LinkNYC’s purchase of 18,000 renewable energy credits will support clean energy projects
In honor of Earth Day, LinkNYC and Intersection will promote environmental PSAs — view images HERE
NEW YORK, NY – In advance of Earth Day, LinkNYC, the public-private partnership with the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) that has built the largest, fastest public Wi-Fi network in the world and is working to bridge the digital divide across New York City, today announced it will achieve net zero electric emissions in 2023 by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECS) through Karbone, an award-winning financial service platform for renewable energy and decarbonization markets. Today’s announcement is in conjunction with Intersection, who operates the sales, marketing and maintenance of the LinkNYC program and will support this green initiative via extensive programming and sales efforts.
LinkNYC has also been supporting New York City’s aggressive 80 x 50 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals since 2020 when it partnered with Catamaran Renewables and played a key role in the financing and deploying 7.5 megawatts of fuel cell distributed energy resources (DERs) in Staten Island. These systems supply over 62,000 megawatt-hours of electricity to the electrical grid each year and emit on average 30% less CO2 than other baseload energy sources like natural gas. This project both makes the power grid in southern Staten Island more reliable and resilient and generates energy cost savings for subscribers, including CityBridge. In addition, LinkNYC has partnered with Earth Day Initiative to display environmental messaging on kiosks across New York City in honor of Earth Month.
“At LinkNYC, our mission is to connect communities and help New Yorkers overcome intractable challenges like the digital divide. Many of the neighborhoods that face disparities in internet access are also heavily impacted by climate change — and this announcement reflects our continued commitment to be a good neighbor,” said Nick Colvin CEO of LinkNYC. “By purchasing renewable energy credits, we are not only offsetting the climate impact of our power consumption and reducing our carbon footprint but making clear our belief that every company has a responsibility to help build a more sustainable future.”
“Karbone is thrilled to have played an integral role in helping LinkNYC achieve its net zero goals, as both its REC broker and Green-e REC certifier,” said Jonathan Burnston, Managing Director at Karbone. “We look forward to continuing to support LinkNYC in their endeavor to expand 5G service across the city in a sustainable way.”
“As a global leader in the fight against climate change, New York City must wield the power of technology to mitigate its worst impacts now and build a sustainable future for generations to come,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “I applaud LinkNYC for reaching net zero electric emissions and look forward to continuing to partner on efforts to build a more connected and equitable New York City.”
This year, LinkNYC will purchase at least 18,000 CRS Listed Green-E Certified Wind credits from the Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility in Oklahoma. RECs are an essential revenue stream for renewable energy projects, and purchasing these credits will help sustain Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility’s impact. Owned by Southern Power, the Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility provides low-cost energy and RECs through a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC), a generation and transmission electric cooperative. AECC currently sells the RECs to third parties like LinkNYC to help them meet their goals. The Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility created 250 jobs during peak construction, making it an important source of economic activity in the region.
LinkNYC’s work with Karbone and the Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility highlights the company’s efforts to reduce its footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. This REC purchase allows LinkNYC to achieve net zero electric emissions in 2023, a significant milestone in LinkNYC’s commitment to sustainability as it continues to build out the world’s largest, fastest public Wi-Fi network and expand 5G service across the city.
ZenFi Networks, a BAI Communications company and the technology partner of CityBridge in the deployment of LinkNYC, is also committed to connecting communities in a sustainable way through resilient network infrastructure and responsible climate action, as stated in its ESG framework.
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About LinkNYC
LinkNYC is the world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network. Each Link kiosk provides
free superfast Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, access to social services, and displays content such as real-time weather, transit info, public art, and local information. The city-wide network has more than 13 million Wi-Fi users and has connected more than 25 million free phone calls. All of LinkNYC’s services are completely free to users and taxpayers, provided by CityBridge, a partnership led by Intersection and ZenFi Networks. The second generation offering will deploy thousands of new kiosks, called Link5G, enabled with 5G wireless technology across the city. For more information about LinkNYC or to find a Link near you, visit www.link.nyc.
About Intersection
Intersection is a member of the consortium behind LinkNYC. Intersection is an experience-driven Out of Home media and technology company that delivers programming, consumer amenities, and advertising to cities. From free internet access to wayfinding to real-time information, our products make city life easier and more sustainable. We further enrich cities with experiential programming that inspires and engages people throughout their day. With valuable, diverse audiences in America’s top cities, we provide innovative, data-driven solutions for brands to reach urbanites at scale. For more information, visit www.intersection.com.