Think of Community Energy now as "Energia de Comunidad."
Based in Wayne, the renewable-energy developer and marketing company was acquired by Iberdrola of Spain. According to Community Energy officials, Iberdrola is the world's leader in renewable-energy projects.
"As a developer, it gives us access to wind turbines and capital," said Paul Copleman, Community Energy's sales and marketing operations manager, about the merger.
Employees from Iberdrola, which is based in Madrid, now occupy office space in the same office building that Community Energy is based.
But not for long.
Community Energy's staff of 50 as well as employees from Spain will move early next year to larger digs at the Radnor Corporate Center. In the meantime, the staff is learning a new language.
"We'll be taking Spanish lessons here," said R. Brent Alderfer, executive vice president and a Wayne resident.
Community Energy is a for-profit company founded in 1999 and provides wind energy to PECO WIND and other public utilities in the United States. The company frequently sends out representatives to community festivals and other events such as the Wayne Food and Jazz Festival to promote alternative energy (they're the ones giving out the pinwheels). Many Main Line businesses have signed on to the clean-energy program including La Masion Apartments, Christopher's, Dayton Lock Co., U-Bead-2, Gryphon Café, Margaret Kuo's, Beethoven Wraps, Wayne Beverage, Paoli Veterinary Care and Restaurant Taquet.
"Wayne-Main Line is a strong supporter," said Alderfer during a recent interview.
The Gryphon Café in downtown Wayne is among Community Energy's first subscribers. Owner Richard Mattis realized the environmental benefit of supporting the campaign to promote a non-polluting, renewable source of energy such as the wind to reduce the nation's reliance on fossil fuels.
"We were thrilled when they came to town," said Mattis amid the clanging of dishes. "I wanted to lower the café's environmental impact as much as possible."
Eastern University joined the PECO WIND program in 2002. At the urging of its students, the school in St. Davids originally committed to 37-percent wind energy. Recently, the school agreed to commit to purchasing the equivalent of 15.6 million kilowatt-hours of wind-powered electricity, which is equal to 100 percent of the school's energy use. The estimated environmental benefit of the purchase is equivalent to planting more than 1.9 million trees or not driving more than 24 million miles.
Wind energy is more expensive to produce than non-renewable sources. So customers - whether business, institutional or residential - pay a minimum of an additional $5.08 a month, which covers the added expense of delivering 200-kilowatt-hours of wind-powered electricity to the state's electric grid.
The electric grid is charged by a combination of both renewable (wind) and traditional (nuclear, gas, coal and oil) energy sources.
When Community Energy started out, there were no wind farms in Pennsylvania. Now there are seven with two more under development.
Community Energy is a partner in ownership of a new wind farm in Atlantic City, on the grounds of a wastewater-treatment plant. The wind farm has five turbines - each about 250 feet tall with blades 130 feet long. The coastal winds provide the source of energy to the mighty turbines.
"It's an icon," said Alderfer about the new facility. "It really has become a tourist attraction."
(An interesting aside: one turbine can costs upward of $2 million, produce 4 million kilowatt-hours and can power 500 homes for one year.)
Currently, about 1 percent of the nation's energy is generated from wind turbines. The American Wind Energy Association is calling for a 20-percent national goal. Under Gov. Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania's state government is committed under a new two-year agreement to purchase wind energy equivalent to 20 percent of the commonwealth's electrical use (400 million kilowatts).
"It's the largest state government purchase of renewable energy in the country," maintained Copleman.
Community Energy partners not only with PECO but also with public-utility companies in other parts of the nation including in New York, New England and Illinois. Alderfer said in the last two years there has been a shift to clean energy. The increase is evidenced by a new wind-turbine manufacturing plant in Fairless Hills, Bucks County.
"It's been fun being a part of a growth industry," said Alderfer with a smile.