Philadelphia has a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. But one big hurdle remains: natural gas.
The City is the owner of Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW), the largest municipally-owned gas utility in the country, with over 1,600 employees and 500,000 customers. Over 70% of Philadelphia households rely on natural gas as their primary source of heating.
So how can the City reduce emissions from natural gas and decarbonize without impacting PGW’s business model, thus cutting jobs (and its own revenue)? It seems like a dilemma. But, it’s important to evaluate new business models that can also provide PGW with new sources of revenue.
Step one is to explore these questions and potential pathways for the future. The Office of Sustainability, along with Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW), released the Philadelphia Gas Works Business Diversification Study today.
According to Christine Knapp, it may seem challenging to tackle. But just like climate change, there are exciting opportunities to explore with positive outcomes.
“There’s a tremendous opportunity with owning an energy utility at a time when an energy transition and diversification are progressing in the coming decades. It could put the city at the forefront of leading in climate goals, but also do the right thing for workers and economic wellbeing of the city,” said Knapp.
The PGW Diversification Study is a part of the city’s ambitions to lead on climate action and is supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge.
Photo by KWON JUNHO on Unsplash
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