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Back to March/April
2005 Table of Contents >>>
Article abstract
• •
•
| Buying
Green Energy |
| Consider
the big picture to turn renewable energy purchases into
strategic business tools. |
By Kevin Hagen
|
 |
Left:
FedEx Express is constructing a 904-kilowatt solar array
atop its hub at Oakland International Airport, Oakland,
Calif. The system, designed and built by PowerLight
Corp., will provide 80 percent of the peak load demand
for the facility. This rendering shows what the system
is expected to look like when completed in May. Photo
courtesy of PowerLight Corp.
Right: Pepsi Cola of Klamath Falls, Ore., leveraged
tax credits and financial incentives to install a 172-kW
solar array that will generate all of its facilities’
energy needs. Photo courtesy of PacifiCorp:
Pacific Power |
For decades, electricity has been the
ultimate commodity. Far from making a “purchasing decision,”
business and institutions have had but one option: to pay
the bill. As energy prices spiral, however, leading organizations
are leveraging renewable energy offerings for financial as
well as environmental sustainability. How are these companies
turning green energy options into strategic business tools?
As renewable energy options proliferate, businesses need to
reconsider how they buy energy in order to identify the many
paybacks these offerings can deliver. Cost containment and
risk management are two benefits, but indirect benefits such
as brand value and connections with key constituencies are
other important advantages.
The key to maximizing these benefits is to craft a renewable
energy-procurement strategy that considers the financial impacts
and possible paybacks across the entire business.
Kevin Hagen is principal
of Shuksan Energy Consulting, a leading
business advisor on sustainable energy and green power procurement
strategy. E-mail
this author >>>
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