(Submitted by the City of Bowling Green)
Bowling Green is celebrating Public Power Week (#PublicPowerWeek), Oct. 3-9, along with more than 2,000 other community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities that collectively provide electricity to 49 million Americans.
“Public power puts the people of Bowling Green first, and Public Power Week gives us the chance to emphasize the advantages of locally grown, locally owned power to our citizens,” said Brian O’Connell, utilities director. “Our service is reliable and safe and we take pride in serving our friends and neighbors.”
Since the 1940s, Bowling Green has owned and operated the electric distribution and transmission system in and around the city. As a public power community, decisions are governed by the local Board of Public Utilities and City Council. In the early 2000s the city sought to reduce exposure to electric market volatility and diversify its power supply portfolio.
There was also interest in increasing the percentage of renewable energy resources in its power supply portfolio.
As a member of American Municipal Power (AMP), Bowling Green is one of 135 municipal members that have partnered together to expand their ability to provide a reliable, sustainable, and cost competitive electric system for the benefit of customers. This membership has allowed Bowling Green to build renewable energy projects and provide the Efficiency Smart program and the EcoSmart Choice program.
The Bowling Green community has supported these efforts for clean energy and environmental stewardship. In a typical year, every Bowling Green electric customer can expect to receive up to 40% of their electric energy from renewable resources, which exceeds state and national averages.
Bowling Green Municipal Utilities serves 12,826 residential customers and 1,870 commercial and industrial customers.
