Five Benefits of Renewables that every Business Should Consider

As momentum builds for cities around the world to switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources, the number of households reported to be predominantly powered by clean energy has more than doubled since 2015. 

Businesses too, are beginning to realize that there are benefits that come with opting for renewable sources to power their operations. Businesses that do right by climate are not just making more money over time, they are also earning customer trust. Here are 5 reasons why you, as a business owner, should consider making the shift to renewables:

1) Improve your Company’s Marketability with Renewable Energy

Going green can be a great way for businesses to get a much-needed public relations boost. Clients want to know that businesses care about their well-being. And this goes beyond providing your clients with the best customer experience, products and services. Making the choice to use renewables over other sources of energy can be the deciding factor why your client chooses to work with you, instead of your competitor.

2) Returns Outweigh Costs

The cost of solar power is decreasing so rapidly, it’s now cheaper than coal, based on a fairly recent analysis. Switching to a renewable energy source is not as expensive as it used to be since the global demand for renewable technologies has driven down the costs. Once installed, the returns will quickly justify the original investment. While there are plenty of environmentally friendly reasons to make the switch, the facts are that renewable energy is good for the bottom line.

Many of the world’s biggest companies are already committed to switching to 100% renewable energy. Google began its journey into renewable energy many years ago. The company has had a net zero carbon footprint since 2007 and began using wind energy in 2010. In 2013, they declared their goal to become 100% renewable, which they achieved in April. Facebook runs its powerful data centers with wind and solar energy and cools them with water. Apple, too, has been proactive with its energy initiatives. The company began optimizing their operations in 2011, which they say has led to a 54% reduction in the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. But renewable energy is not just for big businesses — smaller businesses can reap the financial benefits as well. 

3) Reducing your Company’s Carbon Footprint

Renewable and sustainable resources can be used to reduce your ecological footprint, especially when combined with reducing overall energy usage where possible. Now that all businesses have a responsibility to cut down on their carbon footprint, switching to renewable energy systems is one of the quickest and easiest ways to achieve it.

4) Stimulate the Economy

More than half a million jobs around the world were created in the renewable energy sector in 2017, bringing the total number of people employed in the sector to more than 10 million for the first time. 

By choosing to switch to renewable energy forms, you’re encouraging low-carbon economic growth in the renewables industry and creating new jobs for people.

5) Create an energy profit centre

It is possible for many businesses to actually profit from the energy they generate through their renewable energy systems. Businesses can sell unused energy to consumers on the SunContract platform which presents an opportunity to turn their renewable energy generation into additional profit.

Since producers and consumers of electricity are directly connected for peer-to-peer trading of electricity on the platform, the consumers of your energy will be able to reduce their electricity costs while you increase the energy surplus profits of your business. 

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