Washington DC will soon be running on 35% wind power thanks to the biggest renewable energy contract signed by any US city.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the city signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for the entire 46 megawatt output at Iberdrola Renewables South Chestnut wind farm in Pennsylvania. Taxpayers will save an estimated $45 million on energy over the next 20 years.
Under Sustainable DC, the goal is to reach 50% renewables by 2032.
"Directly sourcing renewable power costs 30% less than fossil fuel-based sources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 100,000 tons, and protects our city from volatile energy price increases," explains Mark Chambers, Sustainability and Energy Management Director at the Department of General Services.
Washington DC will continue buying Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to cover the rest of its power. The district has the most LEED-certified buildings per capita, ranks #2 among cities for energy efficiency and #3 for parkland as a percent of city area.
Read our article, Washington DC Unveils Game Changing Sustainable DC Plan.
Loading...
This is just taking it out of one pocket and putting it another. The US govt pays a credit equal to the value of the electricity produced by windmills for 20 years. So wind costs double and getting 30% off is not a good deal.