How dirty is the energy you purchase?

Find out with the Environmental Disclosure Statement or at Power Scorecard.

Read about the public benefits of renewable energy from the Union of Concerned Scientists

To learn more about Green Power in NYS

A toll-free hotline has been established so that anyone in New York State can call for information on purchasing green energy resources. That number is 1-866-GRN-POWR, or 1-866-476-7697.

Also, a brochure is available from New York Energy Smart.

FREE

The Fenner Renewable Energy Center, Inc. (or "FREE Center") is a grass-roots organization formed to educate the public on the benefits of renewable energy and other sustainable practices. They're located on-site at the Fenner Wind Farm in the heart of Central New York. Since late 2001, they have lived and worked amongst the 20 turbines that make up this 30 MW wind project. They organized to share their unique experience and to encourage others to embrace a clean energy future.

Buying green energy in New York State

As always, the cleanest energy is the energy you don't use - the "negaWatts!" There are myriad ways you can dramatically reduce your electricity use without compromising your lifestyle. In addition to reducing your electricity use, though, you can buy clean, "green" electricity for the electricity you do use - or even create your own.

Create your own electricity

Some congregations and individuals can create their own electricity with a wind or solar installation. Yes, New York State has surprisingly good solar potential! In fact, when you generate more electricity than you use - which can happen on a sunny summer day - your meter can actually run backwards (if you're tied into the grid). NYSERDA has more information about generating your own power naturally.

Purchase green energy

People in New York State now have true energy choice when purchasing energy. We can choose "green" renewable energy, not just a different energy supplier.

Churches, which fall in the "Residential" category when choosing energy suppliers, can choose to purchase various mixes of wind, small hydro, and biomass or even 100% wind - the pollution-free choice.

In most parts of NYS, either individuals or congregations can easily purchase "green" energy through their usual energy supplier. For example, individuals or congregations in Central New York would simply sign up for a green energy supplier through National Grid's GreenUp program. Other utilities have similar programs.

How does this work?

New York's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal is to have 25% of our energy be "green" by 2013. However, the state already has close to 19% hydro power, so the new, incremental power needed is about 6%. One percent of that 6% is designated to come from voluntary purchases. That's where we come in! The 5% remaining is funded by a very small levy on people's utility bills.

Need more detailed information? You can find out about the details specific to New York State on the Union of Concerned Scientists website.

Electricity is electricity is electricity?

NO! There are significant differences in the amount of pollution and global warming emissions produced by different power companies.

Each company is required to provide an Environmental Disclosure Statement so you can compare fuel sources and emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide relative to the average. Find out the facts about choices available to you at PowerScoreCard.org.

Here's an example

This is just a sample of the kind of information you can get from Power Score Card. Learn more about each of the following impacts and compare the choices available in your area by going to PowerScoreCard.org.

	Community Energy, Inc. 100% New Wind Energy	Community Energy, Inc. Wind and Water Power	National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) Utility Service	New York System Mix
NEW RENEWABLES:
New Renewable Rating	Excellent	Very Good	Unacceptable	Unacceptable
New Renewable Content	100.0%	60.0%	0.0%	0.0%
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:
Environmental Impact Rating	Excellent	Very Good	Unacceptable	Unacceptable
Environmental Impact Score	0.1	1.8	8.9	7.9
Component Environmental Impact Ratings:
Climate change	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Fair
Acid rain	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good	Good
Ozone (smog) and fine particulates	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Fair
Air toxics (mercury)	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Very Good
Water use	Excellent	Good	Unacceptable	Unacceptable
Water quality	Excellent	Good	Unacceptable	Poor
On-site land impacts	Excellent	Fair	Unacceptable	Unacceptable
Off-site land impacts	Excellent	Fair	Unacceptable	Unacceptable
PRICE:
Price2 (cents per kWh)	19.5¢	19.9¢	17.0¢

"But my supplier has cleaner than average emissions."

Your electricity supplier may indeed have fewer emissions than the "average" electricity, but this isn't the whole story.

Nuclear power, for example, may produce fewer of the emissions reported in the Environmental Disclosure Statement, but it has other costs: financial, waste product disposal, and security downsides. And when the health of people and the planet are considered, can we be willing to settle for "good enough?"

You can purchase renewable energy through these utilities:

Central Hudson Gas and Electric (and click on "Energy Choice">"Green Energy Suppliers")
Consolidated Edison of New York
Long Island Power Authority
National Grid
New York State Electric and Gas
Rochester Gas and Electric

If your utility doesn't offer a renewable energy choice...

If your utility doesn't offer a renewable energy choice (or if you choose not to purchase one of the available renewable energy options), you can purchase Green Tags through NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group). For more information...

Remember: The total cost of your energy is more than just money

The price you pay each month is only part of its true cost. Consider also the cost of children ill with asthma or other respiratory diseases, the cost of heart attacks due to power plant pollution, and the costs of global warming and other damage to our environment.

Can we afford it?

When you choose clean renewable energy you're substituting cleaner energy for the current polluting energy subsidizing increased production of clean energy, i.e. providing money to build additional wind turbines.

These renewable energy choices also mean that you're paying a surcharge on top of your current electricity cost.

In these times of tight budgets, at first it might seem foolish to spend more on energy than what's absolutely necessary to keep the building habitable. But is it really foolish for congregations to actively promote energy that doesn't cause acid rain or smog? That doesn't cause health problems, especially for children and adults? That doesn't contribute to further climate change?

Many congregations (here's one in Central New York) and judicatories are making this stewardship commitment to justice - justice for people today, justice for future generations, and justice for all of God's creations - human and nonhuman.

How-to

One way to pay for the slight additional cost is to conserve energy and make energy-efficient improvements in your physical plant.

Many programs give excellent advice on ways you can save a lot of energy and money - money that then can be used to purchase renewable energy. You'll be surprised at how much money you can save - and once you have paid for these energy upgrades, these savings occur year after year after year.

Another solution is to ask your congregation's members to make a special contribution toward this purchase.

Your church might also hold fund-raisers to earn money toward this project. Perhaps the youth of the congregation can participate. After all, they and their children will be the generations most dramatically affected by climate change.

Wind turbines and birds

As stewards of all of God's creation, not just energy, we're obliged to consider the possibly negative effects of an energy solution, for example wind turbines, on other creatures. Of course, birds and other creatures will be affected by global warming just as much as humans will be.

The EPA and the American Bird Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation have studied the impact of global warming on birds and have published state-specific information on the impact of global warming on birds.

At the moment, it might be reasonable to conclude that the environmental benefits - for birds and for humans - of wind farms constructed with care with respect to birds may outweigh the (apparently) few birds killed. At the same time, working on other human factors in bird deaths (tower kill, windows in tall building an in residences, domestic cats) might be an important way to preserve birds.

Wind turbines and bats

There is also concern about the impact of wind turbines on bats, but bats haven't been studied as thoroughly as have birds.

"What happens if the wind isn't blowing?"

People often ask this question. They're afraid that if they purchase wind energy, they'll have brownouts. They worry that they won't have their usual prompt service if they have a power problem.

No need to worry! When you purchase green energy through your utility, your utility remains your service provider. And in fact, the electricity coming into your house is actually no different from your neighbor's electricity. The electricity produced by wind farms, solar collectors and so on are just fed into the grid like all the other sources of electricity. Purchasing green energy is simply supporting the development of more green energy, and greening the resulting "mix" of the electricity on the grid. The more people and institutions purchase green energy, the "greener" the electricity mix ... and the less global warming and power plant pollution and its associated health problems.