3Degrees Launches New Utility Green Power Programs

Sept. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Washington, D.C.— At today’s Renewable Energy Markets Conference, 3Degrees announced that its industry-leading utility green power program services business has continued to grow in 2012.

In 2012, 3Degrees officially launched the Maine Green Power program and the Alameda Municipal Power  Alameda Green program. These programs join 3Degrees’ portfolio of seven other utility partnerships.

Like all of 3Degrees' utility green power programs, these programs support green power projects by sourcing renewable energy generated from wind farms, solar power generating systems, and other regional renewable energy facilities on behalf of utility program participants.

“Utilities are increasingly realizing that their residential and commercial customers want to mitigate the environmental impact of their electricity use, either by becoming more energy efficient, installing solar panels or other renewable energy technologies at their offices or home, or matching their electricity use with renewable energy being generated at regional green power facilities,” said Adam Capage, Vice President of Utility Partnerships. “As this trend continues, we expect to see more and more utilities launching or expanding green power programs and turning to 3Degrees as an experienced and reliable partner who can support them in this effort."

Voluntary Green Power Program Leadership
These new and expanded partnerships, along with 3Degrees' existing partnerships with Ameren Missouri (Pure Power), City of Palo Alto Utilities (PaloAltoGreen), CTCleanEnergyOptions (Northeast Clean Power), Dominion Virginia Power (Dominion Green Power), Pacific Power (Blue Sky), Puget Sound Energy (PSE's Green Power Program ) and Silicon Valley Power (Santa Clara Green Power) make 3Degrees the leading third-party provider of green power program services in the nation. The average customer participation rate in 3Degrees' utility partners’ green power programs is three times the national average.

For all of its utility green power programs, 3Degrees utilizes its Community Connect methodology for launching and managing voluntary utility programs. Based on experience and lessons learned from educating and marketing voluntary programs to millions of customers, the Community Connect methodology provides 3Degrees' utility partners with a clear path to green power and carbon balancing program success.

How Green Power Programs Work
Utility green power programs, also known as green pricing programs, enable residential and commercial utility customers to demonstrate their support for green power. When a customer chooses to participate in a green power program, the utility matches the customer’s electricity use with renewable energy. This ensures that for every megawatt hour of electricity used by the customer through the program, another megawatt hour of electricity, generated using renewable energy resources, is delivered to the power grid.

Green power programs allow customers to channel revenue to green power projects, and in return, secure the right to take credit for the environmental benefits associated with the green power generated by these projects. The customer also increases demand for renewable energy, encouraging the development of similar projects.

To learn more about green power programs, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Green Power Network website at http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower.

About 3Degrees

3Degrees’ mission is to mitigate the effects of climate change by accelerating the world’s transition to a low-carbon, renewable energy economy.

3Degrees realizes this mission by providing green power and carbon offset products and services to Fortune 500 companies, utilities, green building firms, and other organizations that are working to make their operations, products, and services more sustainable. By matching their electricity use and unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions with Renewable Energy Certificates and carbon offsets, organizations and individuals provide support to green power and greenhouse gas emission reduction projects and mitigate the environmental impact of their energy use.

Winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Green Power Leadership Award for five straight years, 3Degrees is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with regional offices throughout the country. To learn more, visit http://www.3degreesinc.com.