River Falls earns two top 10 rankings for renewable energy

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For the third straight year and fourth in five River Falls utility rate payers finished in the top 10 nationally for their high level of participation in buying green. In addition, River Falls Municipal Utilities ranked third nationally for its high percentage of renewable electrical sales.

The latter ranking was the first time RFMU cracked the top ten. It also earned River Falls the designation of “Green Power Community” by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

RFMU’s spokeswoman Jan Lorenz said the “Green Power” designation if a first not only for a utility in Wisconsin but for the entire Midwest.

For years RFMU has offered a Renewable Energy Block Program. Customers can ask to pay an extra $3 a month to buy a block of renewable energy.

A block equals 300 kilowatt hours of electricity.

Such purchases are used to invest in more wind, water and solar power development.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, River Falls had 5.8% of its electrical use tied to renewable energy purchases for a No. 3 national ranking. It’s the first time River Falls has attained this kind of ranking.

Also, 5.3 % of RFMU rate payers participate in the renewable energy program, which puts River Falls at No. 9 nationally for such participation. This is the third year in a row for this top ten ranking.

For more on this story, please read the May 6 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

Tags: news, renewable, energy, green, power