Washington DC Government Agencies to be 100% Powered by Wind Energy

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Washington D.C. has just announced a huge step forward in its quest to become America’s “greenest” city. The District of Columbia Department of General Services (DGS) has signed a one-year contract that requires all government agencies to use 100 percent wind power for their electricity needs. The new contract with Herndon-based Washington Gas Energy Services (WGES) improves upon the District’s prior commitment of using 50 percent wind-generated electricity.

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The electricity flowing through each government agency building will be generated at WGES’ wind farm in Northern Virginia, Cleantechnica reports. According to WGES, switching to 100 percent wind power for electricity equates to taking 61,000 cars off the road for a year. Unfortunately, the current contract will be up next Spring. Renewable energy advocates hope that the District will choose to continue the arrangement after noting savings and emission-reduction.

As part of its recently announced Sustainable DC Plan, the city has established ambitious goals to increase use of renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Already, Washington, D.C. is one of the largest metropolitan areas for green economy jobs and is home to more than 200 LEED- and Energy Star-certified “green” buildings.

As part of its contract with WGES, the DGS will leverage its improved data acquisition program with services from Lucid Design Group and Honest Buildings. Lucid Design Group will deliver cloud-based dashboards for facility managers to identify – and fix – inefficiencies and anomalies in energy consumption, while Honest Buildings will provide a dynamic public interface for the public to see energy performance in DGS facilities.

“Going green helps foster economic growth and creates modern and vibrant communities across the District of Columbia,” said Brian J. Hanlon, Director, Department of General Services. “Our goals are to become more energy efficient and reduce our carbon emissions, and our strategic partnership with WGES is playing a role in helping us achieve these objectives.”

 

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