Many businesses and institutions are starting to adopt sustainability goals that include purchasing renewable energy. The options go far beyond putting solar panels on the roof of the building. Renewable energy can come in many forms and contracting options and can be located far away on someone else land. Many different contracting options are available with terms from months to decades and some large customers are even purchasing power directly from renewable energy projects like wind- and solar-farms.
Making the right choices for your situation requires a partner that will start by understanding your needs, then match solutions and suppliers that can best meet those needs and the budget. Beyond the environmental benefits to renewable energy, they can also act as risk management tools to provide long-term electricity cost stability. Some renewable energy contracts today are even cost competitive with traditional “brown” power or, in some cases, provide a savings.
Benefits to using Transparent Energy for your renewables procurement:
- Understanding of renewable energy markets
- A full suite of options to help design a procurement strategy to best fit your needs and budget
- A process-driven approach that will bring the most suppliers to compete for your business and drive to the best pricing
The best option to select is going to depend on what claims your goals, needs and strategy. What claims does your management want to make in marketing or sustainability reporting. Who is the audience? The Transparent Energy process will start with questions so we can help you find the right answers.
A Suite of Product Offerings
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs): RECs are available today as virtually “free” option to add renewable energy to your supply portfolio. RECs are certificates that represent the renewable attributes generated by clean energy systems. Each certificate represents the renewable attributes of 1,000 kWh (or 1 MWh) of electricity produced from a generator powered by clean sources like solar, wind, biomass (land-fill gas methane, wood waste, etc.), or sometimes hydro. You can purchase these credits separately or bundled into your electric supply contract from a competitive supplier. This flexibility allows buyers to select how much of their consumption is “supplied” by renewable energy. The price of each REC varies based on where it was produced and by what technology. Transparent can help review the options and get competitive pricing.
Community Solar: Community Solar provides businesses access to solar power without having to invest in solar panels on their own property. This helps a number of different kinds of energy consumers support clean, solar energy: 1) businesses which may be in buildings without the unshaded space needed for panels, 2) tenants who don’t have control of roof space, and/or 3) those energy buyers who don’t want the hassle of owning and maintaining power equipment. Community Solar programs also provide a significant savings, typically about 10% off your electric bills, while letting you keep your current electric supply contract in place.
Carbon Credits: These are credits that can be purchased to off-set the carbon burned either for heating the building or the electricity that went to power the building or for miles driven by a fleet. The credits are produced by other companies that have reduced their carbon emissions or taken action to take carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Credits can be purchased and traded and can be bundled with a natural gas contract.
Renewable Natural Gas: Just as electricity can be purchased from renewable sources such as solar or wind projects, so, too, can natural gas. These sources include processes such as capturing gas streams produced by municipal or agricultural waste, cleaning them of impurities, and piping them into the natural gas delivery system. Since this gas is produced by natural and recurring chemical reactions – and would normally be vented into the atmosphere – capturing them and burning them cleanly in the natural gas system reduces greenhouse gases.
