The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) held its Windpower 2003 Conference in Austin, Texas, from May 18-21. During the three-day event, the Green Mountain Energy Company donated enough wind energy tags from west Texas to offset pollution from the Austin Convention Center’s electricity consumption. According to the Green Mountain Energy Company, a wind tag certifies that electricity from a wind farm has been produced and that the generation was pollution free. The company also said that purchasing a wind tag is a way to support clean, renewable energy generation and a way to avoid pollution by reducing the demand for electricity generated with fossil fuel.

The wind energy tags donated to the conference represented the production of over 120 megawatt-hours of wind power. Based on the local electricity mix, the purchase was able to offset the emission of 88 tons of carbon dioxide.

— by J.J. Siegel

Publication date: 05/26/2003