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Green Power and Renewable Energy
On-Site Renewable Energy
After addressing energy-efficiency opportunities available in your facility, you may also want to consider renewable energy and green power. Renewable energy refers to electricity supplied from energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. These energy sources are considered renewable sources because they are continuously replenished.
Electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources is often referred to as "green power." Green power products can include electricity generated exclusively from renewable resources or, more frequently, electricity produced from a combination of fossil and renewable resources.
If interested in installing renewable energy equipment in your facility, incentives may be available in your state to "buy down" the cost. To learn more about incentives visit the Financing Energy Efficiency Projects section of this guide.
Of course, not every small business can install renewable energy technology at their facility. Fortunately you can buy green power for your facility directly from many utilities at a slightly higher cost than regular electricity. If your utility does not offer green power options you can still participate by purchasing renewable energy certificates. Renewable energy certificates (or green tags) document the purchase of renewable energy.
Additional Resources
Check out the following links for additional information on renewable energy and green power:
- EPA: Clean Energy
- EPA: Green Power Partnership
- DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office
- Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): Learning About Renewable Energy
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council: Small Wind Energy
- DOE EERE: Green Power Network
Produced in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Business Gateway and ENERGY STAR®
