quick exchange.

Sustainability asks whether the decisions we make today can endure without diminishing the health, prosperity, resources, and opportunities available to residents today and in the future. It considers people, economic prosperity, and the natural systems that support that human system. This is often summarized as the three Ps: people, prosperity, and planet.

Resilience asks a related but different question: How well can our community prepare for, withstand, adapt to, and recover from changing conditions and unexpected disruptions?

Those disruptions might include extreme heat, flooding, severe storms, poor air quality, power interruptions, public health threats, economic shocks, aging infrastructure, or changing water and energy demands.

Sustainability and resilience overlap, but they are not interchangeable. Sustainability helps us identify and reduce long-term risks as well as avoid creating new problems. Resilience helps us manage the disruptions and changing conditions that cannot be entirely avoided.

Neither concept means that every proposal labeled “green,” “sustainable,” or “resilient” is automatically good policy. Each proposal must still be evaluated for its cost, effectiveness, tradeoffs, and measurable public benefit. The nuances matter, and the choices involved deserve thoughtful public discussion.

But dismissing these concepts because of the labels attached to them would mean overlooking some of local government’s most important and fundamental responsibilities:

Are we using public resources responsibly and in ways that can be sustained over time?

Are our infrastructure and services prepared for changing conditions?

Are we protecting public health and our most vulnerable residents?

Are we strengthening our local economy? And are today’s decisions preserving or limiting the choices available to the next generation?

Whatever terminology we use, building a community that can remain healthy, prosperous, adaptable, and secure is not separate from our responsibility to serve residents.

It is at the heart of our duty of care.




Aerial imagery source: Google Earth. Municipal boundary added by Google Earth; screen capture August 2026.

Graphic adapted from The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries by Kate Raworth and Christian Guthier, CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted to illustrate local governance, sustainability, and resilience. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Final image made using ChatGPT.

07/30/2026

Electricity has a timing problem….

….and a major part of the solution is now being built just down the road.

This post is long, so bear with me. At the end, there is a link to an online game too.

This week, Eolian announced that construction has begun on Flint Grid, a massive battery energy storage facility in Jersey Township near New Albany, just east of our fair Gahanna and alongside one of our country’s fastest-growing concentrations of data centers and advanced manufacturing. (a whole separate conversation!)

Flint Grid will be capable of delivering 200 megawatts of power and storing more than 1 gigawatt-hour of electricity. In practical terms, it could operate at full output for approximately 5.3 hours. It is expected to be the largest battery storage project yet built in Ohio and across the 13-state PJM regional grid!

Why does that matter?

Well, like I said, electricity has a timing problem. There’s considerable confusion and misinformation in the public discussion about energy. So, I thought its worth breaking down what grid-scale batteries actually do, what they do not do, and why they are becoming so important today.

Every second of every day, the amount of electricity entering the grid must match the amount being used. Demand can rise suddenly, power plants can go offline, and wind and solar production vary with weather and time of day. If supply and demand fall too far out of balance, reliability suffers.

So, at every moment, grid operators must keep the electricity supplied to the grid matching the demand or consumption. This continuous process is balancing the grid, load balancing, and it is essential to maintaining both a stable frequency and reliable electric service.

Think of a grid-scale battery as somewhat like a water tower. A water tower does not create water. It stores water when the system has available capacity and releases it when demand increases. Similarly, a battery stores electricity when it is abundant or less expensive and returns it when the grid needs it most.

A battery does not have to be connected directly to a solar or wind farm to be valuable. As a stand-alone grid resource, Flint Grid can:
• respond to changing grid conditions within milliseconds;
• reduce strain during periods of peak demand;
• help stabilize the grid when a generator or transmission line fails;
• make better use of existing power lines and substations; and
• reduce reliance on some of the most expensive power plants used only during peak periods.

When combined with renewable energy, battery storage becomes even more valuable. Solar panels may produce more electricity during the afternoon than we immediately need, while demand often remains high after sunset. Batteries can store some of that solar energy and move it into the evening. They can similarly capture wind power produced overnight and make it available during higher-demand hours.

Battery storage is not a complete energy solution. It does not generate electricity, some energy is lost during charging and discharging, and Central Ohio will still need new generation, transmission, efficiency, and responsible planning, most especially as data-center demand grows. (yea, this is another separate conversation!)

But storage provides something every modern electricity system increasingly needs: flexibility.

A surprisingly effective way to understand this challenge is NESO’s free “Balance the Grid” game. It places you in the operator’s chair and asks you to keep electricity supply and demand balanced as conditions change. Although created for Great Britain, the same basic physics applies here in Ohio. The game is sometimes slow to load. Be patient.

Try the game:
https://www.neso.energy/energy-101/balancing-grid-interactive-game

Learn about Flint Grid:
https://www.flintgridproject.com/

Yes, there is an energy transition occurring. This energy transition is not simply about choosing one source of electricity over another. It IS about building a system in which generation, storage, transmission, efficiency, and flexible demand work together…reliably, affordably, and with lower emissions.

(infographic made with ChapGPT)

07/09/2026

Oh! If you have any interest, please attend, as region learns how to connect all the trails together!

07/06/2026

Just a fun post!

Tonight, the U.S. Men’s National Team takes on Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16!! ⚽🇺🇸

Here in Gahanna, we have a rich soccer tradition, from the Gahanna Soccer Association and other youth leagues, to Gahanna Lincoln soccer, to players who have gone on to compete at the college and professional levels. (Yes, I’m looking you Will Trapp, Alex Crognale, Saad Abdul-Salaam, and Seth Stammler!)

And because everyone knows I’m a nerd…
let’s talk science! Actually, about the physics of the World Cup soccer ball and why the new 2026 Trionda is such an interesting engineering design. ⚽🤓

A soccer ball has something called a ‘drag crisis’, a speed range where airflow around the ball changes and drag can suddenly rise or fall. That matters because those speeds are not abstract laboratory numbers. They match how the game is actually played.

Let’s try to break this down:

🏃‍♂️ 7 to 15 m/s — Short and Medium Passes
This is the everyday rhythm of the game: midfield passes, quick combinations, controlled buildup play. On older balls like the infamous 2010 Jabulani, the airflow could become unstable as the ball slowed down, making some low-spin passes and shots behave unpredictably.

🚀 15 to 25 m/s — Long Crosses, Corners, and Switches
When a defender sends a 40-yard ball across the field, or a winger bends in a cross, the ball is often moving in this range. This is where surface texture, seams, and panel geometry really matter. A smoother ball can become more prone to flutter or “knuckling,” while a better-textured ball can hold a more predictable path.

💥 25 to 35 m/s+ — Power Shots and Free Kicks
This is the blistering speed right off a player’s boot. The fascinating trade-off with the Trionda is that its deeper grooves and textured surface may create slightly more drag at higher speeds, meaning it may give up a little maximum range or top-end speed.

But that appears to be the point.

The trade off? Designers seem to have traded a tiny bit of top-end speed for greater consistency and control. By accepting a little more air resistance on hard, low-spin shots, the ball may avoid the sudden dips, chaotic swerves, and unpredictable movement that made some past balls so controversial.

The embedded sensor technology is another layer (and a separate philosophical discussion!) helping with officiating and VAR, but the flight stability still comes mostly from the physical design of the ball itself: the panels, seams, grooves, textures, and how the airflow behaves around it.

So tonight, while we cheer for the U.S., remember: we’re not just watching skill, tactics, and athleticism.

We’re watching advanced fluid dynamics in action! 📐🌪️

(Told you I’m a nerd…🤓😂😉)

Go USMNT 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

07/04/2026

Happy 250th, America! 🇺🇸

Today we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, and the birth of an idea that still challenges us: that we are ALL created equal and endowed with unalienable rights.

To me, a quarter century is an extraordinary milestone for any nation built as an experiment. And our experiment, our story of America has never been a straight line of perfect harmony. The fundamental architecture of our Constitution took time and was designed by brilliant but deeply flawed human beings, great people shaped by their time, who left behind a blueprint grander than the reality they lived in.

Yet they also created something remarkable: not a perfect nation, but a system capable of growth, correction, and renewal. An engine for self-government, IF we are willing to do the work. (Please reread that.)

Today, it is easy to fall into either/or thinking. To see our history, our institutions, and even one another as purely good or purely bad. But a lasting republic requires something harder: honesty, humility, patience, and the courage to keep learning. Being intellectually humble is being in service of our community.

As Benjamin Franklin reminded his fellow delegates when signing the Constitution:

“For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment…”

That spirit feels especially important today.

Our democracy is not a finished product. It is a daily practice and a shared, multi-generational project. So as we celebrate the extraordinary foundation we have been given, may we also recommit ourselves, as citizens, neighbors, and communities, to the messy, necessary work of building a more perfect union TOGETHER.

Independence was only the beginning. Our work still continues.

Happy Independence Day! 🎆

05/16/2026

Gahanna residents should pay close attention to this issue!

There has been a significant change in Ohio law regarding the public disclosure of information related to tax incentives and other economic-development assistance between local governments and private entities.

The new ORC 9.66 language is very broad. It says information submitted to a political subdivision, port authority, or Tax Incentive Review Council by an applicant or recipient of economic-development assistance, including grants, exemptions, credits, loans, awards, cooperative agreements, or similar financial assistance…”is confidential and not a public record.” It also covers “any information taken for any purpose from that information.” Violations may also carry criminal penalties.

Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano recently raised an important concern about how this change could affect transparency around economic-development incentives and very worthwhile reading.

My understanding is that the concern goes beyond executive session. When Council enters executive session, members are already legally restricted from discussing confidential details publicly. But this change in Ohio law may also limit what can be publicly disclosed later, EVEN when tax incentives or economic-development assistance come forward for a public vote.

That matters deeply to all of us.

Residents may see a public vote, but not necessarily hear all of the underlying details that would normally help them evaluate the public cost, public benefit, infrastructure impact, land-use implications, and long-term obligations.

There is a legitimate need to protect trade secrets, private financial information, and sensitive business strategy. But when public incentives, public infrastructure, public tax authority, or public services are involved, residents deserve to know the essential terms of the decision being made on their behalf.

This will obviously require careful navigation by local anyone in local elected office. But the principle should remain clear: Transparency should be the default for public decisions.

Stay tuned….

Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano says a recent change to Ohio law makes a wide range of economic development information confidential. Read his opinion editorial column here.

05/04/2026

Understanding Electric Rates.

Electric rates are rising across the PJM region, including here in Central Ohio, and I think it is important to explain the issue in a balanced way.

First off, it’s true that renewable energy, especially utility-scale solar and wind, is often cheaper to build and operate than new fossil-fuel generation. Solar plus battery storage is more expensive than solar alone, but it adds an important benefit: flexibility. It allows energy produced during one part of the day to be used when demand is higher including at night.

So why are rates still going up?

The answer is sort of complicated as we do not pay only for the cost of generating one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Our bills also reflect capacity charges, transmission costs, congestion, fuel prices, supplier risk, and the overall reliability needs of the regional grid.

PJM, the regional grid operator that serves Ohio and parts of 12 other states and Washington, D.C., is facing several challenges at once:

Electric demand is rising, especially from data centers, and from electrification of all things plus economic growth, especially in manufacturing and fabrication sectors.

Older power plants are retiring or becoming less economical to operate and maintain. Some elected officials even force these plants to continue, costing us millions.

New generation projects, including many lower-cost renewable and storage projects, have been stuck in a long and antiquated interconnection queue process at PJM. Reforms were studied and slowly applied in 2023 thru 2025.

Transmission upgrades are needed to move power from where it is generated to where it is needed.

Growing demand and a slow process to add new supply caused capacity prices to rise sharply…1038% from 2023 thru this year! PJM must ensure enough resources are available during peak demand and stressful grid conditions.

“Capacity” is not the electricity we use in the moment. It is more like paying to make sure enough dependable power is available when the grid needs it most, for example, during a hot summer evening or a cold winter morning.

For decades, we often talked about electricity in terms of “baseload” power, large plants that run around the clock. Baseload still matters but this is a demand concept and not a technological solution.

The modern grid also needs something broader: FLEXIBILITY. We need a modern power grid with enough resources that can respond to changing conditions, including solar, wind, batteries, demand response, energy efficiency, natural gas, nuclear, and transmission.

The real issue is not simply “renewables versus fossil fuels.” The real issue is whether PJM can connect enough low-cost, reliable, and flexible resources to the grid fast enough to reduce scarcity.

This is why electric aggregation decisions are more complicated than just comparing a renewable rate to a nonrenewable rate. The questions include: How long is the contract? How much market risk is built into the price? What are capacity costs expected to do? What renewable energy credits are being purchased? Are residents being protected from volatility, or locked into a scarcity premium?

My view is that we should avoid slogans and focus on practical outcomes.

We need reliable power.
We need affordable rates.
We need cleaner resources.
We need enough flexible supply.
We need faster interconnection of low-cost generation and storage.

And we need to make sure large new loads, including data centers, pay their fair share of the grid costs they create.

The bottom line is this: clean energy is not inherently the reason rates are rising. Never was. In many cases, renewable energy is among the cheapest new power we can build. The problem is that PJM has not been able to connect enough low-cost and flexible resources fast enough to keep up with rising demand, retirements, and reliability needs.

Until supply, storage, demand response, and transmission catch up, we will continue to see pressure on electric rates.

That is the real challenge: building a grid that is affordable, reliable, flexible, and ready for the future. Locally, this may include opportunities in building low cost power supply behind the meter when you can.

04/22/2026

HAPPY EARTH DAY 🌎 🌲🌱

I recorded this Earth Day message at the confluence of Rocky Fork Creek and Big Walnut Creek near Friendship Park, a place that reminds us how closely community and environment are connected.

This year’s Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” is a reminder that stewardship becomes real in the places we share together: our streams, our trees, our parks, and our neighborhoods.

I hope this message encourages people to take one small step to care for the place we all share.

01/26/2026

Here’s an interesting way to think about the recent snowfall from Winter Storm Fern.

Official reports show Gahanna received about 13 inches of snow. If you took all that snow and stacked it in one place, it would form a cube roughly 713 feet tall, the equivalent of a 60–70 story building!

That same snowfall represents about 2.7 billion gallons of water.

But what often gets overlooked is what that snow collects before it melts.

Snow plowed from roads, parking lots, and rooftops picks up:
• oils and fuel residue
• heavy metals
• road salt
• sediment and debris

When temperatures rise, all of that has to go somewhere, and most often, it ends up in our creeks and streams.

That’s why green infrastructure matters.

Rain gardens, bioswales, permeable surfaces, and restored stream buffers help slow water down, filter pollutants, and protect waterways like Big Walnut Creek, the Rocky Fork, the Sycamore Run, and McKenna Creek.

Storms like this remind us that resilience isn’t just about clearing roads, it’s about protecting the systems downstream.

What falls on our streets today shapes our water quality tomorrow.

Investing in green infrastructure isn’t optional anymore, it’s how communities adapt to a changing climate.

01/19/2026

On this day, I’m reminded that leadership isn’t about ease or applause…it’s about choosing integrity, empathy, and courage when it would be easier not to.

Dr. King’s words feel just as urgent today as they did then.