Being energy conscious is not new to large businesses and institutions. As the U.S. “retail” market began deregulating in the mid-1990s, end-users were offered more choices around how they managed and procured electricity. Energy services companies started offering “demand-side” options that could help end-users reduce the amount of electricity consumed. Likewise, power marketers offered “supply-side” options to the local utility as generation, a competitive business, was decoupled from transmission and distribution (the more “natural” monopoly). Over time, a wider range of demand and supply side options – including ones requiring more investment and promising higher returns – emerged as large end-users became more sophisticated in how they managed electricity.

During the last few years, a new supply side option – customer-specific utility scale wind power – has emerged, driven by a handful of leading U.S. businesses and institutions. These organizations recognize the economic and PR/marketing benefits associated with renewables and have worked with a variety of developers and utilities to pursue them. For example, in November, 2008, Wal-Mart announced it would supply up to 15% of its energy load for 360 buildings in Texas with wind power from Duke Energy’s Notrees Windpower Project, a new IPP wind farm in west Texas. ¹ In July, 2009, Langston University (Oklahoma) announced plans to build a $420 million wind farm on university property in partnership with Toronto-based Green Breeze Energy. ² In August, 2009, Valero Energy, the large U.S. petroleum refiner, began operating 33 wind turbines at its Sunray, Texas site. Valero built the wind farm “to lock in fluctuating electricity prices by developing its own source of power, rather than relying on the grid, and to cut the $1.4-million-a-month electricity bill at the .... refinery.” ³ And in May 2010, Internet search leader Google made a $38.8 million direct investment in the US wind power industry, taking an equity stake in two North Dakota wind farms. ⁴

CFR’s focus is on expanding renewable supply opportunities – and return on investment (ROI) potential – beyond what businesses and institutions have been able to do on their own. We do this by creating solutions that provide economic and sustainable benefits beyond what our customers are able to achieve on their own at individual sites. In doing so, CFR’s customers distinguish themselves in the market.

1. Duke Energy, "Duke Energy Generates Unique Wind Energy Partnership with World's Largest Retailer," Press release, Nov. 20, 2008.
2. Susan Simpson, "Langston University Seeks OK for Wind Project," The Oklahoman, July 25, 2009.
3. Ana Campoy, "Valero Harnesses Wind Energy to Fuel Its Oil-Refining Process," Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2009.
4. Richard A. Kessler, “Internet giant Google makes first investment in US wind industry,” Recharge News, May 4, 2010.