- Vermont based electric utility in the US, Green Mountain Power is looking at achieving 100% carbon free energy supply for its grid by 2025 and 100% renewable energy by 2030
- The state’s official target however is to have 90% renewable energy by 2050, and GMP serves more than 75% of the population here
- While no concrete steps or targets for renewable energy have been specified, it says the focus will be on ramping up local distributed resources for generating and storing energy, and increasing purchases of carbon free wind and hydro energy
Green Mountain Power (GMP), a Vermont, United States based electric utility has committed to reach 100% carbon free energy supply by 2025 and 100% renewable energy by 2030. The utility already has a 90% carbon free energy supply and a share of more than 60% coming renewables.
However, solar constitutes only 1.7% of the total energy mix for GMP. Over 60% of the installed capacity comes from hydro power and close to 30% comes from nuclear.
The state of Vermont aims to reach a 90% renewables level by 2050. GMP serves more than 75% of the state population. More than 15,000 customers of GMP are being served by independent solar companies and over 3,000 commercial and industrial customers. Vermont has 2 solar+storage installations and plans to build 2 more in 2019.
Through the 100% goals, the utility says it is focusing on ramping up local distributed resources for generating and storing energy, and increasing purchases of carbon free wind and hydro energy. It doesn’t give any specific targets as to how it plans to achieve the 100% renewables goal.
According to the company’s 2018 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), GMP has 46 hydroelectric units, 2 wind power plants, 6 oil-fired peaking plants and 10 solar power facilities, among others. This makes GMP the second big utility in the country to target 100% carbon-free electricity with the most aggressive goal, as the first, Xcel Power, aims to reach the goal by 2050.
