AWEA reports that in 2012, wind energy became the number one source of new U.S. electric generating capacity, providing 42% of all new capacity.  The industry installed 13,124 MW and took on new customers in the industrial and commercial sectors.

Read more about the booming wind industry in Powergrid International.

Congratulations to all of our customers who are EPA Green Power Partners – you are true leaders in supporting and promoting renewable energy.

Not yet an EPA Green Power Partner, but interested in learning more? We can help.

This Earth Day, we’re thrilled to announce the release of our latest Sustainability Report, which shows the impressive difference our customers are helping us make for the environment.

In 2012, Green Mountain residential and commercial customers had the largest annual impact ever by avoiding 24.5 billion pounds of CO₂ emissions!  To put that in perspective, that’s as much as:

• 2.6 million houses turning off all of their lights for a year
• Taking 496,700 cars off the road for a year
• Planting 605,500 trees

We are extremely proud and thankful of our customers’ commitment to renewable energy and the progress we have made together.  We encourage you to check out the report to learn more.

Not a customer yet, but ready to get in on the impact?  Celebrate Earth Day by choosing cleaner energy at the right price for your business.

As the demand for renewable energy grows, so does Green Mountain – and we’re proud to announce our recent expansion into the greater Pittsburgh market, serving both business and residential customers with renewable energy!

Expanding into Pittsburgh is a natural fit for us, as there is already a clear passion for sustainability and renewable energy. Our new friend Aftyn Giles, Sustainability Coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Energy Efficiency, explained, “We recognize cleaner sources of energy are vital to creating a more sustainable city and welcome Green Mountain’s leadership in renewable energy.”

Read the full press release. 

It’s the first day of spring, and as spring is a time for renewal, Green Mountain Energy Company is proud to announce the renewal of our contract with Ft. Worth’s historic Sundance Square through 2018, marking the mixed-use development’s 10-year pledge of sustainability through the choice of renewable wind energy. Since becoming a Green Mountain customer in 2008, the Square has avoided 499.1 million pounds (lbs) of carbon dioxide (CO₂)emissions. That’s like 256,200 households turning off their lights for a year!

In the next five years, Sundance Square will be purchasing 165 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind energy to power its many shopping, dining, and entertainment facilities. Green Mountain has been named a Primary Sponsor of the Square so that visitors can learn more about renewable energy as part of events and displays hosted onsite.

Learn more about this green energy commitment – and be sure to enjoy the clean, spring air while shopping and dining at Sundance Square!

As a subscriber to Restructuring Today, I really enjoy staying up to date on news about the all of the competitive energy markets and the industry, in general. I get especially excited when I see something that pertains to Green Mountain Energy’s mission to change the way power is made. Take a look at this recent story about the growth in wind power.

Wind power beat natural gas in terms of new installations last year, making 2012 the first year that a renewable resource was the biggest source of new power plants, AWEA reported yesterday.  The industry installed 13,124 MWs overall, using about $25 billion in private investment and pushing cumulative installations in the US just above 60,000 MWs.

The 13,000 MWs made up 42% of all new generating capacity and in total renewables made up 55% of new capacity, said AWEA.

The year was a record in wind installation, easily beating the previous record of 10,000 MWs in 2010.  Over half of the year’s installations were in Q4 when the industry put up 8,380 MWs as the production tax credit was set to expire.  That mark was a quarterly record — more than doubling the previous record.

“It is a real testament to American innovation and hard work that for the first time ever a renewable energy source was number one in new capacity,” said AWEA Interim CEO Rob Gramlich.  “We are thrilled to mark this major milestone in the nation’s progress toward a cleaner energy system.”

The PTC was extended in the “fiscal cliff” package, so this year, any plant that starts construction will qualify for the subsidy.  Many of the details about that have yet to be worked out by the IRS, but the extension itself has led to the industry getting back to work, Gramlich said on a conference call yesterday.

Texas was the number one state for new installations with 1,826 MWs installed, followed by California at 1,656 MWs, Kansas at 1,440 MWs, Oklahoma at 1,127 MWs, Illinois at 823 MWs and Iowa at 8,14 MWs.

Texas was far and away the largest state in cumulative installations with over 12,000 MWs built there so far.  California retook the number two spot from Iowa, which had held it for several years and both those states have over 5,000 MWs installed.

Now 15 states have at least 1,000 MWs with Pennsylvania joining that club this year and in total, 39 states have some wind power installed including most of the 11 in the Southeast.  The Southeast might not have much local wind, but load servers there have contracted with out-of-region wind — such as the TVA that bought the production from half of the 823 MWs installed in Illinois last year.

 Almost 10,000 MWs of the wind built last year had some kind of off-take arrangement in place.  About 15% of the projects were built to sell into the spot market with 45% of those being built in PJM and another 29% in ERCOT.

© 2013 GHI LLC. IMPORTANT: This article was reproduced from the January 31, 2013 issue of Restructuring Today with the limited permission of the owner.  To view the full story on Restructuring Today’s website, please visit http://www.restructuringtoday.com/public/8956.cfm?sd=77. 

The greatest part about starting a new year is seeing the growth of renewable energy from the previous year, and 2012 was a big win for the future of renewable energy. RenewableEnergyWorld.com recently had a great breakdown of the latest renewable energy statistics from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). According to FERC, in 2012, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) accounted for 49.10% of all new domestic electrical generating capacity… Wind led the way in 2012 with 164 new “units” totaling 10,689 MW followed by solar with 240 units totaling 1,476 MW. You can view the full report [pdf] here. We’re excited for the continued commitment to renewable energy and thank you for your support a clean, renewable future. We’d love to hear your thoughts about this; chime in below with your comments.

Yesterday, I had the honor of visiting the New York Stock Exchange to ring The Closing Bell® in celebration of our recent partnership with NYSE Euronext. As the world’s largest global exchange operator, NYSE Euronext doesn’t make trade-offs when it comes to renewable energy. Green Mountain will provide 100 percent wind energy to cover NYSE Euronext’s 2011 electricity usage – everything from the trading floor to operational needs.  You can read more about that commitment in our press release.

We are proud to support this type of leadership in sustainability as seen in other notable NYC partnerships  such as the Empire State Building and Lincoln Center.

To me, the sound of the bell not only signified the end of the day’s trading, but it also represented how far Green Mountain has come over the past 15 years, and how more companies are making strong commitments to clean energy.

Our team will never forget the experience of being a part of such a legendary tradition, and we are more than thrilled to have such a global icon on board. Take a look at the photos and video from the event and stay tuned for a great year ahead as we continue to strive to change the way power is made.

The Sustainable Futures Award recognizes organizations for their innovative and creative use of viable energy solutions. Lincoln Center earned this award for its choice of wind energy from Green Mountain and for including sustainable design elements as part of its recently completed $1.2 billion renovation.

It was a pleasure and an honor to be part of this event. Congratulations again to Lincoln Center for its notable work toward achieving a sustainable future with clean, renewable energy.

Green Mountain’s Scott Martin (right) presents Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Dan Rubin (left) with the 2012 NRG Sustainable Futures Award at a New York Giants game

Green Mountain Energy Company partnered with the Philadelphia Marathon this year to minimize the race’s environmental impact. Working with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Green Mountain calculated the race’s carbon footprint generated by ground transportation and electricity use. Based on these calculations, carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs) are being retired to balance out about 1.3 million pounds of CO₂ emissions, which is the equivalent of 250,500 houses turning off all their lights for one day!

“While we can’t reduce the number of footsteps from the start line to the finish, we are excited to help the Philadelphia Marathon reduce its overall footprint through the purchase of carbon offsets and RECs from Green Mountain,” said Zac Lowder, Market Manager at Green Mountain Energy Company. “We look forward to celebrating the athletes and fans of this fantastic, and more sustainable, event.”

Green Mountain will be on-site at the race expo and on race-day providing information about renewable energy for homes and businesses. Purchasing RECs to offset greenhouse gas emissions in the same quantity as the Philadelphia Marathon’s estimated electricity consumption ensures that an equal amount of electricity is added to the U.S. power grid from renewable sources.