What kind of energy sources does Direct Energy use?

Direct Energy purchases power generated from a variety of sources including natural gas, coal, and nuclear.

For our customers who choose a green plan or the "Make It Green" option, we purchase Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to offset your usage with power generated from renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are "tradable, non-tangible energy commodities in the United States that represent proof that 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy resource. ... In states that have a REC program, a green energy provider (such as a wind farm) is credited with one REC for every 1,000 kWh or 1 MWh of electricity it produces. ... The green energy is then fed into the electrical grid (by mandate), and the accompanying REC can then be sold on the open market. Once in the grid, renewable energy is impossible to separate from the conventionally generated energy. This makes purchasing of a REC equal to purchasing a claim that the REC owner consumed energy from the renewable portion of the whole energy in the grid." [Source]

To summarize, when you choose a green energy plan, we are purchasing RECs, so you can be assured that you have purchased renewable energy from green sources and that your carbon footprint has been reduced. When you choose to use green energy for your home or business, you are becoming part of the solution to concerns about the pollution created by traditional sources of energy. And when we increase the amount of green energy that customers use today (and the more customers that use renewable energy), more green energy is then made available to benefit us and future generations tomorrow.