October 26th, 2008

From the Environmental Protection Agency

The 2008 Green Power Leadership Awards were presented in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference, held October 26-29 in Denver, Colorado.

Green Power Beacon Award

In an innovative effort to bring business and residential renewable power customers together, Portland General Electric (PGE) created an online “green community” through the launch of their GreenPowerOregon.com web site.

The site is available to all PGE customers, with special content available only to renewable power customers. Several hundred customers are registered on the site, with more than 10,000 unique visitors to the site in the first couple of months after launch.

Local businesses have experienced a great response from the site’s online coupons, including lines out the door and 300 coupons redeemed from PGE’s site at one bakery.

There are several key interactive elements on the site, including an easy-to-use green power calculator that helps customers determine the environmental impact of their energy choices and how much it costs to sign up for renewable power. In addition, visitors can view maps of renewable power generation sites, habitat projects funded by the program, and discover which neighborhoods (by zip code) are leading the pack in the renewable revolution.

PGE runs one of the top ranked utility green pricing programs in the U.S., according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) 2007 rankings for sales of renewable energy to residential customers. Launching GreenPowerOregon.com is a groundbreaking way for PGE to go beyond corporate constraints and create an exciting, dynamic way to reach customers. It has created a two-way communication flow with customers and enhanced renewable energy sales and retention efforts.

Portland General Electric received a Green Power Leadership Award in 2006.