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Mayor Knox White was joined by representatives from GE, Duke Energy, Greenville County, GSP International Airport and the Green Ribbon Advisory Committee to announce three new pilot programs that are designed to make Greenville more sustainable through public-private and business-to-business partnerships. The goals of the new programs are to reduce energy consumption; provide safer, more efficient lighting and reduce the number of gasoline powered vehicles.In 2006, Greenville City Council endorsed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and over the past five years, has adopted and supported many sustainability-focused ordinances, resolutions, plans and initiatives. In June 2010, City Council appointed the Green Ribbon Advisory Committee, which is responsible for recommending programs and initiatives that will reduce the City�s environmental impact and distinguish Greenville as a leader in sustainability. The committee is also responsible for developing a Sustainability and Climate Action Plan for the City. According to Mayor White, today�s announcement continues the City�s long history of public-private partnerships and is just part of a longer-term process to make Greenville greener and more livable for it citizens. "When we talk about sustainability, it�s about more than just saving energy," said White. "It�s about making good business decisions in an era where every dollar must be stretched, it�s about leading in innovation and job creation and it�s about cleaner air."
The LED Streetlight Pilot is the second program and represents a collaborative effort by Hubbell Lighting, Duke Energy, GE and the City to replace more than 30 streetlights on the block of Main Street where the Hyatt is located with light-emitting diode (LED) lights, which are approximately 35% more energy efficient than high pressure sodium lights and produce a white light. As part of the pilot program, Hubbell has deployed four different LED pedestrian light styles, each of which offers a different type of light quality, and GE has also provided new "cobra head" street fixtures. The third program features development of an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and introduction of electric vehicles into the marketplace for users to drive on a short-term basis to determine if an EV meets the needs of their business or lifestyle. Through EV Ecosytem, charging stations are installed at approximately 40 convenient area locations, including GSP International Airport, downtown hotels and businesses. Additionally, Enterprise will be deploying vehicles at GSP for visitors to use and more than 10 companies have committed to a six-month test use of EVs in their fleets. Estimates show that one public car can take 14 private cars off the road, and as a result, Enterprise will also be launching a pilot of its WeCar Program, a membership-based car sharing program, in downtown Greenville using EVs. As part of EV Ecosystem, GE, in cooperation with Thursopower and building owners, has deployed an extensive network of vehicle charging stations. "GE is proud to be partnering with a city like Greenville, which is at the forefront of a clean energy transformation taking place across the U.S. By building out an EV network, switching to efficient LED lighting and upgrading their buildings downtown, the city is cutting cost and carbon while improving quality of life. Greenville is a model of ecomagination�s approach to a clean energy ecosystem that spans lighting, buildings, automation and transportation. Greenville is a leading example that other cities across the nation will follow," said Mark Vachon, vice president of ecomagination. For more information, visit www.greeningofgreenville.com. (Image provided by the City of Greenville.)
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In November 2010, GE and Duke Energy began working with the City to design a series of programs that would help achieve the goal of making Greenville a more sustainable city. The first program is a retrofit program for commercial buildings in downtown Greenville. Already, several downtown buildings have
signed on to participate in Duke Energy�s SmartBuilding Advantage pilot program, which helps building owners maximize the energy efficiency of their facilities through a 50/50 cost share on energy audits and customized utility incentives for building upgrades. On average, participants can expect to see energy savings of 20% per year. "We all agree that Greenville is a beautiful and vibrant community today. Now the effort by city leaders to make it a greener city also demonstrates their vision for the future," said Catherine Heigel, president of Duke Energy South Carolina. "We�re excited to help reduce power use � making Greenville a more energy efficient city."