Local Energy First - Building a New Energy Economy

1. Only between 10 and 15 cents on the dollar spent on fuel stays in the local community. In the case of Colorado, much of this is imported. e.g. Coal from Wyoming. So sourcing closer to home keeps more $ here.
2. From a baseline environmental perspective, by buying things made closer to home, you're cutting down on fossil fuel use, reducing your carbon impact, and saving money.
3. In terms of electricity on the grid, the greater the distance traveled, the greater the loss due to friction. In essence, far away, centralized energy production results in quite a bit of lost energy simply due to it having to travel a long way. This is known as "transmission line loss."
4. Locally-produced energy is often more diversified in both fuel source as well as in location. Much strength lies in having diversity within a system. Therefore, having 50 different locations producing electricity to the grid via solar panels on their roofs is significantly more resilient than having a single coal-fired power plant.

Your local businesses neighbors are building the local energy infrastucture. Last year, more than 1,200 Colorado companies used windmill energy to power their business. Hear what three such companies have to say about their experience.