In an Aug. 3 Local Opinions piece, “The Exelon-Pepco merger is bad for the D.C. area,” DC Solar United Neighborhoods (DC SUN) Executive Director Anya Schoolman, arguing against the merger of Pepco’s parent company and Exelon, based her case on misinformation and ignored the many benefits to customers from this combination.
Exelon shares Pepco’s commitment to clean, sustainable energy, and that commitment will not change. Exelon’s energy portfolio is one of the nation’s cleanest. Exelon is one of the country’s top 10 wind-energy producers and has made major investments in solar, from the nation’s largest urban solar project in Chicago to the 230-megawatt Antelope Valley Solar Ranch in Southern California.
Pepco has a strong record of supporting local solar initiatives, including DC SUN’s current proposal for Department of Energy funding. Like Pepco, Exelon believes renewable energy should be an important part of the District’s and Maryland’s energy supply. Exelon’s Constellation business recently installed at Dunbar High School the largest rooftop solar system on a building in the District. Exelon is the largest producer of carbon-free energy in Maryland and, consistent with the commitments of its merger with Constellation, is developing 285 to 300 megawatts of clean energy generation in the state, including substantial wind and solar.
DC SUN’s claims about service reliability are unfounded. Exelon and Pepco have pledged to reduce power outage frequency in the District by 48 percent and duration by 28 percent by 2020 and have offered to face financial penalties if we fall short.
We are confident that our combination will be good for Pepco customers, their communities, the environment and our employees.
Joe Rigby, Washington
Chris Crane, Chicago
Joe Rigby is chairman, president and chief executive of Pepco Holdings. Chris Crane is president and chief executive of Exelon.