Are you a Community Solar subscriber? Your subscription is a part of something a whole lot bigger than just cost savings. It might start with lower energy costs, but collectively we are making a significant impact on CO² reduction.
In 2024, energy generated by Altus Power’s Community Solar projects equaled 322,067,187 kilowatt-hours of energy, serving more than 30,000 subscribers nationwide. But just take a look at all the carbon dioxide emissions we avoided!
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the average carbon intensity of the U.S. grid is 823.1 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents per megawatt-hour, meaning the energy generated by our Community Solar projects avoided emissions of 265 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
And the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator delivers impressive statistics about what avoiding 265 million pounds of carbon dioxide looks like:
That’s equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of more than 28,000 gas-powered cars over one year
To be more exact, 265 million tons of carbon dioxide is equivalent to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 28,038 gasoline-powered passenger cars (or 106,157 electric-powered passenger vehicles) driven in a year. That amount is also the equivalent of the GHG emissions of an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle driving more than 306 million miles. That’d be like driving around the Earth more than 12,000 times — or driving to the Moon and back more than 600 times.
Or more than 13 million gallons of gasoline consumed…
265 million tons of carbon dioxide is equivalent to the GHG emissions of 13,525,597 gallons — or 1,591 tanker trucks’ worth — of gasoline consumed. That amount is also equivalent to the GHG emissions of 133,522,148 pounds of coal burned, 11,807,660 gallons of diesel consumed, and 278,293 barrels of oil consumed.
Or more than 16,000 homes’ energy use.
The energy use of 16,143 homes and the electricity use of 25,050 homes over one year would release GHG emissions equivalent to 265 million pounds of carbon dioxide. That amount of carbon dioxide is also equivalent to the GHG emissions of 9,717,942,085 smartphones getting charged — yes, that’s close to 10 billion phones.
It’s equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling more than 42,000 tons of waste.
Recycling 42,474 tons — or 6,068 garbage trucks’ worth or 10,217,944 trash bags’ worth —of waste instead of sending that waste to the landfill avoids the same amount of GHG emissions.
And it’s equivalent to the carbon sequestered by nearly 2 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
1,987,550 tree seedlings grown for a decade would sequester 265 million pounds of carbon. 120,570 acres of U.S. forests — an area larger than, say, Nebraska’s Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest — would do the same sequestering in one year.
Of course, Community Solar provides many other benefits apart from carbon-dioxide emission avoidance. For starters, Community Solar increases access to the clean energy transition, especially for renters, homeowners without suitable rooftops or sunlight, and households that can’t afford solar panels.
And for Altus Power Community Solar subscribers, the virtual program provides a way of supporting clean energy without installed equipment, upfront costs, or long-term commitments. To check your eligibility and start your application, go to join.altuspower.com and reach out to our Customer Experience Team at hello@altuspower.com with any questions.
Interested in getting started with Community Solar?
Reduce your monthly power bill and help your community go green with Community Solar.
