Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has a long-term goal to power all of city government operations with clean, carbon-free energy. She’s moving closer to achieving that goal with a new solar initiative.
Biskupski announced Tuesday, Salt Lake City is subscribing to three megawatts of solar power to double the municipality’s use of sustainable energy sources by the end of the year.
“Since day one, I have been working closely with our team and our new department of sustainability to lay out a vision for our city and to find practical steps we can take to clear our air and build a greener city for everyone,” Biskupski said.
Biskupski is taking advantage of Rocky Mountain Power’s new Subscriber Solar program, which allows business and residential customers to access solar power, even if they don’t have solar panels.
The mayor said the subscription will power a portion of the city’s water operations, the airport, street lights and buildings. It’s revenue neutral, meaning the city’s power bill will stay the same.
The solar farm making this program possible is under construction near Holden, Utah. It won’t be generating power until the end of this year. But Biskupski called on businesses and residents to go ahead and sign up early.
“Let’s sell this program out quickly to show our friends at Rocky Mountain Power that we are serious about making a commitment to clean energy,” Biskupski said.
Biskupski has also proposed freezing permitting fees for anyone who wants to install solar panels.
