Montgomery County, PA

Green Power Commitment Would be First of its Kind in the Country

 

NORRISTOWN — The Montgomery County Commissioners will meet next week with representatives from PECO and Community Energy to discuss a proposal to convert all of the county government’s electric consumption to clean, renewable wind-generated power.

 

The purchase would rank among the top 10 largest green power commitments by a local governmental body in the country and be the first 100 percent wind powered county of its size, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Members of the public and press are invited to attend the Commissioners public meeting, which will be held in the Commissioners Public Meeting room on the 8th Floor of One Montgomery Plaza, Norristown at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 27th. That meeting will be followed by a public contract signing ceremony at the Swede Street entrance of the Court House.

 

This proposal dovetails with the efforts of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Task Force, which the County Commissioners created earlier this year and charged with finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and energy independence in Montgomery County.

 

If the Commissioners decide to convert all of the county government’s electricity usage over to wind-generated sources, it would require the purchase of over 29 million kilowatt hours of wind energy credits. That is equal to the electricity consumption of 2,700 typical homes and would consume the output of over seven modern 380 foot tall wind turbines.

 

The environmental benefit of this purchase would prevent the equivalent of 17,845 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. That would equal the planting of over 16,000 acres of trees or taking over 3,700 cars off the road.

 

As importantly, it will spur investment in additional wind-generated power sources and help the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil.

 

As importantly, it would consume all of the remaining wind-generated power available on the PJM Interconnect power grid. That will spur investment in additional wind-generated power sources and help the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil.

 

By making this move, Montgomery County would join Upper Dublin, Jenkintown and Cheltenham townships as wind energy purchasers. Over 7,300 county residents and 115 area organizations and businesses also buy wind through the local PECO Wind program, including LaSalle High School and the Elmwood Park Zoo.

 

PECO and Community Energy, a wind energy marketer and developer, partnered with Montgomery County on this proposal.