Roseville Electric”s green energy program, Green Roseville, was nationally recognized for being in the Top 10 in the nation for its percentage of retail energy sales.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory rated Roseville Electric”s green energy program at No. 10 in the nation for having 1.5 percent of its total retail energy load participating in green power. Since its launch in February 2006, nearly 4 percent of Roseville Electric’s 51,000 customers have signed up to participate in its voluntary clean energy program.
‘Our Green Roseville participants have made it possible for Roseville Electric to build solar generation systems on public facilities most recently the Civic Center while supporting a global initiative to use renewable resources to meet our growing energy demand,’ Electric Utility Director Tom Habashi said. ‘Hewlett Packard and Sims Recycling Solutions, along with 2,000 customers, shows there’s a local commitment to environmental stewardship.’
Green Roseville participants purchased 17,835 MWh of both wind and solar energy credits in 2007. Buying renewable energy credits means Roseville Electric avoids 15,699,588 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually which is equivalent to removing1,273 cars from the road or planting more than 182,595 trees.*
The wind energy credits are purchased from a farm located in nearby Solano County, while the solar power is provided through several local projects located at the Civic Center, Fire Station No. 6, Roseville”s Aquatics Complex and Silverado Middle School.
Voluntary clean energy programs, like Green Roseville, are proving to be a powerful stimulus for growth in the renewable energy supply. Nationwide last year, total utility green power sales exceeded 4.5 billion kWh and more than 600,000 customers participate. Utility green pricing programs are one segment of a larger green power marketing industry that counts Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and colleges and universities among its customers and helps support more than 3,000 MW of new renewable electricity generation capacity.