The birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s has a lot to be proud of lately. Burlington, Vermont, has just made history by becoming the first city to be powered 100% by renewable energy.
How is this even possible? FastCompany explains the specifics of Burlington’s success:
“The city runs on a mix of biomass, wind, solar, hydro, a little bit of landfill gas, and a few other renewable sources. At a given time, if the renewable plants aren’t producing enough power, the utility might buy traditional power. But they also produce and sell enough extra green power that, over the course of a year, the total is 100% renewable.”
This path to clean energy has taken the town years to achieve—and has involved dedicated partnerships with other cities across New England. Occasionally, Burlington has needed to purchase clean power from other cities, in order to keep their “100% renewable” reputation.
While the bookkeeping for the city has increased in complexity (due to the purchasing of clean power from other cities), the overall impact of the change appear to be positive. City officials agree that the investment in new technologies could save the city about $20 million in the next 20 years.
Residents of this small city have welcomed the transition, as well. While wind, solar, and hydro power are often considered cost-prohibitive for low- and middle-income households, Burlington’s clean energy surplus has kept costs lower for all residents. In fact, the city hasn’t raised prices on energy since 2009.
The town of Burlington isn’t particularly unique in terms of wind or solar capacity—which is encouraging, in terms of allowing other cities to follow in Burlington’s lead. However, the majority of Burlington’s clean energy comes from hydroelectric power, made possible by their proximity to water sources like the Winooski River.
Although Burlington is the first city of its size to go renewable, other small towns have been pioneers in the field in recent years. The town of Greensburg, Kansas (with a population of less than 2,000) switched completely to clean energy in the years following a 2007 tornado that destroyed most of the region.
Burlington has demonstrated on a grand scale that fundamental change is possible. It’s important not to use this just as an interesting anecdote—other cities can use Burlington as proof that renewable energy projects are profitable, and can use that proof to build nonpartisan support for projects around the country. Keep an eye on Burlington as it continues this pilot program, and consider getting involved to accomplish similar goals in your own town.
Kelsey Ryan is the editor of Groundswell’s magazine. She’s a linguist, fledgling Tolkien scholar, knitter, Oxford comma proponent, and firm believer in the use of stories for social good. Explore her website, or connect on Twitter: @kryanlion.