Caithness region might well serve as an inspiration for Caithness Corp., which develops wind and other renewable power plants in the US under the Caithness Energy brand. Although the firm has focused on the development, acquisition, operation, and management of geothermal, hydroelectric, wind, and solar energy power projects, it also develops environmentally friendly fossil-fueled plants. Caithness is one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the US, and has developed more than 350 MW of geothermal projects, 160 MW of solar plants, and 440 MW produced by wind turbines. On the cleaner fossil fuel plant side it has also developed more than 2,000 MW of gas-turbine powered capacity.

The Laclede Group, Inc. operates as a public utility holding company. The company’s principal subsidiary, Laclede Gas Company, provides natural gas service to approximately 630,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in metropolitan St. Louis and surrounding counties in eastern Missouri. Its primary non-regulated subsidiary, Laclede Energy Resources, Inc., markets natural gas and related services to on-system utility transportation customers and customers outside of its utility’s traditional service area. The Laclede Group company was founded in 1857 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Lafayette Utilities System has a long and proud history of serving the people of Lafayette. We are your next door neighbors and we care about the same things you do: reasonable utility rates and reliable, quality services that can protect our families and make our community better. LUS offers its customers quality electric, water and wastewater services. Because LUS is customer-owned and operated, its customers have the power to set rates and control the standard of service. We are always working to better LUS and Lafayette.

Wheelabrator Technologies is on a roll. A subsidiary of solid-waste processing giant Waste Management, the company operates municipal-waste incinerators and trash-to-steam plants that convert 7 million tons of municipal solid waste annually into energy. Wheelabrator operates 16 waste-to-energy plants that burn solid waste to produce high-pressure steam; that steam turns turbines, generating more than 800 MW of electricity -- enough to power more than 900,000 homes. It also has five independent power producers (IPPs) that combust a combination of trash, waste wood, tires, coal, and gas to generate another 200 MW of electricity. Wheelabrator operates in the northeastern US, California, Florida, and Washington.

Keeping a sharp eye out for the well-being of Iowa's citizens, Central Iowa Power Cooperative provides electricity transmission and generation services to 13 member distribution cooperatives (12 rural electric cooperatives and one municipal cooperative), which in turn serve about 320,000 residential and 7,000 industrial and commercial customers. Central Iowa Power's member distribution cooperatives deliver power to commercial businesses, farmsteads, industrial parks, manufacturers, urban residences, and other customers, in a service area that stretches 300 miles diagonally across the state from Shenandoah in the southwest to the Mississippi River in the east.

Sharing power is not a threatening proposition for Southeastern Power Administration. The power distributor markets electricity generated at federal hydroelectric facilities (nearly 3,400 MW of capacity) to customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The company's 495 preference wholesale customers (who serve more than 13 million consumers) are primarily municipal and cooperative utilities in the region. Southeastern Power Administration is an agency of the US Department of Energy, and its goal is to market electric power generated by Federal reservoir projects at the lowest possible cost to consumers.

Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is the largest utility in the Philippines, providing power to 4.6 million customers in 29 cities (including metropolitan Manila) and 82 municipalities. As deregulation takes effect, Meralco is reducing its dependence on state-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) by increasing the amount of power it purchases from independent power producers. Meralco has prepared for greater competition by moving into nonregulated activities, including energy, e-commerce, and real estate. In 2008 Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp. acquired the Philippine government's 27% stake in Meralco, and raised that to 48% in 2009. Metro Pacific Investments boosted its stake to 20% soon after that.

Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County, Washington (or Cowlitz County Public Utility District), a Depression era institution that provides electric utility services to 47,400 customers (including 42,400 residential customers and 5,200 commercial clients) in its service territory. The municipal utility also serves more than 3,800 Longview-Kelso area water utility customers. Like 27 other PUDs in Washington state, Cowlitz County Public Utility District has the authority to offer electric, water, wastewater, and wholesale telecommunication service.

Bristol Water Group, one of the largest independent water suppliers in the UK. Through primary operating subsidiary Bristol Water plc, the group supplies water to about 500,800 customers, representing a population of more than 1.1 million. Bristol Water maintains about 6,600 km. of mains in a service territory that encompasses some 2,400 sq. km., and includes Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. The group has completed its disposal of its nonregulated operations and is focusing on its core regulated water business.

Shell International Renewables (doing business as Shell Renewables) may be able to turn them into fuel to power homes and vehicles. The company oversees many of the parent Royal Dutch Shell's operations in alternative fuels, was formed in 1997 to commercially explore the global possibilities of new low-carbon power systems. Shell Renewables markets and distributes alternative energies from the sun, the wind, hydrogen (technically an energy carrier rather than energy source), and bio-fuels worldwide. It is researching hydrogen created from natural gas and bio-fuels, made of everything from corn to algae, to replace gasoline in cars.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.