Ned and I became better acquainted with Clean Currents last week as we facilitated a sustainability benchmarking exercise for one of our newest clients, SVECONWAY Printing.

Bobby Firestein, president and CEO of SVECONWAY, is committed to buying 100 percent renewable energy for his Silver Spring, Maryland, commercial printing operation, and his supplier is electricity reseller, Clean Currents, which is based a few miles away in Rockville, Maryland.

“We buy regional and national wholesale wind energy and resell it to residential and commercial customers,” explained Ron Rodriguez (pictured), vice president for Clean Currents.

The electricity that Clean Currents sells is generated in other states, including Indiana and Texas, and delivered via the same wires as any other electricity.

Firestein is willing to pay slightly more for wind energy mostly because he believes that it’s the right thing to do and partly because it helps him position SVECONWAY as a greener option in a “cut-throat” industry.

“Wind energy costs slightly more generally, but our pricing is sometimes better than local utility rates.  It really depends on the timing of when we buy power on the open market.  The best scenario is when we can provide customers with renewable energy and reduce their costs,” said Rodriguez.

The demand for clean energy has remained strong in spite of the Great Recession.  Clean Currents has amassed hundreds of clients since the company was launched in 2005.  Earlier this year it was ranked #196 on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest growing companies.

Some experts have been critical of the renewable energy industry because so little of the electricity comes from sources near the communities where it is sold.

Regional wind power, when available, costs a little bit more than national power, much of which comes from Texas, according to Rodriguez.

“We buy from a variety of sources, regional and national; the closest is in Indiana,” said Rodriguez.  “We are looking for closer sources.”

To that end, Clean Currents is lobbying Maryland legislators to get approval for offshore wind turbines.  “We are the only energy supplier in Maryland that went on record as supporting it,” said Rodriguez.

The big question is does buying wind energy pay off?

Rodriguez is quick to point out the marketing benefits of buying wind power.  “The American Wind Energy Association hired SVECONWAY.  That would have never happened if he hadn’t bought electricity from them,” said Rodriguez.

“Yes, it has more than paid for itself in terms of generating business, but I still feel we could do more to let people know that we’re a greener option,” said Firestein.

“Bobby has a great heart; he works hard and he really wants to do right by his clients,” said Rodriguez.

Clean Currents’ internal operations have been audited and certified as a green business by Montgomery County, Maryland’s Department of Environmental Protection.

“We believe in complete transparency and publish our sustainability score,” said Rodriguez.

In addition, Clean Currents has amassed an impressive dossier of awards and certifications, including:

• Winner of the Washington Business Journal’s 2010 Visionary Award
• Winner of State of Maryland Incubator Best Green Company Award 2010
• Winner of Washington, DC’s 2009 Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Award
• First energy company in the U.S. to be certified as a B Corp (corporations that use the power of business to create public benefit)

“We have to keep innovating – finding ways to provide better service to our customers.  In the end, electricity is a commodity,” said Rodriguez.