The Town of Ithaca, N.Y., has purchased green power from Boulder-based Renewable Choice Energy to offset all of the electricity use of its municipal operations, as well as to help reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.
Ithaca has purchased 4,533,239 kWh of renewable energy credits (RECs) for this year. According to Renewable Energy Choice, the RECs come from a blend of resources, including wind power and biomass, and are certified by Green-e Energy. The company says the RECs will decrease GHG emissions by 2,300 metric tons, and Ithaca is on target to surpass its stated goal of reducing such emissions from government operations 30% by 2020.
"We are excited about this initiative – the Town Board approved it unanimously," says Town Supervisor Herb Engman. "Purchasing renewable energy credits is a pragmatic and flexible short-term option for reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions. As we scale up our energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts in the years to come, we will be able to decrease the amount of RECs we purchase."
