The Benefits of Renewable Energy

OEC members are proactively supporting renewable energy by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates through the WindWorks^TM program. When you sign up, you are ensuring some or all of the energy you use comes from a wind-generated source.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), are not energy purchases; they are basically receipts used to track the environmental advantages created when energy is produced from renewable resources (as opposed to fossil-generated energy). Each REC is equivalent to 100 kilowatt-hours (kWhs) of electricity generated by a renewable energy and delivered to the transmission grid. The power grid collects electricity from all generators (coal, natural gas, hydro dams, wind farms, solar panels and nuclear reactors) and then transmits it through high-voltage wires to homes and businesses.

Each WindWorks REC has a retail price of 50 cents and represents the power generated at one of three Oklahoma wind farms:

• Blue Canyon Wind Farm, near Lawton;
• Buffalo Bear Wind Farm in the panhandle; or
• Red Hills Wind Farm in the northwestern part of the state.

By purchasing just one REC each month (50¢), you could have the same environmental impact as planting half an acre of trees or not driving 2,780 miles in your car! A typical Oklahoma family could match 100% of its energy consumption (based on 1,200 kWh) with RECs for an additional $6 per month.

Wind energy is clean and safe and plays a vital role in ensuring we have adequate, reliable and affordable supply of electricity to power our homes and lives. If you would like to offset some or all of your electricity consumption by purchasing RECs, simply complete the form below to enroll.

For more information contact Tim Ferree, OEC’s key accounts specialist, at (405) 217-6705.