US energy utility Exelon reaffirming 2020 emissions reduction targets

1 July 2009

A year on from US electric utility Exelon’s strategy to eliminate the equivalent of its 2001 carbon footprint by 2020, the company continues to work toward its goal, including new efforts to help the customers and communities it serves to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, the company said.

Exelon aims to to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of GHG emissions per year by 2020 by greening its own operations, helping customers and the communities Exelon serves reduce their GHG emissions, and offering more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace. Exelon reports that so far it has reduced more than one-third, or 6 million metric tons, of its GHG emissions.

‘We have demonstrated already that we are capable of achieving meaningful carbon reductions,’ said Exelon Chairman and CEO John W Rowe. ‘But Exelon still has considerable work to do, and we have picked most of the low-hanging fruit.’

Exelon has relied on greening its operations to achieve the bulk of its emissions reductions to date. It also has announced plans to offer substantial new low-carbon electricity in the marketplace by raising the output of Exelon nuclear plants and investing in new renewable energy projects. Going forward, the company will increase its investment in customer initiatives to continue progress toward its 2020 goal. Exelon’s energy delivery companies – ComEd in northern Illinois and PECO in southeastern Pennsylvania – will spend more than $350m through 2011 on energy efficiency and demand response programs that will help residential and business customers reduce their energy consumption by more than 1.6 million MWh and reduce peak load by 226MW.

ComEdalso introduced an advanced metering infrastructure pilot programme that will provide automated smart meters to as many as 141,000 customers, allowing them to use real-time electricity usage data to better manage their electricity bills and reduce energy consumption. Also, after the first year of its energy efficiency programmes.

‘To fully realise our goal – and for other companies and our society to realize national greenhouse gas reduction goals – we need focused federal action,’ Rowe said. ‘With the House’s passage of the Waxman-Markey bill last week, the nation is one step closer to enacting comprehensive climate change legislation during this Congress. Exelon will continue to work with policymakers in the Senate to encourage the adoption of a sound national energy policy that balances the need to protect consumers, business and the economy with the urgent need to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.’

Copyright © 2009 NewNet

Tags: energy efficiency, smart grid, utility

This story was published on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 3:41 pm and is filed under North America, companies, energy efficiency. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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