Community Corner
Columbia Association's Electricity Use Now 100 Percent Offset with Green Power
CA is proactively switching away from traditional sources of electricity generation in favor of supporting cleaner renewable energy.
Columbia Association (CA) has reached a remarkable milestone in reducing its carbon footprint after committing to the annual purchase of renewable energy certificates that are the equivalent of 7.7 million kilowatt-hours of green power. That amount equates to about 75 percent of CA’s electricity use for each of the next three years.
When combined with CA’s purchase of electricity generated from a new solar farm in western Howard County, CA will be credited with essentially being 100 percent powered with green energy and will have reduced its carbon footprint by nearly half.
CA’s agreement with Renewable Choice Energy helps fund the costs associated with wind turbines in other parts of the country. The power produced by those turbines is sold elsewhere, and CA receives American Wind renewable energy certificates for the production of renewable energy.
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In 2014, CA announced a partnership with BITHENERGY and SunEdison to purchase 2.5 million kilowatt-hours per year through 2035 from approximately two megawatts of a 10-megawatt solar farm at Nixon’s Farm off Route 32 near Interstate 70. That project produces clean, renewable power equivalent to 25 percent of CA’s total electricity consumption.
“The purchase of these American Wind renewable energy certificates augments our existing Nixon Farm solar power purchase agreement. CA’s electricity consumption will effectively be completely offset by renewable resources by mid-2015 and will reduce our overall carbon footprint by almost 50 percent,” said Jeremy Scharfenberg, CA’s energy manager.
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This agreement is part of CA’s continued emphasis on environmental responsibility and sustainability, proactively switching away from traditional sources of electricity generation in favor of supporting cleaner renewable energy alternatives.
CA is participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership. With this purchase, CA has qualified for the EPA’s Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that significantly exceed the EPA’s minimum purchase requirements. Club members must purchase 10 times the partnership’s minimum requirement organization-wide.
“This is a significant honor. We are proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Milton W. Matthews, president and CEO of Columbia Association. “Using green power helps Columbia Association become more sustainable. It also sends a message here in our community and across the United States that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing the threat of climate change.”
Green power is electricity generated from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, eligible biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydroelectric sources, according to the EPA. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.
“The EPA is excited to welcome Columbia Association as a Green Power Partner and applauds its support of the voluntary renewable energy market,” said Melissa Klein, communications director for EPA’s Green Power Partnership. “Columbia Association is helping to reduce harmful air pollution and is demonstrating that using green power is smart for the environment.”
CA continues to work to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations. Numerous projects have been implemented throughout CA’s building portfolio to improve the efficiency of lighting, air conditioning, and water heating equipment. Offsetting CA’s energy supply with renewable generation builds on these energy conservation efforts and greatly advances its sustainability mission.
About Columbia Association
Columbia Association (CA) is a nonprofit service corporation that manages Columbia, Maryland, a planned community that is home to approximately 100,000 people and several thousand businesses. Additional information about CA is available at ColumbiaAssociation.org.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has nearly 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.
About Renewable Choice Energy
Renewable Choice Energy is a leading national provider of renewable energy credits (RECs) and verified emission reductions (VERs) (carbon offsets) to hundreds of Fortune 500 Companies and small businesses, thousands of residential customers, and over 1,000 LEED green building projects in the U.S. Founded in 2001, Boulder-Colo.-based Renewable Choice and its clients have received prestigious awards from the EPA and DOE for supporting and expanding the renewable energy market. For more information, please visit http://www.renewablechoice.com.
