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Aspen, Colorado has become the third city in the U.S. to power itself with 100 percent renewable energy. Aspen Times reports that the city has reached the milestone after more than a decade of work, by employing wind, solar and geothermal energy. Its efforts put the Rocky Mountain hub in a very exclusive renewable energy club, along with Burlington, Vermont and Greensburg, Kansas.
“It was a very forward-thinking goal and a truly remarkable achievement,” says Aspen’s Director of Utilities and Environmental Initiatives, David Hornbacher. “This means we are powered by the forces of nature, predominantly water and wind with a touch of solar and landfill gas.”
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The city’s clean energy transition became official on Thursday last week when the city signed an agreement with Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska – which replaced the remaining 20 to 25 percent of its energy needs it was previously getting from coal.
“We’ve demonstrated that it’s possible,” and that a small, progressive community can work together to be a pathway for others, Hornbacher told the Aspen Times. “Realistically, we hope we can inspire others to achieve these higher goals.”
Georgetown, Texas is expected to be fully powered by renewable energy as of 2017, and according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, others have committed, including: San Diego and San Jose, California.
Source: inhabitat