GRAND RAPIDS – The City of Grand Rapids has pledged to obtaining 20 percent of its electric supply from Michigan-based renewable sources by the end of 2008, becoming the largest participant in Consumers Energy’s Green Generation program.
The Grand Rapids City Commission Wednesday approved a resolution to
enroll in the program.
“This historic investment by our city’s leadership strongly establishes
Grand Rapids as a progressive, green community committed to environmental
sustainability and the triple bottom line,” said Mayor George Heartwell.
“This is a positive step forward which will benefit the Michigan economy
and will reduce the City of Grand Rapids’ carbon footprint by an estimated
10,200 tons of carbon dioxide annually.”
Grand Rapids’ enrollment in Green Generation has been carefully managed
to be cost neutral for the city. Grand Rapids has reduced costs in its
Water and Sewer enterprise funds by amounts that exceed the cost of
participation. Grand Rapids and Consumers Energy are also collaborating on
strategies to reduce the city’s electric peak load requirements, which can
result in lower power costs.
“We are very pleased that the City of Grand Rapids — the largest
community we serve with electricity — has elected to enroll in the Green
Generation program,” said John G. Russell, Consumers Energy’s president and
chief operating officer. “The leadership demonstrated by Grand Rapids will
encourage other communities and organizations to support the development of
Michigan-based renewable energy projects.”
Consumers Energy’s Green Generation program is the most successful
voluntary renewable energy program in Michigan and one of the fastest
growing in the nation, with more than 11,400 customer participants. The
program, approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission, was launched
in September 2005 at a news conference at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and
Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids where Mayor Heartwell, John Russell and
then-MPSC Chairman Peter Lark were the first three homeowners to sign up
for the program.
“Michigan is being renewed by renewable energy,” said Commissioner
Monica Martinez, a member of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
“Today’s historic announcement by the City of Grand Rapids and Consumers
Energy will power Michigan into the future, a future that will provide
energy and reliability, a cleaner environment, and will grow alternative
energy jobs in Michigan.”
The Green Generation program has caused the development of several new
renewable energy projects in Michigan in order to provide electricity for
the program. The projects include landfill gas facilities located near
Lennon, Marshall and Zeeland. The Lennon site hosts four landfill gas
generating units, while the Marshall and Zeeland sites each host one
landfill gas generating unit.
Consumers Energy also purchases electricity for the program generated
by two wind turbines near Mackinaw City and has entered into contracts with
other wind-generation projects that are in various stages of development.
All of the projects are located in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and all
sources are Green-e certified as renewable.
The Green Generation program offers Consumers Energy’s electric
customers an opportunity to support renewable energy by enrolling in the
voluntary program and paying a small premium.
For more information on this program, click on GreenGeneration.Com
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