Showing posts with label clean energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clean energy. Show all posts

Monday, September 28, 2009

A Look at Texas Electric Companies - Green Mountain Energy -

We are starting a series where we discuss our Texas electric company partners. Today we start with Green Mountain Energy.

What is Green Mountain Energy all about and just who are they exactly? Green Mountain Energy is one of the leading providers of cleaner energy and are committed helping people reduce their carbon footprint and their impact on the environment. Although they have humble beginnings, beginning in Vermont in 1997, they are now headquartered in Austin, Texas.

For twelve years, Green Mountain Energy’s goal has been to use the power of the consumer's voice to change the way power is made. In that time, with the help of loyal customers they have delivered over 6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable energy to the consumer market. They have also prevented enough CO2 pollution to equal the effect of planting more than 384 million trees and been instrumental in the development of close to 40 new solar power facilities and commercial wind generators across the country.

Green Mountain Energy has three different branches, residential electricity, commercial electricity and carbon offsets. Retail customers have the option to have direct access to their retail electric service provider. In deregulated areas like Texas, customers can not only choose which provider they want, but also where the electricity comes from. For regulated markets, Green Mountain Energy works with utility companies who want to provide a cleaner source of energy to their customers. They also supply the marketing, sales and supply services in order to ensure their success. Green Mountain Energy has partnerships with Portland General Electric and with utility companies in New York and New Jersey.

The commercial division of Green Mountain Energy focuses on deregulating the electricity market in places like Texas. They are one of the major unregulated service providers in the state of Texas. They also help companies, businesses and residences to offset their carbon footprint. This can be done in many different ways; such as finding that a corporation needs to upgrade their solar panels to more efficient ones, or helping an individual find out how to improve things around the home like changing out energy wasting appliances for new high efficiency ones.

Green Mountain Energy also works with many of the world's climate leaders to develop new technologies in the areas of only solar and wind energy as well as hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, natural gas and biomass fuels. Being a truly green company, Green Mountain Energy has also been a leader in reducing their own carbon footprint. This is reflected in the programs offered to their employees, who can purchase certificates from the company for renewable energy to offset the costs of their energy usage.

There are many other ways Green Mountain Energy has helped improve the environment and provided energy from clean, renewable sources. You can find an abundance of information about this company online at ChooseEnergy.com. You can find out what they are doing and what they have in store for the future. You learn about the consumer programs they have and how you can sign up for them. With the importance of finding cleaner more renewable energy sources, it is refreshing to find a company that has jumped into green energy full force. To sign up online, simply go to: ChooseEnergy.com - It's Simple to be Green.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Clean Texas Energy

The number of pounds of carbon dioxide each individual generates a year is astounding; in the United States the average is 15,000 pounds. This number takes into account the amount carbon dioxide produced when the products and services we use are produced, the fuel we use to travel and the amount of energy we use in our homes. It is however possible to reduce and eliminate this number and live a “carbon neutral” life. Reducing our “carbon footprint” is an important step towards clean Texas energy sources.

Texans can start reducing their carbon footprint by becoming more energy efficient. This requires individuals to use less energy while maintaining their current life style. This can be done by:
• Switching to energy efficient appliances and light bulbs. Energy efficient light bulbs can save over 100 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year’s time.
• Reducing the amount of hot water used. People can invest in efficient on demand hot water heaters, low flow shower heads and wash clothes in cold water. This reduces the carbon dioxide load by over 300 pounds.
• Recycling reduces carbon dioxide waste by 2,500 pounds. Start a recycling program if one is not available.
• Planting trees can reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by about one ton for each tree planted. The trees not only absorb carbon dioxide, they provide wind breaks to keep buildings warm in the winter and shade to keep them cooler in the hotter months.

Another step towards the goal of clean Texas energy sources involves switching to renewable or clean energy sources such as solar and wind. Texas has always been synonymous with the oil industry. As sources of fossil fuel dwindle (oil production in Texas is down 73 percent since 1972) the state has to find new energy sources. The state has renewable and clean Texas energy sources to supply as much or even more sustainable energy than that which was supplied by fossil fuels. The potential for clean Texas energy is found in the renewable energy sources of wind, geothermal, biomass and solar power.

Wind power is considered sustainable and cost effective and is perfect as a clean Texas energy source. Texas has the potential to produce enough energy from wind to be self reliant. Calculations also show an overflow of wind power, this excess can be sold within the region.

Texas’ location is perfect for solar power generation. The state has many long sunny daysperfect for harvesting solar energy. Solar energy requires an investment but the returns make it worth it.

With the diminishing fossil oil reserves, Texas will have a substantial number of abandoned wells. These wells can be geared up to produce geothermal energy. This is another way to convert fossil energy dependancy to clean Texas energy usage.

Waste from agricultural and landfills can be used to produce biomass energy. Biodiesel has already been used to power some vehicles in some Texas cities effectively reducing some those cities carbon footprints.

Purchasing green power at the individual, city or government level can lead to widespread use of clean Texas electricity. Texans can reduce their carbon foot print by building small scale renewable energy sources suitable for businesses or homes. The parts are affordable with wind and solar energy kits readily available. Individuals can also invest money in companies that sell, research and manufacture parts related to clean energy.