Over 90% of Small-Scale Renewable Energy Owners Not Aware of Green Tag Potential

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For Immediate Release

Over 90% of Small-Scale Renewable Energy Owners Not Aware of Green Tag Potential

A survey by Mainstay Energy shows that less than one in ten small-scale

producers of renewable energy are aware that they have title to green tags, or

that these tags can be sold for extra revenue.

ILLINOIS, CHICAGO, Jul. 17 -/E-Wire/-- The big guys already know itâgreen tags can be used to earn an additional $1-$100 per megawatt-hour of electricity produced from renewables, whether by solar photovoltaics, wind, biomass/biofuel, geothermal, or hydropower.

But according to a recent survey of small-scale renewable energy site owners, only 9.2% of site owners know what a green tag is. And only 6.3% know that green tags can be sold for extra revenue.

Green tags are environmental certificates that represent the positive attributes of renewable energy. These tags become separated, or "unbundled," from the actual electricity at the point of generation, and can be sold independently.

Almost any renewable energy installation that is grid-connected and less than five years old is eligible to receive green tags. These tags are traded on national markets. However, most smaller-scale renewable energy installations have been unable to capitalize on green tags, because either they did not know about them, or their sites are too small to produce a marketable quantity of green tags.

Mainstay Energy, a renewable energy financing company headquartered in Chicago, is introducing a program to purchase green tags from small-scale renewable sites, enabling site owners to earn this extra revenue from their installations.

CEO Hoyt Hudson explains, "Mainstay Energy is the first company in the U.S. to offer a national program to purchase green tags from small-scale renewables. We are excited to be providing this valuable service that allows small-scale sites to participate in national environmental markets."

"The 'Rewards' program from Mainstay Energy offers a way for renewable energy to be even more practical than it already is," adds Hudson. "The sale of green tags accelerates the payback time on almost any grid-tied renewable energy project, usually between 10% and 50%."

Even among people who understand what green tags are, there is confusion about when a site is eligible to receive green tags. For example, a site can receive green tags even if it is not "exporting" electricity to the grid; the fact that a site is offsetting grid electricity is what counts. Also, sites are eligible for revenue from green tags even if they are in a net-metering agreement with their electric utility.

The green tags purchased by Mainstay are aggregated and brought to market as "Green-e" certified wholesale and retail products. Green-e is a voluntary certification program established by the Center for Resource Solutions, a national nonprofit organization that encourages sustainable growth and promotes the use of renewable energy. Green tags are becoming increasingly popular as a way for companies, government agencies, and individuals to support renewable energy. Mainstay Energy can be reached at 1-877-GREENTAG, or on the web at mainstayenergy.com.

Hoyt Hudson, CEO, [REDACTED-PHONE],

[REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.mainstayenergy.com

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