Sourcing Renewables  -  December 4, 2017

Cincinnati strikes deal for 100% green energy

Joining an increasing number of U.S. cities looking to increase their use of renewable energy, Cincinnati on Dec. 4 announced it has signed an electricity contract to purchase 100% green energy for almost all city facilities beginning January 2018.

Pursuant to the deal with Dynergy Inc., the city said all police and fire stations, health clinics, recreation centers and most other City Administration buildings, including city hall,  will be powered entirely by renewable energy through at least 2021.

According to a news release from the city, Cincinnati secured the green power for less than it is currently paying for electricity. The city expects it will save more than $100,000 per year compared to current utility rates.

"We ran the numbers and worked with our supplier to determine we could go green without raising electricity costs to the city," Mayor John Cranley said in a statement. "This is a deal that not only makes financial sense for the city but also makes a long-term investment in our community and our environment."

Through the deal with Dynegy, which is in the process of being acquired by Vistra Energy in a deal worth $1.74 billion, Cincinnati expects to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 9.1%. 

The move is not the city's first toward improving its carbon footprint. According to the release, the Cincinnati Electric Aggregation Program has provided 100% green electricity for 80,000 households since 2012 and is currently the fourth-largest buyer of residential green energy in the county. And in October, Cincinnati began offering renewable natural gas becoming the first aggregation program in the country to enable residents to have 100% carbon-free energy.

More recently, Mayor Cranley committed Cincinnati to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2035.

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