Business & Tech

Chamber Members Pooling Together In Name of Cleaner, Cheaper Energy

Rockville-based Clean Currents partners with the Chamber of Commerce to offer wind-energy credits

A Rockville-based energy company and the Rockville Chamber of Commerce have teamed to offer businesses a way to lower electric bills while improving the environment. 

Clean Currents LLC, an independent green energy company that provides wind power to business and residential customers, and the Rockville Chamber of Commerce are collaborating to form what they say is Maryland’s first clean energy buying group. 

With more than 7,000 residential and 500 commercial customers in four states and the District of Colombia, Clean Currents pools its resources to get a cheaper rate for consumers and to support green renewable energy, said Ron Rodriguez, the company’s vice president for business development.

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By buying renewable energy credits—or RECs—businesses supports wind farms across the country.

Once electricity is on the power grid it is hard to tell what source it comes from, be it clean renewable wind or an atmosphere-polluting coal burning plant.  

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The first Rockville buying group, comprising five chamber member organizations, formed last year. The group purchased more than 700,000 kilowatt hours of wind power. The purchase offset more than 1.1 million pounds of carbon emissions, according to Clean Currents.

“We thought that having a buying group could give us a little more clout for better pricing,” said Michael Rubin, director of operations for the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, one of the participating chamber members.

The buying group is projected to save $40,000 over a three-year period.

Jewish Foundation for Group Homes is the biggest customer of the group. With an administrative building in Rockville and 20 residential properties around Montgomery County, the nonsectarian nonprofit that helps individuals with disabilities live independently hopes to save $33,000 over three years.

In one way—in its energy bill—JFGH doesn’t see a change.

“You don’t really notice the shift, it’s kind of on your Pepco bill, what Clean Currents gets for generation, transmission,” Rubin said. Pepco remains the billing agent and charges for distribution through the power grid.

“You can’t get away from Pepco,” Rubin said.

In another way—reduced energy bills—JFGH has seen a change.

“We’ve seen the benefit so far,” Rubin said.

The consumer can choose whether to go with 50 percent wind power or 100 percent wind power, and lock in the rate for one year or two years.  

“We are providing more choices to consumers by allowing them to support an alternative form of energy. This other source helps stabilize the prices,” Rodriguez said.

JFGH chose the slightly more expensive mix of 100 percent wind power, Rubin said.

“If you can help the environment for almost no extra cost, we thought it was good to do it,” he said.

Though the first buying group focused on local businesses, the second phase of the partnership will also allow local residents to buy wind power for their homes.  

"As a Rockville business, we are proud that our local chamber is the first in the state to recognize the need to switch to green energy," said Gary Skulnik, president of Clean Currents. "There's a lot of talk about helping the environment, but the businesses and people in this city are taking concrete steps to truly make Rockville green.”

Clean Currents has engaged Rockville’s business community in other ways.

At the Jan. 10 meeting of the Rockville City Council, Clean Currents CEO Charles Segerman spoke in support of a proposal being considered by the council that would give tax incentives to businesses utilizing high-performance buildings that are energy efficient.

“We’re a successful company,” Segerman told the council. “We believe however that providing tax incentives for high-performance buildings would help our company grow even more, to be more successful, and help businesses purchase power through us and therefore qualify for green power and their LEED credit, which is a method for qualifying for your green tax incentive.”

The incentive is what Clean Currents refers to as a “wind-win,” Segerman said.

“It will help Rockville to be green while at the same time help Rockville’s green businesses succeed as well,” he said.

On Monday, Clean Currents announced that it had sold its solar division to California-based Solar City. Solar City will open its East Coast operation in offices in Silver Spring and begin

Learn more about green energy

Editor's note: This section has been updated. A Standard Solar presentation planned for Wednesday, Jan. 26 has been canceled due to weather. The information below reflects a new date for the presentation. 

For more on the Rockville Chamber of Commerce Clean Energy Buying Group, click here.

For more choices on electricity suppliers in Rockville go to the Maryland Public Service Commission’s Web site.

Switching your energy supplier isn’t the only way to go green. Learn more about going solar from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 9 at a free presentation by Standard Solar Inc., another Rockville-based company.

The presentation, at Chase Suite Hotel, at 1380 Piccard Drive in Rockville, will include a discussion on the benefits of solar energy and will outline government incentives that can offset the cost of installing a solar energy system.


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