Tva gpsnews spring2014

Green Power Switch News

®

www.greenpowerswitch.com

SPRING 2014

In this Issue Oak Ridge Poised to become first EPA-Designated Green Power Community in TN TN Shines in US Solar Rankings 2013 Program Numbers Green Power Switch Spotlight: Pat Riley, Singer Songwriter Earth Day Is On The Way!

A Letter From the Editor It’s clear that 2013 was a huge year for renewable energy. Renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for more than 37 percent of all new electrical generating capacity installed in 2013 in the United States. Impressed? 2014 is already looking to make significant advances over 2013. According to the American Wind Energy Association the wind projects under construction could power the equivalent of 3.5 million American homes, or almost one and a half times the number of households in Tennessee.

Currently a new solar electric system is installed in the U.S. every four minutes— and that pace is expected to quicken over the coming years. It may sound cliché, but the future of renewable is Jenny Wright in front of the TVA Buffalo happening right now. It’s stepping out of Mountain windfarm. the shadows and into the limelight.

But at the same time, even solar and wind advocates may not have access to installing renewable energy of their own. About one-third of Americans rent their homes. Many homeowners live in circumstances that prohibit solar or wind installations: homeowner association rules, historic home renovation restrictions, multi-family dwellings, shaded structures, insufficient access to capital, or the expectation of relocating. Experts estimate that 75 percent of utility customers simply cannot install their own solar energy equipment, and the prospects for residential wind are even worse. So what is a renewable energy advocate to do?

TVA and local public power companies, working in cooperation with the environmental community, developed Green Power Switch as a way to bring green power — electricity that’s generated by clean, renewable resources like solar, wind and methane gas — to valley consumers.

Green Power Switch is an EnergyRight Solution.

This newsletter is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

That’s the beauty of Green Power Switch. By pooling individual customer purchases, TVA can generate renewable energy on your behalf. Green Power Switch was crowd-funding renewable energy before crowd-funding became cool!

And as the program grows, we’ll generate more and more renewable energy on your behalf. 2014 will likely be a record year for renewable energy, and we’re glad you’re helping keep up the momentum.

Jenny Wright

GENERATION UPDATE January – December 2013 Solar Power 326 MWh Wind Power 46,744 MWh

Biogas 6,942 MWh Green Power Providers Solar – 87,827 MWh Wind – 16 MWh Biogas – 58,868 MWh

Program Sales to Date* 818,659 MWh

*Sales are reported through December 2013

To learn more about our generation sites and to find the one nearest you, please visit www.greenpowerswitch.com.

PARTICIPATION UPDATE AS OF DECEMBER 2013

24,412 | Total number of green power blocks subscribed by residential customers 11,945 | Number of residential customers subscribing 12,559 | Total number of green power blocks subscribed by business customers 483 | Number of business customers subscribing

PILOTS UPDATE** AS OF DECEMBER 2013

139 | Pure Solar customers 269 | Pure Solar blocks (50 kWh each) 8 | Southeastern RECs customers*** 9,591 | MWh purchased monthly through Southeastern RECs

**Pure Solar and Southeastern RECs are new Green Power Switch options that have been tested in certain areas since 2012. Pure Solar is 100% supplied by locally owned solar installations, sold in blocks of 50 kWh for $8 each.

Southeastern RECs is a more affordable option for high-volume purchases. For a minimum purchase of $6,000 annually, a customer can purchase 2,000 MWh of renewable electricity from a combination of local solar and additional sources within a broader portion of the Southeastern United States.

These new customer options are currently being assessed to determine whether they will be continued in 2013. See www.greenpowerswitch.com/puresolar and www.greenpowerswitch.com/serecs to learn more.

Green Power Switch Spotlight: Pat Riley, Singer Songwriter Pat Riley was the very first participant of Upper Cumberland Electric Cooperative to sign up for Green Power Switch! Riley, who uses the moniker “Island Mountain Pat,” is a singer songwriter inspired by James Taylor, Merle Haggard, Sting, and The Eagles.

Riley started his musical career in the fourth grade and was performing in front of large audiences by the seventh grade. Since then he has written and recorded hundreds of songs ranging from Americana to alternative-pop-rock to jazz, folk, and easy listening. Riley’s music has been featured on 1,000 radio stations around the world and his YouTube channel has over 675,000 views. Check him out at www.patrileys.com!

Pat Riley with the Legends Guitar at 5th and Broadway in Nashville

As a Green Power Switch participant, you are invited to submit your own story to greenpowerswitch@tva.gov to be featured in an upcoming newsletter or social media story.

TN Shines in US Solar Rankings Solar Energy Industries Association recently released its Top 10 Solar States rankings for 2013 and Tennessee was ranked number 8 in percentage of new electrical capacity from solar, with a whopping 92 percent! Two other states within TVA’s territory (North Carolina and Georgia) made the top ten list for states that installed the most solar in 2013. Across the United States, solar was the second largest source of new electric capacity added to the grid in 2013.

Green Power Switch and its sister program, Green Power Providers, played a role in this success. TVA’s Green Power Providers (GPP) Program was established to encourage the development of small-scale solar, wind, biomass and hydro generation systems across the Tennessee Valley that are 50 kilowatts or less. TVA and participating local power companies are offering 10 megawatts of capacity through the innovative and sustainable GPP program in 2014.

***Two Southeastern RECs customers make annual rather than monthly purchases, and their purchase is not included in the number below.

Residence, Franklin, TN. 6.24 kW

Participants in the GPP program legally transfer the environmental rights of the energy produced to TVA, which are used as supply for customers purchasing Green Power Switch.

Since the right to those positive environmental attributes is being passed from the GPP participant to TVA, and from TVA to GPS customers, GPS customers can actually make the claim that their home or business is using renewable energy. But GPP participants can talk about their commitment to the environment, too. Statements like “We increase the amount of renewable energy on the grid by selling the energy we generate through TVA’s GPP program” are great. GPP participants can’t technically claim that their home or business is solar powered, because that would constitute a double claim on that renewable energy when the GPS purchaser makes that same claim. Patty West, director of renewable energy programs at TVA says, “We at Green Power Switch have a lot of love for our Green Power Partners, because these two programs have accomplished a lot together. GPS and GPP participants have worked together to add over 1,900 solar installations across our region in the past few years. Ranking eighth means these accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed.”

Oak Ridge Poised to become first EPA-Designated Green Power Community in TN Leading local governments across the nation are partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to become Green Power Communities (GPCs). GPCs are localities in which the government, businesses, and residents collectively use green power in amounts that meet or exceed EPA’s Green Power Community purchase requirements.

TVA is excited to report that Oak Ridge, TN, is on the brink of qualifying as the first GPC in the Southeastern region. In

order to push Oak Ridge over the hump, TVA is engaging with the City of Oak Ridge and its Electric Department on a two-month long community challenge this spring. The challenge will include exciting local events, community outreach, and regional attention! If the target is reached, Oak Ridge will receive two Green Power Community signs (see image to left) for outdoor display and the city will host a celebratory ceremony.

Concurrent with the community challenge, TVA will host its annual Green Power Switch Leadership Awards in Oak Ridge on May 6. You can follow Green Power Switch on Facebook and Twitter for status updates on the awards and Oak Ridge’s progress toward meeting its GPC goal.

Green Power Switch Reflects TVA’s Commitment to Renewable Energy and Customer Choice Green Power Switch (GPS) gives electric customers an opportunity to support a “block” of renewable energy for as low as $4 a month. These blocks represent 150 kilowatt-hours of electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar.

Each $4 purchase is backed by an independent third-party’s environmental certification. It’s a simple way for you to increase use of renewable energy today for a cleaner environment in the future.

Calling all Oak Ridge Green Power Switch supporters!

Do you like paddling and renewable energy? Then join the Green Power Switch dragon boat team! We need 22 volunteers to participate on our team at the Dragon Boat Race at Melton Hill on May 31. Contact Jenny Wright at greenpowerswitch@tva.gov or 423-751-3046 if you want to learn more.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1879 Thomas Edison invented the long-lasting incandescent light bulb that could work about 40 hours. Modern LED lights last 50,000 hours!

Show your support of regional renewable energy with this magnet

Connect with Us! www.facebook.com/ TVAGreenPowerSwitch

@TVAGPS

900 Knoxville, TN

TVA and your local power company 1101 Market St., LP 3S Chattanooga, TN 37402-2881

Earth Day is on the Way! April 22 is Earth Day in the Tennessee Valley and around the world. Several large celebrations will be held throughout the region, including: • Nashville Earth Day Festival – April 19 | Nashville Earth Day Festival is a free family event located in Centennial Park in Nashville. This Earth Day event features live music, kid’s activities, and a Yazoo beer garden. www.nashvilleearthday.org • Shelby Farms Park Earth Day Festival, Memphis – April 19 Shelby Farms Park will celebrate Earth Day with a 5k run, music, green vendors, local food, and even a tree planting! www.shelbyfarmspark.org/earthdaycelebrations • Earth Week, Gatlinburg – April 20–27 | Earth Week Gatlinburg features live music, a Go Green Seminar, disc golf tournament, 5k run/walk, Spur Clean Up, and lots of other activities all week long! www.gatlinburg.com/events/spring.aspx

• Oak Ridge Earth Day Festival – April 26 | This year’s event doubles as an exciting kick-off event: The Oak Ridge Green Power Community Challenge! Swing by to learn about how the city of Oak Ridge is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to become a nationally recognized Green Power Community. http://www.orearthday.org/ • Hopkinsville, KY – April 26 | The Healthy Kids and Earth Day celebration is scheduled from 11am – 2pm this year at Hopkinsville Community College. Don’t miss all the great kid’s activities!

Donna Woolwine and Christy Cagle-Brooks wear their GPS pride on their cheeks at the 2013 Gatlinburg Earth Day Festival

Below is the Product Content Label for Green Power Switch. The label is a requirement of our Green-e Energy certification, and displays the mix of renewable energy resources used to serve Green Power Switch customers during 2013, as well as projections for 2014 supply.

PRODUCT CONTENT LABEL1

Green Power Switch is a voluntary renewable energy program from Tennessee Valley Authority and participating local power companies. The product is sold in blocks of 150 kilowatt-hours (kWh), and is made up of the following renewable resources.

Green-e Energy Certified New2 Renewables in Green Power Switch

Biogas

Total

2. New Renewables come from generation facilities that first began commercial operation on or after January 1, 1999 (2013 PCL), or January 1, 2000 (2014 PCL).

For comparison, the current average mix of resources supplying the TVA region includes: Coal (40%), Nuclear (32%), Natural Gas (13%), Hydroelectric (13%), and Other Renewables (2%). [TVA FY2013]

2013

2014 (projected)

2013

2014 (projected)

The average home in the Tennessee Valley uses 1,335 kWh per month.

[Source: Energy Information Administration]

33%

22%

AL, GA, KY, MS, TN

AL, GA, KY, MS, TN

7%

10%

AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, TN, VA

AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, TN, VA

For specific information about this electricity product, please contact your local power company or TVA Green Power Switch at greenpowerswitch@tva.gov, the toll free Renewable Energy Information Call Center at 1-866-673-4340, or visit www.greenpowerswitch.com.

60%

67%

GA, KY, MS, NC, TN

GA, KY, MS, NC, TN

100%

100%

Solar

Wind

Generation Location

1. These figures reflect the power that we have contracted to provide. Actual figures may vary according to resource availability. We will annually report to you the actual resource mix of the electricity you purchased during the preceding year.

Green-e Energy certifies that Green Power Switch meets the minimum environmental and consumer protection standards established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. For more information on Green-e Energy certification requirements, call 1-888-63-GREEN or log on to www.green-e.org.