Like many cities around the world, Glenwood Springs, Colorado has set a goal to run on renewable energy. But instead of picking a date a year or two ahead, they’re going renewable now. As of June 1, Glenwood Springs is the seventh U.S. city to run on 100 percent renewable electricity.
“Many cities and towns across the country have set aggressive targets, and we are doing our part now — our future is now,” Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes told the Post Independent.
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In April, the Glenwood Springs City Council resolved to move entirely to wind power supplied by Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN). They’ve since modified this commitment to include seven percent hydroelectric renewable power.
Signing a contract is not usually a public event, however, the city decided to celebrate the move to renewable energy by signing the contract at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, a theme park perched atop Iron Mountain with an elevation of more than 7,000 feet. Since Glenwood Caverns is a city electric customer, it will be the one of the country’s first amusement parks to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
“Protecting the environment and natural resources has been our primary goal since we gave our first cave tour in May 1999,” Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park owner Steve Beckley told the Post Independent. “Sustainable tourism is an important issue these days and this move is a huge step in the right direction for Glenwood Springs as a whole.” To celebrate the signing, the park gave free gondola rides to visitors and the first 50 attendees received free LED light bulbs.
The city will save money with the new contract, dropping the per-megawatt hour cost from $51 to $46 and saving Glenwood Springs a half million dollars per year. However, the city will be constructing a new electrical substation that will cost approximately $2.5 million.
The other six cities that are already running on 100 percent renewable energy are Aspen, Colorado, Burlington, Vermont, Georgetown, Texas, Greensburg, Kansas, Rock Port, Missouri and Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Via The Hill
Image via inkknife_2000
