Awhile back the developers behind several wind farms in Pennsylvania noticed something: While the Keystone State had plenty of customers who wanted to use renewable energy and had committed to getting their electricity from wind, their needs were being supplied by wind turbines in other states. That wasn't much help to the operators of Pennsylvania wind farms.
So last week they launched a website, ChoosePAWind.com, to show Pennsylvania residents and businesses how to buy wind energy from farms within the state. The site also has a section on the benefits of using wind power, such as reducing air pollution and supporting an industry that employs an estimated 4,000 jobs.
Purchasing wind power is a great choice for people who care about the environment and want to support local employers, says Dan Lagiovane, spokesman for EverPower, one of the suppliers listed on the website. EverPower runs one wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania and is planning another.
“Once we make the benefits of wind energy clear, we think a lot of people will switch,” Lagiovane says.
ChoosePAWind.com lists 17 wind farms, mostly in the southwestern and northeastern parts of the state. Lagiovane says its organizers are working on including more. However, the farms on the map already supply enough power for almost 240,000 homes.
Source: Dan Lagiovane, EverPower
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen