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City Of Palo Alto's Green Energy Program Best In Country
Roseville CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2008 The City of Palo Alto recently celebrated its ranking as the number one renewable energy program in the U.S., according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). PaloAltoGreen, a voluntary green energy purchasing program, now boasts a membership of one in five ratepayers. While the national average for enrollment in similar programs is less than two percent, PaloAltoGreen saw a five percent membership increase in 2007. The City of Palo Alto, a leading member of the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA), launched PaloAltoGreen five years ago. For an additional 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), community ratepayers can volunteer to enroll in the green energy program. Annually, the City's utility department purchases nearly 41.5 million kWh of clean energy, which offsets approximately 700 million pounds of harmful carbon dioxide. "The City of Palo Alto is a leading example of the benefits of municipal utilities participating in green energy programs," said Jim Pope, general manager of NCPA. "Renewable energy public-private partnerships enable municipal utilities to offer the type of smart green energy pricing programs that ratepayers more often respond to -- and more importantly -- are enormously effective in reducing CO2 emissions." The city estimates that the average additional residential monthly expense to ratepayers in the program is less than ten dollars a month to purchase 100 percent renewable energy. With the city's emphasis on providing sustainable, reliable, and affordable electric power service, the participants in PaloAltoGreen, even after paying this premium, still pay less than the Pacific Gas and Electric Company standard rate. Combining green energy purchasing policies with a simple enrollment plan, PaloAltoGreen demonstrates that increasing renewable energy usage and reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be economic and practical when the public and private sectors work together. The clean energy program attracts participation from business as well, with more than 100 local businesses participating in PaloAltoGreen. PaloAltoGreen purchases a California blend of renewable energy from wind and solar generators in Davis, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Solano County. 97.5 percent of it is from wind with the remaining 2.5 percent from solar. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links NCPA Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Energy Insights Predicts Climate Change Issues To Drive Increased Tech Investment In 2008
Framingham MA (SPX) Jan 10, 2008Leading independent research and advisory firm, Energy Insights, announced the release of its annual Worldwide Energy Industry 2008 Top 10 Predictions. According to this new study, climate-focused energy policies, consumer and business concern with climate change, and increasing attention by investors in sustainability will drive energy companies to increase their investments in a range of energy and information technologies including: |
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