Texas is a state most commonly known for its ties to the gas and oil industry. Which is why it’s especially noteworthy to see the city of Austin government make the switch to becoming powered 100 percent by renewable energy sources. The switch, reported on the Austin Energy website, makes Austin the largest local government in the nation to make such a move.
The city’s libraries, recreational facilities and police and fire stations will all be run using green energy – all totalled, that’s 400 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy. That energy will be coming from wind farms throughout west and south Texas.
The wind energy is part of GreenChoice, a renewable energy product put out by Austin’s community-owned power company, Austin Energy. By subscribing to GreenChoice, the city has locked in special rates that it it feels substitute for fossil fuel charges for the next 10 years.
The Austin City Council approved plans to make the move to 100 percent renewable energy by 2012 back in 2007. The effort is one of many steps the council is taking to help combat pollution. Austin’s Mayor, Lee Leffingwell, who helped implement the switch, said in the statement that he hopes additional American cities will soon follow Austin’s example.