A post on a retail supplier's blog notes the dichotomy in Green Mountain Energy's clean image, and parent NRG Energy's continued ownership of fossil generation.

The blog post on The Energy Co-op's website, which says The Energy Co-op introduced renewable electricity to the PECO market in 2001, states that despite being seen as a "progressive" energy company, including through ownership of Green Mountain, "the environmental reality of NRG operations in Pennsylvania have been grim."

The blog post states that, "NRG fully owns six coal facilities that have a combined generating capacity in excess of 2,000 megawatts in addition to fifteen natural gas and oil plants."

David Crane has repeatedly addressed such criticism by stating something along the lines of, "We are running flat out to embrace the clean energy future, while at all times being mindful of our critical role in keeping the lights on in all of the markets we serve."

The blog post counters:

"[W]hile revamping one of the nation’s largest generation portfolios does not happen overnight, a steady stream of coal fleet acquisitions makes NRG’s true intentions less clear. Is the company invested in the future of renewables, or has it found a public relations tool that mitigates the cost of regular environmental legislation for its coal operations? And should NRG, or any other company, be evaluated on intentions or results?"

See the blog post on The Energy Co-op's site for the full take on NRG and Green Mountain