Largest City In Vermont Now Gets All Its Power From Wind, Water And Biomass – by Ari Phillips

Go read the article.

And then call your biggest wingnut friend/family member and see what kind of BS conservative “Can’t be done!!” spin they throw at you.

Always good for a laugh to watch them squirm for a minute or two until the full bullsh#t denialist stream gets underway.

But seriously,…. this is freakin Vermont. Smart progressive self-sufficient people. The fact that the sun don’t shine all that much didn’t hold them back at all.

Because, — well — there’s alternatives, dontcha see??

From thinkprogress

Largest City In Vermont Now Gets All Its Power From Wind, Water And Biomass

by Ari Phillips Posted on September 15, 2014 at 10:16 am

 

Water flows through the Winooski One hydro-electric plant in Winooski, VT. The Burlington Electric Department’s recent purchase of the facility, located in the Winooski River between Burlington and the city of Winooski, enabled it to reach 100 percent renewable power.

The 42,000 people living in Burlington, Vermont can now feel confident that when they turn on their TVs or power up their computers they are using renewable energy. With the purchase of the 7.4 megawatt Winooski One hydroelectric project earlier this month, the Burlington Electric Department now owns or contracts renewable sources — including wind, hydro, and biomass — equivalent to the city’s needs.

“We’re now in a position where we’re supplying Burlington residents with sources that are renewable,” said Ken Nolan, manager of power resources for Burlington Electric Department, earlier this month. “The prices are not tied to fossil fuels — they’re stable prices — and they provide us with the flexibility, from an environmental standpoint, to really react to any regulation or changes to environmental standards that come in the future.”

According to Nolan, the utility will get about one-third of its power from the Joseph C. McNeil Generating Station, one-third from wind energy contracts, and one-third from the hydroelectric stations Winooski One and Hydro-Québec. The McNeil power station is a biomass facility that primarily uses wood chips from logging residue leftover from the harvesting of wood for other products.