Environmentally Friendly & Cheap Electricity

Environmentally Friendly & Cheap Electricity

How to make your company envrinmentally responsible without burning a hole in the Checkbook

November 9, 2009

 

Article Highlites:

• Solar Energy is Expensive and not practical for mid size companies
• Wind Power is a real solution for companies looking for environmentally friendly electricity
• Despite governemnt incentives, solar panel sytstems require a substantial investment

 

More and more I hear about companies, ecspecially in New Jersey, turning to solar power to supply their energy needs. While talking to the executives of these companies I hear a sense of pride in their voices as they explain their decision to look into the benefits of solar power. In their minds it is a no brainer. They are told that the solar panels will produce enough electricity to supply all of their power and then some, and they will be helping the environment.

 

While hearing about companies “looking into solar energy” has become repititive, talking to someone who has actually implented the project is not as easy to come by. You might ask: How could this be? Solar panels, it is said, can eliminate the electricity bills for a company and their carbon footprint. The simple answer is, that despite the many government rebates and incentives, solar panel projects are expensive. A household project alone is usually priced between $20,000 and $30,000. It is easy and even fullfilling to talk about your plans to implement solar panels and make the jump to excluviely using solar energy to cool and heat your office building. However, the reality is that the technology to make solar energy cost efficient just hasn’t arrived at this point.

 

There is an easy, cheap, and environmentally friendly solution for companies. The solution is wind power. One of the key benefits of electricity deregulation that is often overlooked are the new products that competition produces. Many providers offer a wind power solution to customers who are looking to do their part for the environment. For companies that are still on the default rates with the incumbent provider of last resort, there is a high chance that the wind power product will also yield a lower rate than what the company is currently paying.

 

How does it work?

 

Wind turbines produce electricity which is deposited to the grid with the rest of the electricity produced by other means (natural gas, coal, nuclear). When a company elects to buy wind power they do so through a certified retail electric provider. That provider buys the electricity from the wind turbine farm at wholesale and then sells it to the customer. The more customers who choose to buy wind power, the more wind turbines will get built in the long run.

 

In the end you get a cheap, easy, and envirnomentally beneficial solution to supply electricity to commercial and industrial clientele. Wind power will not eliminate your electricity bill like solar panel implementation. However, using wind power does not require a substantial investment. With wind power there is less talking and more action.