From the Editor
With the House passage of the humongous energy and climate bill (the American Clean Energy and Security Act) a couple of weeks ago, and the impending battle in the Senate, there is some question about what will happen to one of the mainstays of the alternative energy industry for the last several years: Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs.  

RECs, or green tags, are basically proof that a measured amount of renewable energy has been generated. Facility executives (or utilities) can buy and sell RECs and then make verified claims that they get (or generate) a certain portion of their energy use from renewable sources, effectively reducing their carbon footprints. The cost of a REC (1 REC = 1 megawatt hour of renewable electricity generated) fluctuates and varies wildly depending on what type of REC you want to buy.  

So, here’s the deal: If the American Clean Energy and Security Act (also casually referred to as Waxman-Markey) passes, and a cap and trade system is born, no one knows what will happen to the voluntary renewable energy trading market. Whether RECs survive or not in their current form will depend upon the final language of the bill. The House version did include language that makes it seem as though RECs will survive – energy suppliers would be required to submit a particular number of RECs equal to their legislated targets every year. But who knows if that provision will survive the Senate. There are dozens of scenarios and even more questions — including what happens in states that have a higher renewable portfolio standard than the one specified in Waxman-Markey?  

As always, I’m interested in your thoughts: What do you think will happen to RECs if Waxman-Markey passes?  

Cheers,

Greg Zimmerman, editor  

 

Green Strategies
Sorting Out Green Power Choices
PPAs, RECS, VERs: Here’s a look at what you — and the environment — get for your money.

In the News
Obama Announces New Lighting Standards
New efficiency standards for lighting will take effect in 2012. DOE says the new standards will save 1.2 trillion kwh over 30 years.  

Green Toolkit
DOE’s Green Power Network
GBCI was founded in 2008 to be the certification and credentialing arm of the U.S. Green Building Council. Here, you can get all the information and resources you need to study for and take the LEED Accredited Professional O&M exam. The site also has information about the new LEED Green Associate and LEED Fellow credentials.     

Green Pulse

Have you purchased RECs to reduce your organization’s carbon footprint?
— Yes
— No
— I’m interested, but don’t really understand how or why     

Click here to respond to the poll. If you are not yet a member of MyFacilitiesnet.com, please click here first to register, then sign into your account, and then click here to vote.

GreenTech Conference & Exposition

Toyota Motor Sales: Becoming a Green Power Leader  

This presentation from GreenTech 2009, by Jim Cooke, national facilities operations manager for Toyota, provides a good case study for how one corporation completely shifted its energy use from fossil fuel to renewable power sources – and saved lots of money in the process.

Also, registration for Facility Decisions is now open. The show is being held Sept. 22-23, 2009, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.