Green Power Partnership
Partner Profile
| Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission | |
| Location | Laurel, MD |
| Organization Type | Govt. (Local, Municipal) |
| Percentage Green Power | 24.3% |
| Purchasing Third-Party Certified Green Power Product? | No |
| Organization-wide Purchase | Yes |
Environmental Web Page  | |
| Partner Profile The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is the 8th largest water and wastewater utility in the United States. It currently uses more than 50 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year of green power, providing approximately 26% of its electricity. Although using wind power clearly benefits the environment, the idea to use wind originated from the need to control operating costs. WSSC locked in a fixed price for generation over a 10 year period by committing to a long term purchase power agreement (through its supplier) with a 29.1 MW wind farm developer in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. WSSC takes 85% of the hourly output generated by the wind farm, which compliments their real time purchasing strategy for brown power. WSSC's 85% wind portion reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 38,000 tonnes/yr, sulfur dioxide by 580,000 lb/yr, and Nitric Oxide by 188,000 lb/yr. Since WSSC began operating under the wind power agreement in April 2008, it has achieved more than $1,000,000 in savings when compared to brown power. “Direct wind-power purchasing was a win-win-win for WSSC, its customers and the environment,” says Rob Taylor, WSSC’s Energy Manager. “It provides the opportunity to reduce the Commission’s energy prices by providing a long-term hedge against rising generation costs, help clean the air we breathe, and to reduce our carbon footprint.” | |