Green Power EMC awarded nation’s leading voluntary

certification for renewable energy

Green Power Electric Membership Corporation (GPEMC), a consortium of 38 EMCs including GreyStone Power Corporation, has announced that its renewable energy program received Green-e Energy™ Certification from the Center for Resource Solutions, the nation’s leading certification and verification program for renewable energy.

The Green-e Energy Certification program provides independent, third-party certification to ensure that renewable energy meets strict environmental and consumer protection standards. GPEMC joins a network of more than 150 certified Green-e Energy Certified suppliers that market almost 10 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually.

“With Green Power EMC being the first renewable energy program in Georgia, and now one of the largest programs in the southeastern United States, the Green-e Energy certification validates the significance of what we have accomplished and recognizes our potential for achieving even more,” says GreyStone Power President/CEO Gary Miller. “It was an extremely rigorous process, and the certification signals that our program meets national as well as local environmental standards.”

For more than a decade, the Center for Resource Solutions has been certifying renewable energy that meets environmental and consumer protection standards it developed in conjunction with leading environmental, energy and policy organizations. The Center also requires that sellers of certified renewable energy disclose clear and useful information to potential customers, allowing consumers to make informed choices.

Providers of Green-e Energy Certified renewable energy agree to abide by the Green-e Energy Code of Conduct and meet strict disclosure and truth-in-advertising requirements. All marketers of Green-e Energy Certified products undergo an annual verification audit to document that the company purchased and/or generated enough renewable energy, both in terms of quantity and type, to meet customer demand and marketing claims.

Through the GPEMC program, the state’s electric cooperatives, representing more than 1.6 million homes, businesses, factories and farms, have signed on to offer their members renewable energy. Because green power costs more to generate than electricity from traditional sources, some participating EMCs offer their members the opportunity to purchase green power on an individual basis, while others incorporate the green power into their pricing structure.

“We’re pleased to offer our members easy access to certified, locally produced renewable energy,” says Miller. “The Green Power program offers a convenient, yet effective way for members to make a significant contribution to energy conservation and efficiency, and the Green-e Energy Certification is one more way to let them know they are participating in a valuable program.”