Aspen becomes third 100% clean energy city in the U.S.

The city of Aspen in Colorado has become the third city in the United States to power itself with 100 per cent renewable energy.

Aspen has reached the milestone after more than ten years of efforts and by implementing wind, solar and geothermal energy projects, according to the Aspen Times.

The city in the Rocky Mountain has joined Burlington in Vermont and Greensburg in Kansas in an exclusive group of U.S. cities to cover all of its energy needs from renewables.

Aspen’s Director of Utilities and Environmental Initiatives, David Hornbacher, said: “It was a very forward-thinking goal and a truly remarkable achievement… This means we are powered by the forces of nature, predominantly water and wind with a touch of solar and landfill gas.”

The clean energy transition was announced on Thursday when the city signed an agreement with Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska – which has replaced the remaining 20 to 25 per cent of Aspen’s energy requirements that were previously covered by coal.

Hornbacher said: “We’ve demonstrated that it’s possible… Realistically, we hope we can inspire others to achieve these higher goals.”

Georgetown in Texas is also expected to be fully powered by renewables from 2017, and according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), San Diego and San Jose in California have also committed to 100 per cent clean energy targets.