NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release

Contacts:

Environmental Advocates: Pat Sterling 518-462-5526

United Tenants: Roger Markovicz 518-436-8997 / 426-1296

Daily Grind Lee Cohen 518-434-1482

Shades of Green Dennis Phayre 518-434-1830

Community Energy Ron Kamen 607-724-0100 / 917-453-5740

Niagara Mohawk William E. Flynn 518-433-3671

NYSERDA Ray Hull 518-862-1090 x3356

Albany Area Businesses/Non-Profit Organizations/Residents

Join Wind Power Program

Albany, New York, October 2, 2002 – Local small businesses and non-profit organizations today announced their participation in an innovative program by Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) to increase the demand for wind-generated electric power. Two Albany-based not-for-profit organizations, Environmental Advocates of NY and United Tenants; and two Albany businesses, The Daily Grind and Shades of Green, spoke today about their decision to have their electrical power supplied by New York wind turbines.

Through the CEI program, customers can choose to be connected to wind-generated electrical services for all or part of their electrical usage and be billed for their wind-generated electricity on their Niagara Mohawk (NMPC) electric power bill, or separately if they do not have NMPC as their electric power supplier. The businesses and non-profit organizations have joined more than 1,000 NIMO residential customers who have chosen Community Energy as their Renewable Energy Supplier in the new program.

Environmental Advocates’ building on Hamilton Street in Albany will use 100% wind energy for their electrical services. “Power plants are major polluters in several ways,” said Val Washington, the statewide group’s executive director, “they are, for instance, the largest stationary source of greenhouse gasses in New York. This program gives individuals and organizations the chance to make a statement about pollution and to help forge a more sustainable future. We’re happy to be a part of it.”

Businesses have also joined the effort. “Somebody needs to get the ball rolling,” said Dennis Phayre, owner of Shades of Green Restaurant in Albany, “and some of us need to start making a commitment now so clean sources of energy can be the norm in the future. It’s going to cost a little now, but if we don’t start making the effort to generate clean, renewable electricity, it’ll end up being a whole lot costlier for all of us, especially our children.” 
 

Lee Cohen, co-owner of the Daily Grind, said that his business signed up for 50% of their energy usage from Community Energy because “for only a minimal amount of money we can have clean, wind powered electricity. This is something tangible everyone can do to help make our environment better.”

United Tenants is also purchasing 100% wind energy for their building’s electrical needs. “Using renewable energy sources like wind power helps our nation’s more immediate need to become less dependent on foreign sources of oil”, said United Tenants Co-Director, Roger Markovitc. “That we are on the brink of a tragic war with Iraq is largely due to our extreme dependence on maintaining the flow of cheap oil from the Middle East.”

CEI director Ron Kamen presented awards to the four organizations for their groundbreaking procurement of New Wind Energy^TM for their buildings. According to Kamen, wind energy provides the state with economic development benefits, expands tax revenues for rural communities, and decreases America’s reliance on foreign energy sources.

“The purchase of wind power by these organizations and businesses for all or a portion or of their electrical usage is an outstanding example of a ‘win-win-win’ scenario,” said Kamen. “Fuel-free electricity meets their buildings’ energy needs with zero pollution; farmers hosting the wind turbines receive lease payments that help them keep their farms; local communities receive much-needed jobs and tax revenues; and our country gains a low-cost source of home-grown energy that increases our energy independence.”

William E. Flynn, Senior Account Manager, for Niagara Mohawk, expressed NIMO’s support for the program. "The shift to renewable energy, and the environmental benefits that it can provide, will be driven by consumer demand," said Flynn. "Giving customers such as these the choice of renewable energy from qualified suppliers is the goal of our program."

Kamen noted that, as of September 27th, Community Energy had received NIMO response cards from 1,037 customers, more than double the 432 orders received by Sterling Planet, their nearest competitor in the NIMO program, and more than 10 times the 95 responses sent to Green Mountain, the third renewable energy company participating in the NIMO Renewable Energy Program.

“The outstanding response of NIMO customers to Community Energy’s residential 50-50 wind/hydro offering shows the commitment New York State residents have to creating new renewable energy resources, not simply reallocating existing “green” power” supplies, said Kamen. “With a renewable product of 50% new wind, NIMO customers recognized that Community Energy provided them with more new wind energy than any other competitor, and at a better price”.

Kamen concluded the news conference by inviting the media and the public to the official “Grand Opening” dedication of the Fenner Wind Farm (the largest wind farm east of the Mississippi) next Wednesday, October 9, 2002 from noon until 2 pm. Individuals desiring information about the event can call 1-866-WIND-123 for more information.

Wind energy is a fuel free, zero-emission electric power source. Compared to the average generation mix of a spot market purchase from the NY Independent System Operator (NYISO), the four organizations’ purchase of 64,800 kWh of New Wind Energy will reduce CO2 emissions by 100,038 pounds per year, the equivalent of annually planting 6,805 trees. With the combined purchases of the businesses, non-profit organizations, and 1,037 residents, the Community Energy customers in the NIMO program are already purchasing close to the entire annual output of one 1.5 MW wind turbine from the Fenner Site.

The Albany area wind purchases are partially the result of NYSERDA's New York Energy $mart^sm Program, which aims to build and sustain consumer demand for renewable energy in New York.

Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) is the leading marketer of wind-generated electricity, under the New Wind Energy™ brand. CEI brought the first commercial wind plant on line in the competitive Pennsylvania market in 1999, and since then has expanded the market for pollution-free electricity with the largest wind-farms east of the Mississippi. CEI customers include the six largest purchasers of wind-generated electricity in the nation. For information on how to purchase wind energy, visit www.NewWindEnergy.com.

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