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View Full Version : Burlington, Vermont Becomes First U.S. City to Run On 100% Renewable Electricity



Cigar
02-23-2015, 04:08 PM
"First U.S. city of any decent size to run entirely on renewable electricity." that is.
Apparently there are smaller cities which have done so.
Soon, there will be larger cities, and eventually, the world!

http://ecowatch.com/2015/02/10/brlington-runs-on-100-percent-renewable-energy/

Burlington, Vermont Becomes First U.S. City to Run On 100% Renewable Electricity
Anastasia Pantsios | February 10, 2015

Burlington, Vermont is that state’s largest city, with a population of 42,000 people. It describes itself as “forward-thinking” which is what you’d expect from a city that once elected Senator Bernie Sanders as its mayor. So it’s no surprise that it recently became the first U.S. city of any decent size to run entirely on renewable electricity.

“Climate change is the biggest problem we face, maybe the biggest problem we’ve ever faced,” University of Vermont environmental science professor Taylor Ricketts told NPR. “But there’s no silver bullet to fix it. It’s gonna be a million individual solutions from all over the place. And this is one of Burlington’s, right?”

<snip>

And contrary to those who insist that renewably generated electricity is an expensive luxury that only a bunch of Phish-loving Vermont hippies will pay for, Ken Nolan of BED told NPR that the switch to renewables was initially driven by economic concerns and will likely save the city $20 million over the next decade.

PolWatch
02-23-2015, 04:11 PM
looks like it can be done...

Common Sense
02-23-2015, 04:30 PM
It's a great little city.

Peter1469
02-23-2015, 04:33 PM
I have never been there. I wonder if they will release their cost data.

Cigar
02-23-2015, 04:35 PM
It's a great little city.

Do all the men there have hair like Bernie Sanders :laugh:

Common Sense
02-23-2015, 04:36 PM
Do all the men there have hair like Bernie Sanders :laugh:

I wasn't looking at the dudes...

Peter1469
02-23-2015, 04:37 PM
A lot of that energy comes from burning wood. That creates a lot of pollution. Plus it harms the trees.

Common Sense
02-23-2015, 04:40 PM
A lot of that energy comes from burning wood. That creates a lot of pollution. Plus it harms the trees.

The wood chips are waste product of the timber industry.

According to their website...

"
McNeil is equipped with a series of air quality control devices that limit the particulate stack emissions to one-tenth the level allowed by Vermont state regulation. McNeil's emissions are one one-hundredth of the allowable federal level. The only visible emission from the plant is water vapor during the cooler months of the year. In 2008, McNeil voluntarily installed a $12 million Regenerative Selective Catalytic Reduction system, which reduced the Nitrogen Oxide emissions to 1/3 of the state requirement."

Cigar
02-23-2015, 04:42 PM
A lot of that energy comes from burning wood. That creates a lot of pollution. Plus it harms the trees.

That's why I ordered one of these for my Basement :grin:

Soon I'll be able to smoke my Cigars at my Bar :laugh:

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608012192426561225&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0

PolWatch
02-23-2015, 05:22 PM
The power plants here burn wood chips in natural gas fired boilers. There is/was (?) an experimental unit in north Alabama that used switchgrass.




January 2008 - Alabama Power (http://www.alabamapower.com/), which provides electricity service to more than 1.4 million customers, announced that it is lowering the price of its green power offering and making the program available to business customers in its service territory. As of January 1, 2008, residential customers can opt to pay the Renewable Energy Rate (http://www.alabamapower.com/residential/renewable.asp) and purchase renewable energy in 50-kWh increments each month for $2.25, or a premium of 4.5¢/kWh over standard electricity rates. The new price is 25% lower than the previous renewable energy rate. In addition, the program is now available to commercial and industrial customers, who can purchase renewable energy in 100-kWh monthly increments or "blocks" for $4.50, the same per-kWh rate premium as for residential customers. There is no limit to the number of blocks a customer can purchase, but customers who enroll must agree to participate in the program for one year. Customers also have the option of purchasing the renewable energy to meet 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% of their electricity needs. Power for the program is supplied from co-firing switchgrass and other types of biomass, such as wood chips, in coal-fired power plants.
http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/pricing.shtml?page=2&companyid=37

Peter1469
02-23-2015, 05:25 PM
Agricultural waste is fair game for energy creation. They wood could also be turned into methanol, which would be cleaner than burning the wood. But cutting trees specifically to burn is not environmentally friendly.


The wood chips are waste product of the timber industry.

According to their website...

"
McNeil is equipped with a series of air quality control devices that limit the particulate stack emissions to one-tenth the level allowed by Vermont state regulation. McNeil's emissions are one one-hundredth of the allowable federal level. The only visible emission from the plant is water vapor during the cooler months of the year. In 2008, McNeil voluntarily installed a $12 million Regenerative Selective Catalytic Reduction system, which reduced the Nitrogen Oxide emissions to 1/3 of the state requirement."

Common Sense
02-23-2015, 05:29 PM
Agricultural waste is fair game for energy creation. They wood could also be turned into methanol, which would be cleaner than burning the wood. But cutting trees specifically to burn is not environmentally friendly.

I agree, but they're not cutting trees specifically to burn.

PolWatch
02-23-2015, 05:52 PM
The use of switchgrass has been promoted in our area. Its a renewable resource....the farmers love it!

Captain Obvious
02-23-2015, 07:19 PM
Vermont is all potheads and hippies.

...for what it's worth.