As of June 1, Glenwood became one of a handful of cities running entirely on renewable energy.
Glenwood Springs has gone green, well, greener, thanks to its new energy policy.
In April, Glenwood Springs took a huge step toward sustainability when the city council unanimously approved resolution 2019-22 to purchase all of Glenwood Springs Electric's electricity from clean wind power from the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN).
This move makes Glenwood only the seventh city in the United States powered entirely by renewable energy.
"We are very excited to announce that Glenwood Springs will soon be operated on 100% renewable electricity, making us the second municipality in Colorado to do so. Many cities and towns across the country have set aggressive targets, and we are doing our part today—our future is now," said Mayor Jonathan Godes.
Renewable energy is far from a new idea for this Colorado town. Glenwood has been 35 percent renewable on the electric grid since 2013, with five percent in hydro and 30 percent in wind purchases from MEAN, which has been the city’s contracted bulk power supplier for years. MEAN will be bringing the needed wind power onto its grid to provide for all of the electricity needs in Glenwood.
Also groundbreaking, the new energy policy makes Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park one of the first amusement parks in the country to be powered 100 percent by renewable sources.
“Our business is centered on nature-based adventure,” Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park owner Steve Beckley said. “Protecting the environment and natural resources has been our primary goal since we gave our first cave tour in May 1999. We are really pleased to be one of the first theme parks in the U.S. to have all of its electricity provided from renewable sources.”
According to a released statement, with the new renewable energy contract, the city’s cost per megawatt-hour (MWh) will drop from $51 to $46, and save the city $500,000 per year. There are no planned fee changes for city of Glenwood Springs residents at this time.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
