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Maryland’s Montco Communities Rank High in National Competition to use Green Power

Release Date: 09/27/2011
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, smith.bonnie@epa.gov,215-814-5543

PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 27, 2011) – Two Maryland communities in Montgomery County achieved high ranking in EPA’s national competition challenging cities to voluntarily use more renewable energy sources for their electricity needs. Brookeville is the challenge winner for the highest green power percentage of total electricity use. Rockville placed 10^th for towns using the most amount of green power.

EPA’s year-long Green Power Community Challenge competition began September 2010 and included 34 communities that competed in two categories – (1) to increase their purchases of green power kilowatt hours and (2) increase the percentage of green power use in their overall electricity consumption. All 34 towns were ranked in both categories.

Brookeville purchased more than 45 percent of its total electricity from green power sources, topping all other competing communities in the nation.

“As Green Power Communities, Brookeville and Rockville are demonstrating their commitment to improving people’s health and the environment by using electricity provided from less polluting sources,” said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “The towns’ citizens should be especially proud since residents and businesses who chose to buy green power over the past year helped earn this recognition.”

Rockville purchased more than 67 million kWh from renewable resources, the 10^th highest.

Green power is generated from resources including solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. These resources produce electricity with significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Nearby District of Columbia is also a top winner. D.C. ranked first in achieving the highest amount of green power purchased with more than 772 million kWh bought.

Green power communities are collectively purchasing nearly 2.6 billion kWh of green power annually. This is equivalent to the electricity use of more than 226,000 average American homes.

More information on EPA’s Green Power Community Challenge Rankings: https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/communities/gpcrankings.htm

More information about EPA’s Green Power Communities:
http://epa.gov/greenpower/communities/index.htm