NC GreenPower Dedicates First Wind Project Serving State's Energy Supply.

CLYDE, N.C. -- What began as a contribution to the environment from one Western North Carolina family has become NC GreenPower's first wind power project serving the state's electric supply with cleaner, renewable energy. NC GreenPower announced today the addition of a 10 kilowatt (kW) Bergey wind turbine owned by Dr. and Mrs. Louis Mes.

The turbine is located in Clyde, N.C., a mountain community southwest of Asheville. The electricity it generates is added to the state's power grid through Haywood Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), one of 38 electric utilities offering the NC GreenPower program to customers statewide.

NC GreenPower is the first multi-utility green power program in the nation. It was created to encourage the development of renewable energy resources, such as the sun, wind and organic matter by individuals and businesses.

North Carolina's wind power resources remain largely untapped. The wind project in Clyde will help to further interest in this technology and encourage others to harness this abundant, emissions-free resource.

The Mes family wind project is one of more than two dozen NC GreenPower-supported projects across the state that are adding cleaner, renewable electricity to the power grid for everyone to use. Projects range from small scale sites such as home-based solar photovoltaic panels (PV) and wind turbines to industrial-sized facilities such as landfill methane gas plants. All renewable energy resources are cleaner to use than coal. But because these resources are newer and not yet produced on a scale comparable to a coal plant, their cost per kWh to produce is higher.

"The NC GreenPower program was created to provide economic incentives for the generation of electricity from renewable resources," said Maggy Inman, vice president of NC GreenPower. "That incentive is over and above what the utility pays for the power and is essential to making these projects viable."

The incentives that NC GreenPower provides come from voluntary tax-deductible contributions that North Carolina citizens can make through their electric bills. For every $4 contributed to the program, 100 kWh of renewable energy is generated and added to the grid by a supplier located in the state. The energy generated from green power sources offsets an equivalent amount of energy that would have been generated from a traditional power source. In North Carolina, that source is, most often, coal.

The 100 kWh generated from each $4 contribution will supply about one-tenth of an average home's power supply. A monthly contribution of $4 for one year ($48) will offset the consumption of nearly 1,000 pounds of coal required to generate the same amount of electricity. The savings in coal will also result in an annual offset of carbon dioxide, a harmful greenhouse gas released when coal is consumed. The offset of carbon dioxide is equal to planting of 190 trees or driving your car 3,000 fewer miles.

All contributions to NC GreenPower are tax deductible and go directly to supporting renewable energy generation in North Carolina. For more information visit www.ncgreenpower.org.