Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is produced from sources that are constantly replenished and will never run out. Renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and sustainable biomass use technologies to convert this energy into electricity. These renewable energy technologies are often described as “clean” or “green” because they produce few or no pollutants. The cooperative has taken steps to provide members with green energy to help protect our environment.


Online Resources

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Green Energy Ohio

Federal Tax Credits

Energize Ohio
Fun in the Sun: Exploring the Power of Solar Energy
Residential & Business Energy Applications
Farm Energy Management
 

Looking into renewable energy for your home?

The cooperative supports the installation of new renewable energy systems and offers net metering for qualifying members. Net Metering allows owners of on-site solar or wind systems to spin their meters backwards, effectively “storing” excess energy on the grid. With net metering, a building receives power from both the cooperative and a solar or wind system. When solar or wind generation exceeds the building’s electricity requirement, the excess is “stored” on the grid. When the renewable energy is not generating enough electricity for the building requirements, the cooperative supplies the power needed.

  • Click here to see the "Typical steps for installing a net metering system".
  • Review the cooperative’s Distributed Generation Manual (updated 8/2019) for policies, agreement templates, and an application for interconnecting to our system.
  • Proof of insurance, updated annually, is required as part of the agreements. Check with your homeowners insurance company to ensure your policy will cover any damage that could be done to your home or to the cooperative's electric system by the distributed generation system. We strongly suggest that you verify coverage requirements prior to making a commitment for equipment.
     

Butler Rural Community Solar

Butler Rural Community Solar allows members to purchase subscriptions to solar panels at a local solar array. The array will be located on the corner of Lanes Mill and Stillwell Beckett roads across from the cooperative’s office. Construction for the 228 panel array is expected to begin in December 2016 and will take about three weeks to complete. Butler Rural Community Solar will provide a local power source, which allows members to have more control over a portion of their power supply. Generating energy with solar power creates no pollution or carbon dioxide emissions and is a clean, renewable, and sustainable alternative energy source.

  • Members of Butler Rural Electric Cooperative can subscribe to up to five solar panels, and the energy produced by those panels will be calculated into their monthly bill.
  • The average cost will be approximately $2 per month, per panel with the solar credit applied. This cost will be in addition to participating members’ current electric bills.
  • Each panel is expected to produce about 400 kilowatt–hours per year, but the output may be more or less in any given year, depending on weather conditions.

For more information, visit the Community Solar webpage.
 

EnviroWatts

Ohio’s electric cooperatives purchase electricity from Buckeye Power. Renewable energy credits (RECs) for EnviroWatts come from Buckeye Power’s portfolio of renewable energy resources.

Buckeye Power’s portfolio includes a purchased power agreement for 30 megawatts (MW) of wind generation from an Iowa wind farm. It also includes three anaerobic biodigesters at a Williams County dairy, Mercer County poultry farm and a Morrow County hog farm. Combined, more than 3 MW of green power can be produced from the methane in the animal waste. Methane from landfills in Hancock and Perry Counties produce up to 9.6 MW of electricity. Buckeye Power also has a 55 MW entitlement from the New York Power Authority for hydropower from the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers.

Members can support renewable energy by enrolling in the EnviroWatts program. The cost is $2 per 100 kilowatt-hour block and can be added to the monthly electric bill.

Will renewable energy be delivered directly to my home or business?

No. Renewable energy is generated and delivered to the Ohio cooperative’s power grid, but it doesn’t go to any specific home or business. By purchasing EnviroWatts, you are helping encourage the production of renewable energy by Ohio cooperative members.

Does renewable energy cost more than traditional electric power?

Yes. Energy produced from renewable sources is more expensive than energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas. EnviroWatts’ block prices reflect the cost over and above that of conventional electricity.

To enroll in EnviroWatts, please send us a message here.