CDC Buys Green Energy from Georgia Power

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will purchase renewable energy for Georgia Power’s centers nationwide.

The nation's premier public health agency has reportedly signed a two-year contract to purchase more than 364,600 blocks of green energy, or 5 percent of CDC’s annual kilowatt-hour consumption.

Georgia Power is one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. In a release, Ervan Hancock, Georgia Power's renewable and green strategies manager, said this contract validates CDC’s commitment to the environment and the development of renewable energy in Georgia and around the country.

The CDC is dedicated to protect people's health and safety through strong partnerships. The health agency reportedly purchased green energy through the large volume option of the Green Energy program.

With this contract, the agency has now become Georgia Power's largest green energy customer and Hancock said that by purchasing such a large number of blocks of green energy, CDC has taken a leadership role among its counterparts as well as given a significant boost to the program.

According to Georgia Power officials, most of its electricity for the program is from a landfill methane-to-energy plant at the Seminole Landfill in DeKalb County.

Georgia Power began the Green Energy program in October 2006. The program has been successful -- to date over 4,300 customers have committed to purchase in excess of 3 million kilowatt-hours of green energy. In other words, they have purchased enough electricity to power 3,100 homes using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month.

Green energy is offered to residential customers in two packages. They can either buy 100-kilowatt-hour blocks of green energy for $3.50 per block or purchase green energy that includes a solar component for $4.50 per block. This amount is added to their monthly electricity bill.