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Franklin County Inks Renewable Energy Contract With AEP

Micheal J
/
Flickr Creative Commons

A new electricity contract will save Franklin County government more than $100,000 over 26 months and will help protect the environment.

The Franklin County Commission says the new contract mandates that only energy from renewable sources be delivered to 47 county buildings such as the dog shelter.    Jim Goodenow manages county facilities.

“We know that the percentage that they’ve told us will be 100 percent renewable energy percentage,” Goodenow says.

How does that work? AEP spokeswoman Tami Ridout:

“When renewable energy is produced, it creates renewable energy certificates.  And those represent the environmental benefits.  And through this contract, Franklin County is buying those environmental benefits,” Ridout says.

The contract, Goodenow says, will save the county a substantial amount of money.

“Our rates would have jumped more than $242,000 over the next 26 months, but this new contract saves what we believe will be $121,000 over the same time period,” he says.

The contract begins now and runs through May 2018.