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Renewable Energy
More people are choosing clean, green energy than ever before.
WPPI Energy’s renewable energy program, a voluntary participation program in which residential and business customers may choose to offset some or all of their energy use with purchases of renewable energy, continues to grow in participating member communities.
The leadership shown by WPPI Energy member utilities in advancing renewable energy exemplifies how WPPI Energy and our members can work together to shape change at the community level.
Support for renewable energy enables WPPI Energy to build new renewable energy facilities and increase the amount of clean, green resources we use. The long-term success of this program depends on the support of customers in member communities.
Why renewable energy?
- It’s clean. The more energy we use from renewable resources, the less we will need to rely on fossil-fuel based energy. We can reduce carbon dioxide emissions — which contribute to climate change — and keep the air that we breathe cleaner.
- It’s secure. Renewable energy is in use all over the country and has proven reliable. And because it’s produced from resources that are available here at home, renewable energy can reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
- It’s sustainable. Renewable energy sources such as wind, water and biogas can never be depleted. That’s simply not true of conventional generation sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. If we want to ensure an unlimited supply of energy resources for future generations, renewable energy is the way to go.
Where does our renewable energy come from?
- Wind. Wind energy, the fastest growing source of renewable energy, comes from wind turbines and is 100 percent emission-free.
- Solar energy. Energy from the sun is converted into electrical energy without producing any emissions.
- Biogas. Landfill gas is converted into electricity, significantly reducing methane (a greenhouse gas) and lessening air pollution.
WPPI Energy has been awarded Green-e Energy certification for our residential Renewable Energy Program and Green Power for Business program. Both programs enable customers to make voluntary purchases of renewable energy from participating WPPI Energy member utilities.
Product Content Label
Price, Terms and Conditions
Green-e Energy was established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions to provide information and an objective standard for consumers to compare renewable energy options, and to verify that consumers get what they pay for.
Residential customers
Many consumers have indicated a preference for electricity generated from renewable resources. In response, WPPI Energy has developed a portfolio of renewable energy resources for members to offer to residential customers in block sizes of 300 kilowatt hours (kWh).
The residential Renewable Energy Program allows any customer of a participating WPPI Energy member the option to purchase electricity from clean, green energy sources. Participation costs just a few dollars each month, and customers have the satisfaction of knowing that they are preserving energy resources for tomorrow. Forty-two of WPPI Energy’s members offer the Renewable Energy Program to their residential customers.
Renewable energy supporters in WPPI Energy member communities have already had a large, positive impact on the environment. More than 4,500 residential customers participate in the program – a 2.7% overall participation rate for those 42 members offering the program. This is well above the national average of 2.2%, according to the National Renewable Energy Research Lab.
Together, by purchasing more than 24 million kWh of renewable energy in 2010, residential customers have reduced carbon dioxide emissions the same amount as not driving 3,400 cars for one year. It would have taken over 10,000 tons of coal (a finite resource) to produce the same amount of electricity. With your help, we can do even more to make a difference.
Business customers
Studies show that people have a more favorable view of and are more likely to buy services from companies that show a concern for the environment.
Through WPPI Energy’s Green Power for Business program, participating members can offer their businesses, schools and other organizations the option to purchase electricity from renewable resources. Customers purchase blocks of renewable energy to offset their energy use or, in some cases, to equal the cost of producing a specific product.
A bulk rate option is available to the industrial market, and sales of renewable energy to this customer sector continues to increase.
To date, more than 330 business customers participate in the program, currently purchasing more than 10,700 blocks per month from the 42 members that offer the program. This amounts to over 38,000,000 kWh of electricity that doesn't have to be generated by non-renewable resources each year, avoiding the emission of almost 30,000 tons of CO2.
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