Consumers Energy recently honored Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) as its Green Generation Customer of the Year.
The community college buys about 10 percent of the electricity for its 25-acre downtown campus through the utility’s Green Generation program.
The program allows electric customers to support the development of renewable energy projects by paying a small premium on their monthly bill.
GRCC purchases about 1.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually through Green Generation.
Including the 5 percent of renewable energy that Consumers Energy supplies to all customers, the community college is tapping sources such as wind, biomass, hydroelectric and solar for about 15 percent of its electricity.
Consumers Energy presented the Green Generation award during a June 13 meeting of the school’s board of trustees.
“Organizations like this are the reason that sustainability and renewable energy are progressing in Michigan,” said Tom Shirilla, Green Generation program manager for Consumers Energy.
“What’s more impressive is that they’re making a voluntary commitment to Green Generation – this isn’t something they have to do.”
Consumers Energy created Michigan’s first voluntary renewable energy program when it launched Green Generation in September 2005.
In 2010, the company delivered electricity to about 14,500 Green Generation customers, which include some of the state’s major corporations, municipalities, universities and colleges.
