1.0Citizens Utility Boardhttps://www.citizensutilityboard.orgrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="LpG4LBBq00"><a href="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/renewable-energy-certificates-recs/">CUB Guide to Renewable Energy Plans</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/renewable-energy-certificates-recs/embed/#?secret=LpG4LBBq00" width="600" height="338" title="“CUB Guide to Renewable Energy Plans” — Citizens Utility Board" data-secret="LpG4LBBq00" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> [vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”CUB’s Guide to Renewable Energy Plans” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Are you considering a “green plan“?” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]We at CUB hear a lot about “green” or “clean power” plans—electricity offers connected to renewable energy and advertised by alternative suppliers. Signing up for such a plan can be  a legitimate choice in Illinois’ electricity market, but it is not your only “green” choice and does not mean your home will be directly powered by wind or solar energy. To better understand these plans, it is helpful to learn about how the power grid works and what “Renewable Energy Certificates,” or RECs, are.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1477595133366{padding-top: 35px !important;padding-right: 35px !important;padding-bottom: 35px !important;padding-left: 35px !important;background-color: #cccccc !important;}”]What is renewable energy? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “renewable electricity is produced from resources that do not deplete when their energy is harnessed,” like sunlight, wind, waves, water flow, and geothermal energy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” css=”.vc_custom_1475699797969{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Where does my electricity come from?” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Whether you’re on your utility’s standard rate, or with an alternative electricity supplier’s green plan, there’s no easy way to determine where the electricity you’re consuming is coming from.  Our electrical system is constantly being fed power by thousands of sources. When you turn on your TV, charge your cellphone, or crank up the A/C, chances are good that the electrons entering your home  are coming from a combination of nuclear, coal, wind, natural gas, and other types of generators.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” css=”.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”What are RECs?” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text] When you sign up for an alternative supplier’s green plan,  the company you chose will take some of your money to buy Renewable Energy Certificates, or RECs. Also known as “renewable energy credits,” RECs were created to measure the positive environmental qualities of that renewable energy and give developers an incentive to build more renewable energy. For one megawatt-hour (1,000 kilowatt-hours) of electricity produced by a renewable energy generator, like a wind turbine or a solar panel, one REC is also created. RECs are then traded in special energy markets and eventually bought by such parties as utilities that need to meet state renewable energy requirements, alternative suppliers that offer green plans, and individuals looking for ways to lessen their environmental impact. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” css=”.vc_custom_1475699807900{background-color: #0f4b91 !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”How do RECs work?” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text] Beginning in the late 1990s, a system for tracking clean energy became necessary, as consumers became more interested in renewable energy and a number of states (including Illinois) adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards requiring utilities to acquire a percentage of their energy from renewable resources. Here’s an example of how RECs work: When a wind farm adds 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity to the power grid, a buyer can purchase both the electricity generated and a REC representing the environmental benefits of that clean electricity. The buyer can also choose to purchase the electricity only, and the REC can be sold to another buyer at market value by the wind farm. In short, someone who purchases and claims a REC is ensuring that—even if the power they consume isn’t coming from a […]https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CUB_IL_LogoBadgeRGBAdminLogo.png254254