Good Energy

Good Energy is a renewable energy company in the United Kingdom. It supplies 100% renewable electricity to homes and businesses throughout the UK.

History

Originally called Unit(e), Good Energy is the only UK company to source allcite news | title=Good Energy Fuel Mix 2007 | url=http://www.fuelmix.co.uk/good_energy_fuel_mix_2007.htm] of its electricity from renewable sources; generated entirely from wind, small-scale hydro, wave and solar power. cite news
url=http://www.electricityinfo.org
publisher=OFGEM
title=Fuel Mix of UK Domestic Electricity Suppliers
date=February 2007

] They own Delabole [http://www.good-energy.co.uk/gyo_ppa_case_delabole wind farm] and also buy renewable power from over 270 small to medium sized independent generators in the UK which all run entirely from wind, small-scale hydro, wave, solar power and sustainable biomass. They then supply the power they generate and buy to over 20,000 homes and businesses. cite news
url=http://www.ncc.org.uk/responsibleconsumption/green-tariffs.pdf
publisher=The National Consumer Council
title=Reality or rhetoric? Green tariffs for domestic consumers
date=December 2006
format=PDF]

An independent review from the National Consumer Council states: “For those consumers who want a green electricity supply, pure and simple, (Good Energy's) is probably the closest they will get to it.” The NCC also found that, of twelve green supply tariffs, Good Energy's is one of only two (the other is Scottish & Southern Energy's RSPB tariff) that are going farther than they are required to by law. cite news | url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/article1289381.ece | publisher=The Times | date=January 6, 2007 | title=Grey areas with green energy | author=GRÁINNE GILMORE] A recent Guardian article echoed the NCC's belief that Good Energy's was the best green tariff cite news | url=http://environment.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/story/0,,2034222,00.html | publisher=The Guardian | title=Your ethical dilemmas sorted | author=Leo Hickman | date= March 15, 2007] Good Energy also works to broaden the understanding and acceptance of renewables amongst the public, the media and decision makers. CEO, Juliet Davenport has recently been invited to join OFGEM’s Environmental Committee. cite news
url=http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environmnt/Policy/EnvAdvGrp/Pages/EAG.aspx
publisher=Ofgem
title=Ofgem Environmental Advisory Group
date=May 2007

]

Good Energy commissioned Oxford University's Environmental Change Unit to review the green electricity market. Their report cite news | url=http://www.good-energy.co.uk/PDF/GE_COP_FinalReport.pdf | title=Oxford University's Environmental Change Unit report | date= June 2006|format=PDF] put a strong case for an accreditation scheme to advise customers.

Good Energy's Home Generation Scheme encourages and supports individuals and communities to generate their own renewable energy. This scheme provides a way for homes and businesses to connect their small scale renewable generator to the grid and be paid for all its output - even the electricity they use themselves. It won an Ashden Award for sustainability in 2006 cite news | title=Good Energy 2006 Ashden Award| url=http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/goodenergy | publisher Ashden Awards | author= | date=June 2006] and was shortlisted for a Regen SW Green Energy Award in 2005. cite news | url=http://www.regensw.co.uk/press/news-read.asp?id=41 | title=Shortlist announced for Region’s brightest stars in Green Energy | date=24 October 2005]

Good Energy were criticised by The Ecologist magazine in 2005, in an article surveying green energy entitled 'Green Electricity: Are you being conned.' [ [http://www.theecologist.co.uk/archive_detail.asp?content_id=428 The Ecologist - Archive Detail ] ] The article highlighted the fact that Good Energy spent £0 per customer on creating new renewable energy for the UK market. This, the article continues means that buying electricity from Good Energy may reduce personal guilt, but does nothing to contribute to increased renewable energy production. Green Energy's contribution of £0 per customer invested in additional energy supply was contrasted with competitor Ecotricity who in 2004 contributed over £900 per customer in additional renewable energy for the UK grid. This analysis has been disagreed with by at least one industry analysist, as it does not address the macro-economics of sustainable energy. [cite news | title=Friends of the Earth Guide to Green Electricity Tariffs 2004| url=http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/green_electricity_tariffs_2004.pdf | date=November 2004|format=PDF]

Good Energy are partners with [http://www.econnect.com/ Econnect] Ventures in a research project, [http://www.demandforwind.co.uk/ Demand for Wind] , at Durham University to investigate dynamic approaches to demand-side management for small non-industrial consumers.

ee also

*Green electricity in the United Kingdom
*Wind power in the United Kingdom
*Energy policy of the United Kingdom
*Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom

External links

* [http://www.good-energy.co.uk Good Energy website]
* [http://www.aecb.net/PDFs/green%20electricity%20illusion.pdf Association for Environment Conscious Building: The Green Electricity Illusion]
* [http://www.delabole.com/ Delabole Village website (wind farm)]

References