Delegates arriving at the 2016 Democratic National Convention did so under lights powered and air cooled by clean, carbon-free electricity provided by Exelon, the convention’s official zero-carbon energy provider.
The kickoff of the zero-carbon DNC comes as convention delegates are poised to vote this week on a Democratic party platform calling for 50 percent of the nation’s energy to come from clean sources within the next 10 years and 100 percent from carbon-free sources by 2050.
“Meeting our nation’s goal to create a clean, next-generation power grid will require a sustained commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes preserving existing zero-carbon nuclear power plants combined with hydro, solar, wind and other clean resources,” said Joseph Dominguez, executive vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs and public policy, Exelon. “In keeping with these principles, we are proud to support the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention in meeting its sustainability goals for this event.”
As the nation’s largest producer of zero-carbon energy from nuclear, hydro, solar and wind generation, Exelon is positioned to meet the Host Committee’s goal to offset carbon dioxide emissions from the Wells Fargo Center and all convention-related venues, offices and events for the week.
In addition to Exelon providing carbon offsets, Exelon subsidiary PECO, an electric and natural gas utility serving southeastern Pennsylvania, has teamed with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and electric bus company Proterra to provide test rides on an American-made electric bus, the Proterra Catalyst. Convention delegates and visitors to SEPTA headquarters at 1234 Market Street may tour and ride the battery-electric bus today from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on July 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
PECO has worked closely with SEPTA and Proterra to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure during the convention. In addition, PECO worked with the city of Philadelphia and Sensus to install energy-saving smart street lights along Independence Mall. The LED lights use about 40 percent less energy than conventional lights, and can be brightened, flashed or dimmed to support public safety.
