10 BEST CITIES FOR NEW ENERGY

Top Ten US City Use of Renewable Energy

WHO
US cities, as ranked by sustainable environment advocates SustainLane Government.


WHAT
Best at drawing energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and small-scale hydro.

WHEN
2006-07 rankings.

WHERE
1. Oakland, CA (17% of energy from renewables)
2. Sacramento/SF/San Jose, CA (12% of energy from renewables) (tied)
3. Portland, OR (10% of energy from renewables)
4. Boston (8.6% of energy from renewables)
5. San Diego, CA (8% of energy from renewables)
6. Austin, TX (6% of energy from renewables)
7. Los Angeles, CA (5% of energy from renewables)
8. Minneapolis, MN (4.5% of energy from renewables)
9. Seattle, WA (3.5% of energy from renewables)
10. Chicago, IL (2.5% of energy from renewables)

WHY
With growing emphasis on federal subsidies to renewable projects as well as anticipated cost allocations to the counsumption of fossel fuels and their resulting greenhouse gas emissions, these cities are at a distinct, double-edged economic advantage

QUOTES
“California cities rank high in general because of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which set minimal requirements in 2002 for utility purchases of renewable energy for the state’s electric grid. That standard requires a 20 percent renewable energy total for the state’s utilities by 2020…[as well as] Chicago’s 20 percent goal by 2010…[and] Portland, Oregon’s goal of obtaining 100 percent renewable energy by 2010…Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon have leading residential and business green choice programs as part of city-owned utility service offerings.”