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Resources for the Washington DC area |
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Learn about Yes2Wind.com in the United Kingdom. |
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By 2020, wind-generated electricity is projected to satisfy the residential needs of 195 million Europeans, half of the region's population. source: Earth Policy Institute - Europe Leading World Into Age of Wind Energy |
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Switching to "Green" Electricity in the DC Area If you live in Virginia, DC or Maryland you can now buy energy produced by renewable sources. Pepco Energy Services has a program called Power Choice, which lets you choose the source of your electricity. You have a variety of options and will pay a premium for your electricity. If you live in Virginia, your bill will continue to come from your present utility, which is likely Dominion Power. On your bill, will be the new pricing to reflect the Power Choice program. You sign up for the program for 12 months at a time. Green Electricity is generated from 100% renewable resources, which includes hydroelectric plants, solar panels, wind farms and biomass fuels. The generation of Green Electricity produces almost none of the pollutants commonly referred to as "greenhouse gases". These pollutants (such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide) contribute to global warming, smog, acid rain, and can result in damage to the environment.
This is an example of pricing in parts of Virginia for the various programs as of late March 2005. Pricing will vary in different localities. You can get the exact current pricing from the Power Choice website.
Nationwide, Green power is a trend that is catching on. White Wave, Staples, Kinkos, and General Motors buy at least some of their electricity from renewable sources. Utilities in the state of New York already produce 17% of their electricity from renewables. As you might expect, California is moving strongly in the direction of using this clean power. The New England states are also embracing this trend. This is an exciting development and an important piece of the puzzle in shifting to a healthy environment. Of course, the DC area is lagging behind a little. Fuddyduddiness can sometimes be hard to overcome; but we'll make it! Power Choice is available to both residential and business customers. You can call Pepco Energy Services at 1-800 ENERGY-9 if you have any questions about the program.
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resources: |
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Washington Gas Energy Services Wind Power (available in DC and MD) |
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Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light helps congregations switch to clean energy. Read about some local congregations' success stories. |
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What Is Green Power? from the Environmental Protection Agency site |
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Some Area Businesses Goin' With the Wind |
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general resources: |
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news: |
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Sunflower Electric in Kansas showed mercury emission reductions in excess of 90% in tests using new technologies. Please contact your power company and ask them to clean up their coal burning power plants. story: EPRI Honors Sunflower Electric |
© 2002 - 2005 David Walls. All rights reserved.