HOUSTON BEGINS TAKING DELIVERY ON WIND POWER FOR 25% OF CITY ENERGY LOAD

July 1, 2008 -- Mayor Bill White announced that beginning today, 25% of the City of Houston’s total electricity load will be purchased from wind energy, a milestone that demonstrates the City’s commitment to protecting the environment, saving taxpayer dollars and creating alternatives against rising conventional electricity prices.

“We begin taking this wind power today as a benefit for both the environment and the taxpayer,” said Mayor White. “As the energy capital of the world, Houston is committed to becoming the clean, sustainable energy capital of the world as well.”

Houston is key in Texas’ ranking as the leading wind state in the nation. The EPA’s Green Power Partnership has hailed the City of Houston as the No. 1 municipal purchaser of green power in the nation and as a crucial leader in the alternative energy trend.

Starting today, a quarter of the City’s operations will be powered by wind energy from Texas wind farms, mainly located in West Texas. Because the City is one of the biggest consumers of energy in the region, its five-year contract with alternative energy will have an important impact on the electricity budget. The price of electricity will be fixed at 7.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, representing significant savings against rising conventional energy prices.

The City expects to use as much as 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of this renewable energy in the next five years. This is equivalent to the amount of kilowatt-hours needed to power 28,000 homes each year. It also helps reduce the need to build more expensive power plants for the region’s rising energy needs.

Mayor White also recently unveiled the City’s plan to utilize solar energy in its operations. The Department of Energy has designated Houston as a Solar America City and will partner with the City to expand its solar energy program. Solar panels donated by BP Solar have recently been installed on the Code Enforcement building (3300 Main) and the City Hall Annex building (900 Bagby).

The City’s commitment to alternative energy will produce positive environmental changes, such as preventing more than 200,000 metric tons of CO­2 from being emitted into the air. This is equivalent to eliminating the impact of 38,000 cars. The City’s investment in clean energy development will also provide incentives for sustainable, innovative energy technologies, encouraging forward progress.

To learn more about these and other green initiatives, visit www.greenhoustontx.gov.

For more information about the EPA’s Green Power Partnership and its rankings, visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.