Date: June 1, 2010
Source: Blue Source, LLC
Google Inc., owner of the most popular Internet search engine, said it will purchase carbon credits generated by a landfill gas-to-energy project in Berkeley County, SC, through 2013 as part of its commitment to become a carbon neutral company. The 3 megawatt Berkeley Green Power Project will create an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 metric tons of carbon offsets, comparable to the emissions from the electricity consumed by about 45,000 households per year. Under joint agreements, Google will purchase the offsets with the help of Utah-based Blue Source LLC, a developer of green energy projects, Berkeley County Water & Sanitation (BCWS), which operates the landfill-gas-to-energy project, and Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, which purchases the power. Blue Source will quantify and market the emission reductions in the form of voluntary carbon credits after registering them on the Climate Action Reserve's public registry. The credits Google purchases will be retired and not allowed to be further sold or traded. "This project is a terrific example of how public and private sectors can work together in the voluntary carbon market to make a positive impact on our environment," said Annika Colston, vice president of Blue Source.
PRESS RELEASE:
Blue Source Announces Green Energy Landfill Project with Google Inc., Santee Cooper and Berkeley County, S.C.
Landfill Gas-to-energy project includes sale of carbon offsets to Google Inc.
Blue Source LLC today announced the sale of carbon offsets to Google Inc. as part of a green energy project that also involves Santee Cooper and Berkeley County Water & Sanitation. The project comprises sustainability efforts from a broad range of companies, including a municipality, the state's largest electricity producer, a carbon offset developer and a leading search engine. The project is the first of its kind to be implemented along South Carolina's coast, and the diversity of the participants highlights the importance of voluntary carbon offsetting as a means to combat the threat of global warming for a wide range of industries.
The project, located at the Berkeley County Landfill in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, involves capturing greenhouse gas emissions associated with naturally decomposing waste and converting that biogas to electricity. The environmental benefits of the project include not only the destruction of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but also the displacement of fossil fuel based electricity. The gas capture operation is voluntary in the absence of regulations, allowing Blue Source to quantify and market the emission reductions in the form of voluntary carbon credits.
Working with Berkeley County departments and Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, Blue Source plans to register the third-party verified credits created by the project on the Climate Action Reserve's public registry. Google has committed to purchase credits generated by the project through 2013 as part of its commitment to be a carbon neutral company, which it made in 2007. The credits Google purchases will be retired and not allowed to be further sold or traded.
The project, announced today, demonstrates how local governments and businesses are taking ambitious steps toward voluntarily reducing the negative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.
"This project is a terrific example of how public and private sectors can work together in the voluntary carbon market to make a positive impact on our environment," said Annika Colston, vice president of Blue Source. "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating new sources of energy takes forward-looking actions from various stakeholders such as utility companies, local governments, and the private sector, and this project exemplifies the rewards and benefits available when such progressive actions are undertaken."
An announcement ceremony unveiling the Berkeley Green Power Project was held today at Berkeley County Water & Sanitation Operations Center. Speakers included Berkeley County Supervisor Dan Davis, Blue Source Vice President Annika Colston, Google Data Center Operations Manager Eric Wages and Santee Cooper President and CEO Lonnie Carter.
About Berkeley County Water & Sanitation
Berkeley County Water & Sanitation is a self supporting public utility that serves more than 39,000 customers. Our goal is to provide safe, reliable water and sanitation services at a competitive non-profit rate in the spirit of a publicly owned utility. For more information, visit www.bcwsa.com.
About Blue Source, LLC
Blue Source offers multiple approaches for reducing, sequestering and, where practical, beneficially using greenhouse gas emissions to create environmental and economic value. The company provides experience and access to capital for project development across all industries, including the technical resources to produce high quality carbon offsets for North America's voluntary and compliance markets, and has projects listed on all of North America's leading greenhouse gas standards, including the Climate Action Reserve, the Voluntary Carbon Standard, the American Carbon Registry, and the Alberta Emissions Offset Registry. For more than 10 years, Blue Source has been a climate change solution for leading businesses. www.bluesource.com.
About Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, the state's leader in generating renewable green power and the state's largest power producer. The ultimate source of electricity for 2 million South Carolinians, Santee Cooper is dedicated to being the state's leading resource for improving the quality of life for the people of South Carolina. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.
For more information, contact:
Joe McGurk for Blue Source
jmcgurk@cjpcom.com.
203-254-1300 x 121
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