Green Power

The County completed a 60-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (electric) installation on Central Library in August 2011, funded through a federal grant.
Arlington joined the EPA’s Green Power Partnership in 2003, becoming part of a network of organizations accelerating the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) purchased by the County certify that an amount of electricity has been produced by a new, renewable energy source, and that no one else is claiming environmental benefits associated with that amount of power produced. Without a cap and trade system, the market for RECs encourages cleaner power production and yields air quality benefits for our region and the nation.
The County purchased RECs equal to 7,657,775 kWh in 2011, or roughly the annual GHG emissions associated with the electricity used to power 658 average homes.
In 2012, total green power purchases were equal to 11,123,465 kWh, or 13% of our total electricity use that year.