Tempe recognized by the EPA for green energy use

The City of Tempe announced that it was recently recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a Green Energy Partner, an honor that highlights Tempe’s commitment to using clean energy and reducing its environmental impact.

“This recognition from EPA is an honor,” Tempe Transportation and Sustainability Director Eric Iwersen said in a city release. “Not only are we reducing pollution and air emissions, but we are also making choices about how our city generates energy while supporting the development of new renewable electricity sources in the U.S.”

In 2018, the Tempe City Council adopted an ambitious plan goal: achieving carbon neutrality in municipal operations by 2050 with a 100% renewable energy strategy by 2035. Since then, the city has been purchasing green energy to achieve this goal, the release noted.

This recognition from EPA follows Tempe’s 2023 participation in Green Power Partners’ Arizona public service program, Green Connect. The program allows Tempe to purchase up to 12,700 megawatt hours of renewable energy, according to the release.

“We created the Green Power Partners program to help Arizona businesses and cities achieve their sustainability goals and transition to 100% clean operations,” Kerri Carnes, chief customer technology officer at APS, said in the release. “The City of Tempe is a leader in this space, and through our long-standing partnership, we are excited to help the City power its facilities with clean, renewable energy.”

City of Tempe operations, including municipal buildings, outdoor lighting and water treatment, consume nearly 11.6 million kilowatt-hours of green energy annually in the APS service area, representing a significant 17% renewable energy share of the city’s total electricity consumption.

As explained in the release, this is equivalent to powering more than 1,000 average American homes annually. By making this change, Tempe is supporting the growth and expansion of the renewable energy market.

Tempe is actively taking steps to achieve its municipal carbon neutrality goal. Between 2014 and 2018, the city installed 4.14 MW of solar energy at seven facilities under power purchase agreements.

Additionally, city council approved two power purchase agreements with the Salt River Project under the Solar Choice Select program and the Sustainable Energy Offering Program. These agreements are projected to increase the use of renewable energy in Tempe to 52% of city operations by 2026, the release said.

The City of Tempe will celebrate this achievement with a proclamation at the June 6 City Council meeting.