City of Albuquerque Ranked No. 13 on EPA’s Top Green Power Users
April 27, 2023
Today, the City of Albuquerque announced that, for the first time, it appears as No. 13 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Top 30 Local Government List of the largest municipal green power users from the Green Power Partnership (GPP). By moving the needle in the voluntary green power market, Albuquerque is helping to reduce the negative health impacts of air emissions including those related to ozone, fine particles, acid rain, and regional haze.
Albuquerque is using more than 55 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which accounts for 50 percent of its operations’ total power needs. Albuquerque’s choice to use green power helps advance the voluntary market for green power, as well as the development of those sources.
“Albuquerque is paving the path toward a more climate resilient future,” said Kelsey Rader, City of Albuquerque Sustainability Officer. “We’ve taken advantage of our excellent, naturally solar-friendly conditions and with the implementation of Solar Direct, we are much closer to our 100% renewable energy goal.”
“Through various energy efficiency projects, we’re making it even easier to achieve our renewable energy goals,” said Saif Ismail, Energy and Sustainability Manager. “We’ve used existing infrastructure to add small scale solar to rooftops across City libraries, fire stations, and more to power our local government and our city with clean energy.”
“Our administration has made bold strides to combat climate change and now Albuquerque has become a national leader in sustainability,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. “We know that putting in the work now will create a more resilient city for future generations of Burqueños.”
“This list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment,” said James Critchfield, Program Manager of EPA's Green Power Partnership. “EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership’s Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment.”
According to the U.S. EPA, Albuquerque’s green power use of more than 55 million kWh is equivalent to the annual electricity use of more than 5,000 average American homes.