You know, with all the wind coming from certain legislators, why not harvest it for clean energy? What do you think-- wind turbines on top of Hoboken City Hall. They could look really cool at night, lit from below with colors to match the season or occasion-- like the Empire State Building does it. Like it?
Short of plunking wind turbines on top of City Hall, Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced this on Friday:
Dear Friends,
It's up to cities to lead the way in enacting bold, aggressive policies to combat the devastating consequences of climate change.
It's up to cities to lead the way in enacting bold, aggressive policies to combat the devastating consequences of climate change.
I'm proud to state, unequivocally, that Hoboken is up to the task.
Yesterday, I announced that Hoboken will begin purchasing our electricity for municipal operations from 100% clean, renewable sources including wind and solar.
This is a significant milestone, as our municipal operations no longer depend on fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum that produce substantial greenhouse gas emissions and wreak havoc on our environment.
In fact, Hoboken is now one of, if not the first municipality in the State to adopt this practice, and demonstrates that our City is at the forefront of taking on climate change.
Take a look at FiOS' news coverage of our latest energy initiative:
And, not only are we upgrading to 100% renewable electricity (up from 18% in years past), but we're also saving taxpayer dollars. In fact, we'll save approximately 9% in costs compared previous years. In the coming months, my administration will launch a program to allow residents to purchase renewable electricity for their own homes for a competitive and potentially cheaper rate than currently offered. This is a win-win for Hoboken - smarter energy use, while earning cost savings.
This initiative is a part of Hoboken's own Climate Action Plan, which calls for Hoboken to exceed the goals of the Paris Agreement. We're making this progressive push because I firmly believe we need to leave Earth a better place for our children and future generations. We simply can't afford to become complacent.
I look forward to keeping you updated on what's to come in the coming weeks and months.
Best,
Ravi
What do you people think about that? I'm thinking this is pretty great news; hopefully other municipalities in New Jersey will follow Hoboken's lead.
GA is wondering: does the city/state offer tax breaks to homeowners who install solar panels? Any body know the answer?
Kudos to the Bhalla Administration for the City's plan to buy clean and vibrant, new energy!
I'm pretty sure the city doesn't offer incentives. Solar panels have gotten really cheap though and I'm not sure if it really requires much incentivizing any more for a person who sorta cares about using renewable energy sources to install them. I think what the city should focus on more though is with green roofs. Most Hoboken residences use less power than the average American household due to the fact that most of our homes are apartments or attached rowhouses/brownstones, which inherently lower power consumption for heating and cooling. However, with all the flat roofs that exist across Hoboken, getting people to add green roofs can have a pretty significant impact with our flooding issues by reducing runoff. Solar may be "sexier" but green roofs are more practical.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anon. Just curious. A cousin on Long Island is getting 'free' power though paying off an expensive solar installation-- different scenario, he's in a private home.
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