The Village of Lake Zurich is pushing to become “eco-friendlier” by supporting renewable energy through the purchase of 100% Green Power for the community’s 824 street lights.
Officials said in a news release all of the energy consumed by Lake Zurich street lights will be backed by renewable energy credits that directly support clean sustainable energy produced by Midwest-located wind, solar, and hydroelectric facilities in July 2024.
“The most important thing we do in local government is plan for the long-term. Lake Zurich wants be an environmentally-focused and sustainable community for future generations,” Lake Zurich Mayor Tom Poynton says.
“I am proud of our village being a leader on this front with our transition to a 100% Green Power program that has been well-received by residents and small businesses, and now our street lights also backed by 100% Green Power,” Poynton added.
Village leadership has decided to support renewable energy with the power from the street lights after the expiration of a previous power contract for street lights ends.
Through the help of Constellation New Energy, the street lights will create about 144,000 kilowatts per year, officials said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, that amount is equivalent emissions as the burning of 66,000 pounds of coal, which represents how large the reduction in Lake Zurich’s carbon footprint will be with the street light transition.
With Lake Zurich street lights going 100% Green, and with the village’s public aggregation program for residential and small business accounts that started in July 2023, Lake Zurich will become a certified “EPA Green Community” in 2024, officials said.