[Durham INC] Energy Conservation & Efficiency Programs

[Laura Drey]

Recommendation: Avoid NC GreenPower
Buying renewable energy from NC GreenPower is like trying to buy organic
tomatoes at a store that has one bin labeled “15% Organic Tomatoes.” One
tomato in seven is organic, the rest are factory grown. Would you buy there?
Not me. It's unacceptable.

There are many ways to buy or invest in 100% renewable energy. The three
sources of energy provided by the companies listed below are wind, solar,
and agricultural methane digestion. All are certified renewable by Green-E
(http://www.green-e.org).

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation
http://www.b-e-f.org/renewables/tillamook.shtm

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) was founded in 1998 to support
watershed restoration programs and develop new sources of renewable energy.
Funding for these efforts has been provided in a way that would be called
unusual for most foundations. BEF, a non-profit organization, markets green
power products to public utilities, businesses, government agencies and
individuals. During 2000, BEF developed its Green Tags product, in
recognition of the demand for renewable energy in places where utilities do
not offer that choice. Green Tags represent the environmental benefits that
occur when clean, new renewable energy is substituted for power that is
produced by burning fossil fuel. BEF has been the pioneer in offering this
choice to customers worldwide. Revenues that are generated selling Green
Tags are reinvested in new forms of renewable energy, such as Tillamook
Animal Waste to Energy.

Clean and Green
http://www.cleanandgreen.us/commen.php

Renewable fuels are inexhaustible and free, tapped and developed locally.
Towns that own renewable energy projects are more economically sustainable,
keeping a larger portion of economic value within the community. During the
construction phase of project development, local businesses ranging from mom
and pop's donut shop to construction and infrastructure companies get a
substantial economic boost. Once completed, a community renewable energy
project generates revenues, property taxes, land lease fees, and stable,
long-term, good-paying jobs that help to stimulate the local economy and
contribute to the economic base.

For example: "property tax payments of 1% of the assessed value of a wind
project equal approximately $10,000 per megawatt for rural communities each
year" and this income "provides much-needed revenue to rural communities for
building new schools, roads, bridges, and other community infrastructure²."
Furthermore, "according to a study by the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority, wind energy produces 27% more jobs per kilowatt hour
than coal plants and 66% more jobs than natural gas plants."

Native Energy
http://www.nativeenergy.com

Choose CoolWattsSM 100% New Wind, certified by Green-e.  With CoolWatts, you
can create the same impact as buying clean electricity from your utility,
and you can choose how much of your power you want to offset with clean
energy from the wind.
 
NativeEnergy is a privately held Native American energy company.  In August
2005, the Intertribal Council On Utility Policy (COUP) acquired a majority
ownership interest in NativeEnergy on behalf of its member tribes, marking
another significant step in the Great Plains tribes’ historic effort to
power America with Native wind.
 
Your purchase of CoolWattsSM supports wind-powered electricity production in
the United States. You will continue to receive a separate electricity bill
from your utility. For every unit of renewable electricity generated, an
equivalent amount of renewable certificates is produced. The purchase of
renewable certificates helps offset conventional electricity generation in
the region where the renewable generator is located, which may be anywhere
in the continental US. Your purchase also helps build a market for renewable
electricity and may have other local and global environmental benefits such
as reducing global climate change and regional air pollution. For more
information about renewable certificates, please visit
http://www.green-e.org.

For each month that you purchase this product, NativeEnergy ensures that
electricity is generated from 100% wind generation facilities and delivered
to the national power grid in an amount equal to your monthly purchase. This
electricity and the associated renewable energy certificates will be
generated in the calendar year of your purchase, the first three months of
the following calendar year, or the last 6 months of the prior calendar
year. To verify this generation and delivery, NativeEnergy will purchase and
retire renewable energy certificates on your behalf. Each certificate will
be retired once and only once.

New Wind Energy
http://www.newwindenergy.com/nwe_product_faqs.html

Imagine the electric grid is a giant bathtub being filled with electricity
from many different faucets. Each faucet is a different generation source,
for example, nuclear, fossil fuel, and wind. Every time you turn on a light
switch, you drain a little electricity from the tub. Although buying wind
does not mean that electricity is being directed straight from the windmill
to your home (it is impossible to specifically direct an electron), it does
mean that more of the electricity being poured into the grid comes from the
emission-free wind farm source, rather than a dirtier generation source. By
buying wind you are increasing the amount of pollution-free generated
electricity, or pouring clean water into the tub, and decreasing the amount
of dirty water poured into the bathtub.
Renewable Ventures LLC
http://www.renewableventures.com

Renewable Ventures LLC, is a renewable energy investment and management
company which finances and operates renewable energy power plants. We work
with commercial and industrial businesses, industrial organizations and
government agencies that want secure, affordable renewable energy.

We currently operate five solar fields throughout the U.S. and we are
working hard to bring you more solar solutions.

Wind-e™ Renewable Energy
http://www.sky-energy.com/product_info.shtml

Wind-e™ Renewable Energy is the environmental attributes of wind energy
measured in kilowatt-hours or kWh as it is generated by large utility-grade
wind turbines connected to the power lines and is transferred to customers
through Renewable Energy Certificates or RECs. These RECs enable customers
to purchase clean, renewable wind energy without changing power companies or
installing additional equipment at their home or place of business. It is
also a direct investment to support the development of future wind farms
nationwide. Wind-e™ Renewable Energy is “fresh” from the turbine and is
independently certified by the Center for Resource Solutions’ Green-e®
Renewable Energy Certification program.



Advice from Lou Zeller:
Science Director, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
336.982.2691
PO Box 88, Glendale Springs, NC 28629
www.bredl.org



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