PLEA Network

11 March 2016, YALE Climate Connections, Aspen 3rd City in U.S. to Go 100% Renewable. Aspen, Colorado . . . home to a winter playland of skiing, snowshoeing, trekking, and now, 100 percent clean energy. Aspen started transitioning away from fossil fuels in the 1980s with two hydroelectric dams. Then last summer, the city purchased enough wind energy to meet the last 25 percent of its energy needs – the equivalent of taking 4,000 cars off the road for a year. Aspen joined Burlington, Vermont and Greensburg, Kansas in relying solely on clean energy. David Hornbacher, Aspen’s director of utilities and environmental initiatives, says although every community is unique, each one can put together a portfolio of clean power. HORNBACHER: “We’re the third municipal electric utility in the nation to achieve this and each did it by a different route. So let’s let each of these organizations inspire others to find their path to one-hundred percent renewable.” Now Aspen’s renewable energy portfolio includes wind, water, and solar power. By using the forces of nature to power the community, Aspen hopes to inspire other communities to take action. Read More here