Everyone seems to be going “green.” Suddenly, our vocabulary is replete with terms like “global warming,” “renewable energy sources” and “carbon footprint.” New homes are being designed with energy savings in mind, car buyers are opting for hybrids, and everywhere compact fluorescent bulbs are replacing conventional bulbs.
Interestingly, what might seem like a cause du jour has actually been on the agenda of the state’s largest energy provider for more than three decades. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, headquartered in San Francisco, quietly established itself as a nationwide leader in promoting green energy. The utility, which serves 40 percent of the state of California – translating to one in 20 Americans – is the only public utility in the country that can boast per capita energy consumption that has remained flat over the last 30 years. During the same time period, the per capita rate increased by 50 percent throughout the rest of the country.
According to a recent PG&E press release, “PG&E’s 85 distinct residential and commercial energy efficiency programs have helped its customers save more than 118 million megawatt-hours of electricity and 10.7 billion therms of natural gas. These joint efforts have resulted in enough saved electricity to power over 18 million homes and enough annual natural gas to heat 15 million homes, while preventing over 125 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.”
How has PG&E managed to achieve such significant energy and environmental savings? Back in the 1970s, before the word “green” meant anything other than a color, the company’s management made a prescient commitment to invest in energy efficiency. Over the years, a steady stream of green initiatives has rolled forth, including substantial solar and wind-powered energy investments; a clean air transportation group utilizing plug-in hybrid vehicles; a carbon offset program that reallocates residual energy savings; innovative green building and sustainable communities groups; a first-in-the-nation tidal energy program; a visionary land stewardship initiative; and a revolutionary collaboration with high-tech companies to develop energy efficiency protocols to reduce power consumption at large data centers.
With a service territory that stretches from Bakersfield to the Oregon border – 14 million customers over 70,000 square miles – the company’s initiatives play out on a grand scale. “Our service territory includes some of the most pristine lands in the country,” says Kathleen Romans, an environmental communications representative. “Our customers have driven our green efforts from the very start, because they have demanded that we show respect for the environment. You can only imagine how impactful these energy efficiency programs are when they’re rolled out over such a large customer base.”
The programs are as diverse as they are “impactful.” In 2006, PG&E signed a contract to purchase up to 120 megawatts of renewable geothermal energy resources, enough to supply nearly 100,000 customers. In March 2007, the company partnered with the San Francisco Giants to install a solar system at AT&T Park that will provide up to 120 kilowatts of green energy for the utility’s customers in the city and county of San Francisco. In October, PG&E worked with Kaiser Permanente to implement energy efficiency upgrades and solar installations across Northern and Central California that dramatically cut the health care provider’s operating costs and earned it $1.6 million in rebates.
“We are actively adding renewable resources,” Romans says. “We’re right on track to exceed 20 percent by the year 2010.” The company currently has the largest number of solar customers in the nation – more than 18,000 – and it recently signed a contract to develop the world’s largest solar project, which will deliver 553 megawatts of clean energy. “We’re setting the bar for utilities across the country,” says Romans. “We pride ourselves on being the leader in this field.”
Romans points out that the legislative and regulatory climate in California has helped to drive PG&E’s focus. “California definitely acts as a catalyst on the national stage,” she says, “leading the way in such areas as auto emissions and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Public Utilities Commission sets aggressive goals for us; they’re extremely environmentally minded.” The company maintains a strong presence in both Sacramento and Washington, working with state and federal officials to promote a green agenda. PG&E has actively supported the Global Warming Solutions Act at the state level, is an active member of the Clean Energy Group and continues to partner with utilities across the country to promote the best practices.
Even the table of contents from PG&E’s 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report speaks volumes: “Putting Efficiency First,” “Planning for California’s Clean Energy Future,” “Partnering to Accelerate Innovation,” “Working Collaboratively and Creatively to Address Climate Change,” “Innovative Transportation Solutions and Technologies,” “Minimizing the Environmental Impact of Our Facilities,” “Environmental Awards” and “Environmental Performance.”
With more than 140 environmental honors in total, PG&E was recently recognized by the Planning and Conservation League as the Environmental Business of the Year. It has also been recognized by the Natural Resources Defense Council for its environmental leadership and has won the Pacific Forest Trust Award in Climate Protection and Forest Management Leadership, two Governors Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards, and the Solar Electric Power Association’s Solar Business Achievement and Solar Portfolio Leadership awards.
The honors underscore not just the role PG&E is playing in shaping energy policy but also the importance Northern Californians place on protecting our land and our environment. As Kermit the Frog might now rephrase the well known adage, “It’s easy being green.”
