News

Green Power EMC Adds 11 New Members to Program

August 23, 2005 by Jeff Shepard

Georgia's first renewable energy program, Green Power EMC (Tucker, GA), just got larger with the addition of 11 new member EMCs, which brings Green Power EMC membership to 28 electric cooperatives in Georgia, offering green energy to approximately 1.2 million households. Created in 2001, Green Power EMC was originally a joint effort of 17 Georgia cooperatives to contract for electricity generated by renewable resources, like biomass, solar, and low-impact hydro.

Green Power EMC has generated more than 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity from landfill gas at two sites that began operating in October 2003. Green Power is exploring other renewable resources to add to its generating capacity. In the future, more than 200,000 additional households will have the choice of purchasing "green" energy from new Green Power EMC members Altamaha, Amicalola, Canoochee, Grady, Hart, Mitchell, Little Ocmulgee, Planters, Slash Pine, Three Notch and Sumter EMCs.

Customers signing up for green power pay an additional charge each month ranging from $3 to $5 per 150 kilowatt-hour block, depending upon the participating EMC. Collectively, the 42 customer-owned EMCs provide electricity and related services to four million people, nearly half of Georgia's population, across 73 percent of the state's land area. Georgia's 42 electric membership cooperatives now serve more customers than any other state network of EMCs in the nation.