Green Energy in Fredericksburg

What is 'Green Energy', and How is it Different than Other Energy Sources?

The term 'Green Energy' has been used for decades, but what exactly does it mean? 'Green Energy' (also known as 'Green Power', 'Sustainable Energy', 'Clean Energy', etc.) is put simply any form of energy created from renewable resources. Also, the fuel is not consumed or burned to create the energy. This includes solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal, and more. This means no fossil fuels like coal and gas, even though they are derived from the Earth.

Another way to understand what exactly makes a source of energy 'green' is what it produces (or in this case, what it doesn't produce). In order for an energy to be labeled 'green', it cannot produce any greenhouse gases (GHG). For example, solar energy gathered from solar panels absorbs the sun's rays and produces an energy source free from any greenhouse gas emissions which warm the Earth and increase climate change. However, fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, require mining to extract the fuel and the burning of the fuel leads to heavy GHG emissions.

A couple of other differences between green energy and other sources of energy are how they are replenished and harvested. Green energy sources usually are naturally replenished, as opposed to fossil fuel sources like natural gas or coal, which can take millions of years to create and develop. Green energy sources also often avoid mining or drilling operations that can be damaging to eco-systems.

Green Energy in Fredericksburg

In 2019, the City of Fredericksburg's City Council gave the city two sustainable goals to meet: By 2035 all city municipal operations need to use 100% renewable energy and by 2050 the entire city be transitioned to 100% clean, renewable energy. While the first milestone deals with city municipal operations, that doesn't mean we aren't working tirelessly to make green energy available for citizens of Fredericksburg before 2050. In fact, the City of Fredericksburg is working with local energy providers to promote their efforts for providing clean, renewable energy to their customers!

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Solarize Fredericksburg

Solarize programs have been growing around the country due to their success at helping residents install solar PV systems easily and at a good price. The first Solarize Fredericksburg program was in 2017 and saw tremendous success. By nature, Solarize programs and discounts are offered for a limited time and are not guaranteed to be offered again the next year, making them possibly the last best price for solar. Learn more at the Solarize Fredericksburg website.

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Green Energy & You 

Dominion Energy has recently created the Green Power Program, a program which offers green energy to their customers. Dominion Energy customers can choose to purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) or blocks of clean power to offset their monthly carbon-based electric use.

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100% Option 

Pricing Details: This option allows you to match your entire monthly electricity usage with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). This additional cost is calculated by adding 1.2 cents ($0.012) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used to your monthly bill.

Block Option

Pricing Details: This option allows you to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in blocks. Each block costs $2 (based on a rate of $0.012 per kWh), and represents 167 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy. You can add as many blocks as you wish to your monthly bill, and they will be charged each month.

Calculations are approximate and based on EPA methodology.