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"Green tags"
from wind farms make it simple to purchase green power, The WINDPOWER 2002 Conference and Exhibition, the U.S. wind energy industry's premier business gathering, will use "green tags" donated by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to offset pollution from the conference's electricity consumption, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced today. AWEA is highlighting the use of green tags at its conference to draw national attention to this emerging and convenient way to purchase green power. "Through the use of green tags, WINDPOWER 2002 will support the generation of as much electricity from wind farms as it uses," explained AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. "In effect, it is as though we were purchasing clean energy directly from those wind farms to power the event." The green tags used for WINDPOWER 2002, which is being held June 2-5 in Portland, Ore., are generated from the Stateline, Condon, and Foote Creek wind farms in Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming. The tags represent the production of 45,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, the amount needed to power the rooms used by WINDPOWER 2002 conference and exhibit halls throughout the duration of the event. Some 8,474 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted when that much electricity is generated from the average local electricity mix, according to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation's (BEF) Carbon Dioxide Calculator. Carbon dioxide is the leading greenhouse gas associated with global warming. A green tag certifies that a given amount of electricity from a wind farm or other renewable energy source has been produced, thereby reducing the need for electricity from a more polluting power plant. The green tag represents the avoided pollution, not the electricity itself, and its purchase allows customers to support renewable energy generation even though that power may not directly reach their meter. "Green tags offer businesses, homeowners, and other electricity customers a simple and convenient way to support investments in wind and other forms of renewable energy," said Swisher. "AWEA is proud to use green tags from local wind farms for the WINDPOWER 2002 Conference and Exhibition." BPA is a federal agency that markets wholesale electrical power and operates and markets transmission services in the Northwest. About 40% of the power used in the region comes from federally owned hydropower projects marketed by BPA. BPA is also investing in wind farms in the region to diversify its power portfolio. BPA sells green tags from the wind farms to the nonprofit BEF and to utilities with green power programs. Individual consumers can purchase green tags directly from their utility or from BEF. For more
information on green power and green tags, go to
http://www.awea.org/greenpower/index.html .
AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy |
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©
2002 by the American Wind Energy Association. |
