Some of you may have noticed the exciting news that many energy companies have started implementing clean energy incentives to clients to encourage the use of solar energy. Renewable energy has become widely popular amongst energy corporations and is advancing by the day. It can be defined as energy that is of unlimited supply, such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Renewable energy may even extend to methane gas from landfills, fuel cells using renewable fuels, and other technologies. It has created market incentives for customers of energy corporations.
Many businesses have started to follow a one cent incentive model. Each residence or business’ environmental impact will vary by how much energy they use on a monthly average. Energy companies can give you the choice of how much energy you would like to attribute to renewable energy. For example, if you use 3,125 kWh of energy per month, and you attribute just 50% of your energy to renewable energy, your estimated environmental impact each month is over 4,480 bags of waste recycled instead of landfilled, 19 tree seedlings grown for 10 years, and 1,217 avoided pounds of coal burned!
Cobb EMC offers a program called “Green Energy For A Penny” in which users are charged 1 cent per KwH to contribute to renewable energy. Therefore, if you use 3,125 kWh of energy each month, and you attribute 50% of your energy to renewable energy, you are paying an extra $15.63 per month to impact our environment for the better. Georgia Power offers something similar called the “Simple Solar” program that is also an additional 1 cent per kWh that can match either 50% or 100% of customers monthly energy usage with Renewable Energy Credits. Renewable Energy Credits are a process in which energy is produced from solar panels converting rays from the sun into electric energy. The solar energy produced is represented by renewable energy credits. By purchasing these credits through Georgia Power, customers can claim the usage of solar energy by pairing their energy purchase with a solar renewable energy credit.
By taking advantage of these programs, we can all work together to reduce emissions and work towards more sustainable energy solutions to make a positive impact on our planet. Ask your local power company if they offer any programs like these, and please share this with others.
All my best to you,
Janice