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Fall 2006 Newsletter

In this issue:

NC GreenPower launches new corporate sales initiative

“Business and industry make up a substantial portion of green power sales in similar programs across the country,” says Maggy Inman, vice president of NC GreenPower. “The business development manager will help us to increase participation from this important sector.”

A native of Asheville, N.C., Martha Gettys spent the early years of her career working in academic libraries, including positions at the University of North Carolina Health Sciences Library, Georgia Tech and the Ford Library of Duke University. In 1993, she began working in the library software field. Her duties included managing customer training and working in capital sales, selling software solutions to libraries. Her customers included Harvard University, New York University, the University and Community College Systems of Florida, as well as other systems across the nation. During her career, Gettys also served as vice president of sales for Ex Libris (USA) and VTLS, Inc., two highly regarded library software companies.

Gettys’ library software experience is similar to the requirements of selling renewable energy for NC GreenPower.

“I think both markets require customers to think about the process of how they operate,” says Gettys. “Both require customers to think creatively and look beyond how they have done things in the past. And because of that, I believe that in both fields, education is one of the most important components of the sale.”

Corporate sales of green power products can be a great challenge due in large part to lack of awareness of the true benefits of the purchase. Educating clients is an integral part of the sales process. Because of this, relationships in the corporate and industrial sector tend to be long-term.

“Many of our potential customers are in the business of procuring energy at the lowest cost available,” says Gettys. “Asking them to make a purchase that will increase their expenses can be a tough sell. So we have to help them look beyond the numbers and see the tangible, long-term benefits.”

Why businesses buy renewable energy

There are a variety of ways a company can benefit from a purchase of renewable energy from NC GreenPower. Depending on the demands of their market sector, businesses may purchase renewable energy to gain a marketing advantage over competitors, satisfy internal conservation initiatives, enhance employee morale, comply with federal or private accreditation and compliance requirements, or simply to send a message of corporate stewardship to stakeholders and their community.

A very popular new trend among businesses of all sizes is to reduce the environmental impact or footprint of their operations through carbon reductions and emissions offsets. By calculating the total amount of electricity used by the organization per month or over the course of a year, businesses can purchase an equivalent amount of energy from NC GreenPower to effectively offset their entire electrical usage with cleaner, renewable energy. In other words, for every kilowatt hour (kWh) that the company uses from a traditional source, the same amount of energy is purchased from NC GreenPower. The result is a “netting out” of the environmental impacts of their electrical consumption.

The environmental offset approach to corporate sales is attractive to businesses at all levels, but particularly for small to medium-sized businesses. For these customers, offsetting some or all of their electrical usage may be less expensive then they might have imagined.

“We find that a lot of customers are surprised at how reasonably priced a total electrical offset can be,” says Gettys. “And once they see that, the idea of becoming a green powered business is very attractive. In some cases, it can provide a real competitive edge.”

In addition to purchasing green power at a corporate level, businesses can also make a difference by offering an employee contribution program. By allowing employees to buy NC GreenPower through a bulk purchase internally, businesses can leverage the discount rates typically available only to large-volume purchasers. In doing this, employees can potentially buy renewable energy at the $2.50 per 100 kWh rate corporate rate, rather than the typical $4 per 100 kWh rate. And if the business offers a matching program for employee contributions, NC GreenPower participation can be extended even further.

NC GreenPower offers a variety of ways in which business and industry can participate in a cleaner energy future. Finding the right fit for each prospective corporate client is a challenge that Gettys welcomes.

“Each organization is unique, both in their background and their needs,” she says. “Finding a solution that works for them and that helps NC GreenPower can be a rewarding experience.”

Ultimately, the efforts of Martha Gettys and the corporate development initiative will help to propel NC GreenPower and renewable energy to a new level of success. And through her labors Gettys hopes to share that success with all of her home state.

“Cleaner air, cleaner water, and cleaner energy are a win for everyone. If I can help to make that happen through my work at NC GreenPower, then that is something to be proud of at the end of the day.”   

To find out more about corporate participation opportunities, contact Martha Gettys, visit our Website or call 866-533-NCGP.  

As of August 2006

Program participation
Current NC GreenPower subscribers – 8,704
Total monthly NC GreenPower blocks subscribed – 16,464
Annual equivalent blocks subscribed – 197,568
Annual equivalent energy – 19,756,800 kWh

Current NC GreenPower producers

Environmental offsets
The amount of coal consumed annually to produce this equivalent amount of energy - 16,003,008 lbs.

The generation of this amount of renewable energy will annually offset:

41,111,727 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO₂)
128,419 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
51,367 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NO_x)

Energy equivalents
The annual reduction of CO₂ emissions is environmentally equivalent to:

3,162,440 trees planted OR
50,047,382 miles not driven OR 1,056,124 days not driven