• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




EPA: Oak Ridge is a Green Power Community of the Year

Posted at 10:03 am December 1, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

ORNL Bethel Valley Solar Array

Construction was completed in 2008 on a 288-foot-long, 51.25 kilowatt solar system (second-largest in Tennessee) that will supply power to the office building that houses researchers associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s buildings technology programs. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge has been recognized as a Green Power Community of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Oak Ridge is one of only two cities to receive the award. The other is Medford, Oregon.

Oak Ridge is one of 19 Green Power Partners and four suppliers from across the country receiving Green Leadership Awards given each year by the EPA. Awardees are recognized for their achievements in advancing the nation’s renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change, a press release said.

The 2014 Green Power Leadership Awards will be presented on Wednesday, December 3, at the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Sacramento, California.

Advertisement

“By using more than 7.6 billion kilowatt-hours of ‘green power’ annually, these communities, businesses, and organizations are leading the way in cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, reducing the impacts of climate change, and protecting public health,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “These partners demonstrate that green power is not only a smart business investment, but it’s affordable, accessible, and it reduces emissions while growing the renewable energy market and spurring innovation.”

Green power is electricity that is generated from renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydroelectric sources. Green power does not produce fossil fuel-based greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.

The award winners are being recognized for their efforts in expanding the domestic renewable energy market—from using enough green power to meet more than 100 percent of electricity needs to installing solar arrays on-site or entering long-term power purchase agreements. These organizations are demonstrating that green power is both accessible and affordable, the press release said.

Advertisement

These award-winning partners were chosen for their exemplary use of green power from more than 1,300 partner organizations that comprise EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Utilities, renewable energy project developers, and other green power suppliers are eligible to apply for the Green Power Supplier award.

EPA, through the Green Power Partnership, works with partner organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,300 partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities.

Here is more information about the Oak Ridge award from the EPA website:

EPA Green Power Community

In July 2014, Oak Ridge was recognized as the first Green Power Community in the Southeast by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Pictured above from left are former Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan; Tennessee Representative John Ragan, vice chair of the House Energy Task Force; Robin Manning, executive vice president of external relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority; Marlene Witt, Oak Ridge business office manager; and Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs.

 

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Community

Oak Ridge, Tennessee’s identity has long been intertwined with the energy sector. Also known as the “Secret City” and the “Atomic City,” Oak Ridge was established in 1942 as a Manhattan Project development site. While remaining a secret, the city’s population ballooned from 3,000 to more than 75,000 by the end of World War II as it hosted major advances in nuclear technology.

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory continues the city’s energy tradition by conducting research related to solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower technologies, and purchasing green power for its electricity use. Oak Ridge is recognized as a Platinum Community in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Valley Sustainable Communities Program and has set the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030. With city-wide attention focused on using clean energy, Oak Ridge became the Southeast’s first EPA Green Power Community in 2014.

Advertisement

In the spring of 2014, Oak Ridge launched a community challenge to encourage greater participation in TVA’s renewable energy program, resulting in community-wide green power use of 5.5 percent, and a participation rate nearly three times the rate at the start of the challenge. Residents, businesses, and the local government are using more than 73 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually, including more than 126,000 kWh of on-site solar power at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The city also intends to leverage its role as the first Green Power Community in TVA’s territory into a leadership position for promoting green power regionally. Using TVA’s communication channels along with local outlets, the community’s advertising plan includes the use of newsletters, radio ads, community events, mailers, door-to-door canvassing, and social media marketing campaigns.

Read more on the 2014 Green Power Leadership award winners here: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards/winners.htm.

Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm

Wind turbines at the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm north of Oliver Springs generate electricity for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: climate change, EPA, EPA Green Power Community, Gina McCarthy, Green Leadership Awards, green power, Green Power Community of the Year, Green Power Partnership, green power suppliers, greenhouse gas emissions, Jack Suggs, John Ragan, Medford, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oregon, ORNL, renewable energy, Renewable Energy Markets Conference, Robin Manning, solar power, solar system, Southeast, Sustainable Communities Program, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tom Beehan, TVA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wind turbines

Advertisements

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Government News

ORAU will support COVID-19 communications for CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Equity

ORAU was recently awarded a contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) to provide technical communications support to the office and three COVID-19 … [Read More...]

Governor authorizes $10,000 reward in Thomas Thrasher death investigation

The Oak Ridge Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the death of a 29-year-old man found dead in a second-floor apartment at this Rolling Hills Apartments building in Oak Ridge on Monday, … [Read More...]

Horizon-Center-Motorsports-Track-6-Feb-11-2020

Motorsports park will not be built in Oak Ridge

Part of the site where a test track and research facility or motorsports park was proposed on the back side of Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak … [Read More...]

Political redistricting to be discussed at Lunch with League

Debby Gould Political redistricting will be discussed at Lunch with the League in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, April 20. The virtual meeting is scheduled to start at noon April 20. It is hosted by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Death penalty to be discussed at Lunch with League

Marshall Jensen The death penalty in America will be discussed during a Lunch with the League meeting at noon today (Tuesday, April 6). The virtual meeting is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. It … [Read More...]

More Government

More U.S. Department of Energy News

ORAU will support COVID-19 communications for CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Equity

ORAU was recently awarded a contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) to provide technical communications support to the office and three COVID-19 … [Read More...]

Virtual talks on Weinberg and his archived papers on Apr. 20

“A Tribute to Alvin Weinberg,” including information on the new online database of his scientific publications and other documents, will be presented virtually to the public from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 20 (Weinberg’s … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION AT 103 PALLADIUM WAY, HORIZON CENTER INDUSTRIAL PARK, OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE (DOE/EA-2159) The U.S. … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Final environmental assessment available for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX (DOE/EA-2145) AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) … [Read More...]

Horizon-Center-Motorsports-Track-6-Feb-11-2020

Motorsports park will not be built in Oak Ridge

Part of the site where a test track and research facility or motorsports park was proposed on the back side of Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge is pictured above on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • Register online now for ORICL summer courses
  • Roane State to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Oak Ridge for students & employees
  • ORAU will support COVID-19 communications for CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Equity
  • ORHS Cheerleading Breakfast Fundraiser is May 1
  • Roane State One Stop resumes in-person student services
  • Virtual talks on Weinberg and his archived papers on Apr. 20
  • One person flown to hospital, in critical condition after rollover crash
  • ASAP has Virtual Information and Resource Fair
  • Man wanted in Ohio hides in Oak Ridge church, but K-9 finds him
  • Governor authorizes $10,000 reward in Thomas Thrasher death investigation

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today