The benefits of procuring or purchasing green power to meet local electricity needs and advance community climate and energy goals are now widely accepted. However, the trick to enjoying these benefits requires an understanding of the ins and outs of green power procurement. Typically generated from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, or low-impact hydroelectric sources, green power is a subset of renewable energy that doesn't produce any greenhouse gasses (GHGs). It includes 3 types of products:

1. Utility products (e.g. green power purchased from the utility through the electricity grid)
2. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
3. On-site generation

  Our featured course prepared by Dr. Mark P. Rossow, Ph.D., P.E. outlines how local governments can work with utilities, local businesses, nonprofit groups, residents, state agencies, and green power marketers and brokers to promote green power procurement. In addition to presenting two case studies of local governments that currently have comprehensive green power procurement programs in place, the material in this course provides a thorough and straightforward examination of the:

• Benefits of green power procurement
• Measures for purchasing green power
• Policy mechanisms that local governments have used to support green power procurement
• Implementation strategies for effective programs designed for green power procurement

This engineering, online, PDH-approved course is based on the U.S. EPA's “Green Power Procurement, A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs” article from the EPA’s Local Government Climate and Energy Strategy Series.

Learning Objectives

At the successful conclusion of this course, you’ll be able to identify and discuss:

• How to save energy and reducing GHG emissions with green power
• Increasing energy security through energy portfolio diversification
• How to navigate the green power marketplace
• Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), utility products, and on-site generation
• How to negotiate the terms of green power purchases