Celebrating 10 Years of Renewable Choice

When we founded Renewable Choice ten years ago, we wanted to create a mission-driven company that could help businesses and individuals understand their clean energy options.  We believed that when presented with the choice between fossil fuels and renewable energy, many would agree that renewables were the clear winner.  At the time, it was a new and risky proposition.  Most people rarely thought about where their electricity came from and never knew they could control how it was produced.  It turns out we were right on the cusp of major change and were very fortunate to have been in a position to help revolutionize how electricity gets created. 

Looking back after a decade, I believe Renewable Choice and our customers have played a significant role in what turned out to be a terrific transitional period for renewable energy.  The growth and acceleration of wind and solar power in the U.S. tells the story. 

In 2001, there was less than 5,000 MW of wind capacity installed in the country.  That has grown to over 40,000 MW today.  In 2008, more wind power was built than existed in the entire country in 2005.  Wind power is not just growing; it is helping meet the demand for new electricity.  Over the last four years, 35 percent all the new capacity added in the U.S. came from wind power.  In the last couple years, solar has taken off as well.  Gone are the days of adding only a couple hundred megawatts a year.  In 2010, solar added almost 900 MW, doubling the previous record year.

In the past ten years, Renewable Choice has helped drive this growth by giving companies the ability to choose clean power over fossil fuels.  Thousands of businesses agreed and voluntarily chose to pay a slight premium for their power to know it was coming from a renewable source.  In 2006, we helped Whole Food Market purchase renewable energy for 100% of their electricity use, becoming the first Fortune 500 to do so.  It set off a compelling trend.  Today, we have 56 Fortune 500 clients and have provided renewable energy to over 2,000 LEED certified green building projects.  This year, we were ranked as the #1 supplier for the EPA Green Power Partnership program (in terms of the number of Partners to which we supply green power).

In the coming decade, Renewable Choice will continue to build on this legacy.  We see the next ten years as ushering transformative change that will make the beginning of the millennium look tepid.  Clean technology is going to reach new heights.  Businesses will use smart technology to manage their energy use in real-time.  Measuring carbon will lead to massive efficiency gains across corporate supply chains.  Electric vehicles and advanced batteries will allow businesses and individuals to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels even further. 

For ten years, Renewable Choice and its customers have led the way toward a more sustainable future.  The path is clear; it is right this way.

Kris Lotlikar is Co-founder and VP of Strategy for Renewable Choice.