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Serving our members in Escambia, Conecuh, Monroe, Baldwin and Covington counties in Southwest Alabama since 1938!

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Green Power Choice

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  2. Green Power Choice

Southern Pine is concerned about the world in which we live. Escalating fuel costs and increasing dependence on fossil fuels is a genuine concern for most of us. That's why Southern Pine has joined with its power supplier, PowerSouth, in offering members a new and innovated way to combat these concerns through participation in our new Green Power Choice program.

Green Power Choice allows members the option of purchasing blocks of power that has been generated from a renewable source--methane gas from a landfill. The electricity is generated at the Springhill Regional Landfill near Campbellton, Fla., a facility owned by Waste Management who has entered into this partnership with PowerSouth and participating Alabama and northwest Florida electric cooperatives.

Members may purchase 100-kilowatt hour blocks (about 8 percent of a typical household's monthly electrical usage) for your normal monthly kilowatt hour charge plus $2 per 100-kilowatt hour block purchased. You may purchase as many blocks as you like, whether you are a residential or commercial member.

Buying two blocks of green power per month for one year equals recycling 480 lbs. of aluminum or recycling 1,766 lbs. of newspaper.

Your support of Green Power Choices aids in the advancement of technology to further develop renewable resources that can be used as energy sources.

Landfill Gas-To-Energy

Clean, Green Renewable Energy

Through a partnership among your local electric cooperative, PowerSouth and Waste Management, methane gas from Springhill Regional Landfill is extracted and burned to generate 4.8 megawatts of green energy. The electricity produced is then added to generation resources already being used to generate power for cooperative customers within their local service territory.

What is “Green power”?

“Green power” is a marketing term for electricity that is partially or entirely generated from environmentally preferable renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydro. The green power currently available to our members is generated at a landfill gas-to-energy facility at Springhill Regional Landfill near Campbellton, Fla.

How does it work?

Every day, approximately five pounds of solid waste is generated for every person in the United States. Landfill gas, consisting mostly of methane, is created through the natural decomposition of this waste material and can be used as an alternative fuel resource for electricity generation.

The process begins with the disposal of organic-rich solid waste material into sanitary landfills. As the waste decomposes, methane gas is produced and recovered by a series of wells drilled into the landfill. The wells are interconnected by a common collection system that transports the gas to a compression facility. There, the gas is compressed, dried and filtered before being sent through turbines or engines to produce electricity.

The result - clean, green energy - is enough to power 4,000 homes per year.

What is landfill gas-to-energy?

The process begins with the disposal of organic-rich solid waste into sanitary landfills. As the waste decomposes, methane gas is produced. This gas is recovered by a series of wells drilled into the landfill and interconnected by a common collection system that transports the gas to a compression facility. There, the gas is compressed, dried and filtered before being sent through turbines or engines to produce electricity.

What is Green Power Choice?

The Green Power Choice program offers consumers the option of voluntarily purchasing blocks of power through their local electric cooperative. This allows interested members to join their local electric cooperatives in actively caring for the environment while supporting the environmental benefits of using renewable energy – such as methane gas – as a fuel source.

 

How do I participate in Green Power Choice?

To enroll, call your local Southern Pine office. You will need to register your name and account number and choose the level at which you would like to participate. Green power may be purchased in 100-kilowatt-hour blocks for just $2 per month. The minimum participation period is one year.

How do I know I’m getting power from the Springhill Regional Landfill?

Power generated at the Springhill Regional Landfill enters the transmission grid along with power from all other sources utilized by your local electric cooperative. Members participating in Green Power Choice receive the same blend of electrons that every other member on the system receives, but they become owners of the environmental benefits associated with the blocks they have purchased.

Why is there an extra fee associated with Green Power Choice?

Even though renewable resources like methane gas are free, the technology required to extract it and use it for power generation is more expensive than traditional power generation methods. Member support of Green Power Choice helps to further develop renewable resources to be used as energy sources.

Why should I participate?

Participating in the Green Power Choice program not only allows you to join your electric cooperatives in protecting the environment, but it also puts some of the five pounds of solid waste generated daily by every person in the United States to good use. By using green power sources to generate electricity, electric utilities preserve fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil.

What is the Springhill Regional Landfill?

The Springhill Regional Landfill near Campbellton, Fla., serves residential, municipal, industrial and commercial customers in Jackson County and surrounding communities. A total of 75 people are employed at the facility, which is owned and operated by Waste Management, the industry’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management services.

Located on company-owned property, the landfill currently has a single 182-acre “footprint” where waste is being deposited, referred to as Springhill South. A separate 39-acre portion of the landfill, called Springhill North, has reached its permitted capacity and has been closed. A final cover system has been installed on this footprint. Both areas have an independent network of groundwater monitoring wells and methane probes. They also have stand-alone landfill gas collection systems.

For more information on Green Power, contact your local Southern Pine office or the headquarters at 251.867.5415.
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Contact Info

Southern Pine Electric Cooperative
Brewton Headquarters
2134 South Boulevard
Brewton, AL  36426
Phone: 251-867-5415
Fax:  251-867-3925

Atmore, Alabama District Office:  251-368-4842
Evergreen, Alabama District Office:  251-578-3460
Frisco City, Alabama District Office:  251-267-3196

To Report an Outage:  1-866-867-5415
To Make a Payment:  1-844-867-8989

About Us

Southern Pine Electric Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative®, is a not-for-profit, member-owned distribution co-op serving over 21,000 accounts.
The co-op is headquartered in Brewton, Ala., with district offices in Atmore, Evergreen and Frisco City. Southern Pine serves members in portions of five southwest Alabama counties, including: Baldwin, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia and Monroe.

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©2023 Southern Pine Electric Cooperative. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About SPEC
    • Contact Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Key Personnel
    • Mission Statement
    • Service Area
    • History of SPEC
    • About Touchstone Energy
  • Programs
    • Annual Membership Meeting
    • Energy Audits
    • Energy Efficiency Tips
    • Energy Saving Tips
    • Surge Protection Equipment
    • Green Power Choice
    • Youth Tour
    • Canned Food Drive
    • Operation Round-Up
    • Scholarships
    • Member Task Force
    • Co-op Connections
    • Touchstone Energy Savings
  • Safety
    • Call Before You Dig
    • Generator Safety
    • Safety Information
    • Using A Space Heater
    • Safety Quiz
    • Pad Mounted Transformer
    • Tree Planting
  • Community
    • Alabama Living
    • Economic Development
  • Our Services
    • Wiring Diagrams
    • Establish Residential Service
    • Establish Non-Residential Service
    • List of Pricing
    • Right of Way Easement
    • Distributive Generation
    • Pre-Pay Program