How to Get Renewable Electricity in DC

If you have just moved to the DC area, or even if you have lived here for years, you may be thinking of switching to renewable energy. Chances are that you’re a Pepco or Dominion Energy customer who is relying on coal energy to power your home, and we all know the dangers associated with coal.

The good news is that it’s easy to switch to renewable energy sources if you live in the DC metropolitan area.

Your first stop should be Clean Currents. Clean Currents is a locally owned business that has agreements with renewable energy providers. By signing up with Clean Currents, you can begin buying renewable energy credits (RECs) that bring wind energy to our power grid and provide funding for future wind energy development.

If you are a Pepco customer, your next option is buying “green energy” directly from Pepco. Pepco offers energy generated from a variety of “environmentally friendly sources,” including: wind farms, hydroelectric plants, bio-mass fuels reclaimed from land fills, the elimination of wood waste or the burning of Municipal Solid Waste. Pepco says that each of these sources helps reduce the amount of green house gases released into the environment. You can read more about their program HERE.

For Dominion Energy customers, you have fewer options available for renewable energy. Currently, Dominion and BP are working to install wind farms in Virginia. Until construction is finished, Dominion does not offer a renewable energy choice to customers. This means supporting renewable energy will be a more complex challenge. Click HERE to see Clean Currents’ options for Virginia residents.

Photo Credit: CC-licensed by Flickr user Mr. T in DC