EPA praises Ann Arbor for sustainable energy usage

It almost seems like Ann Arbor’s hat is about to run out of room for any more feathers these days, especially after the EPA has recognized the city for its sustainable energy efforts.Tree Town made the new Top 20 On-site Green Power Users List from the EPA. The City annually generates almost 9 million kilowatt-hours of biogas, hydro and solar power. That equates to about 20 percent of its electricity use and 12.5 percent of energy for its entire municipal operations.And that’s just from last year. The city expects to bring in even more from iis sustainable operations this year. It’s also looking at purchasing alternative energy (wind power anyone?) later this year to help power the city’s everyday operations.”I would say most cities are 1-2 percent,” says Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor.There are local exceptions to the rule like Grand Rapids, Taylor, and Wayndotte. However, none of those cities are pushing the renewable energy envelope quite as hard as Ann Arbor.Source: Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke