Green Power Links
A number of communities, utilities, and government agencies are putting "green power" programs in place to offer more choice to consumers about where their energy comes from. Green power is energy produced from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal energy, and landfill gas. These energy sources have dramatically lower pollution emissions and cause much less environmental damage than fossil fuels.
DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) updated in March 2004 its popular top-ten lists of utility programs that sell green power. NREL's report notes that more than 500 utilities in 33 states now offer such programs. NREL ranks the most effective of these utility programs -- sometimes called "green pricing" programs -- based on customer participation, new renewable energy installed capacity, and cost premiums. See the lists.
The following green power links provide more information.
Green Power Network
Operated by NREL, GPN provides news and information on green power markets and related activities. The site provides up-to-date information on green power providers, product offerings, consumer protection issues, and policies affecting green power markets. It also includes a reference library of relevant papers, articles and reports.
EPA Green Power Partnership
Provides assistance and recognition to organizations that demonstrate environmental leadership by choosing green power. Its website provides everything you need to know about green power and how to
purchase it.
Green-e Program
The Green-e Program of the Center for Resource Solutions announced recently that Green-e electricity certification is now available to all qualifying renewable energy products in the 50 U.S. states and American territories. The Green Pricing Accreditation Board approved a National Green Pricing Default Certification Standard on December 15, 2004, enabling utilities not currently covered under a regional Green-e standard to achieve Green-e certification for their renewable energy products.
Mainstay Energy Rewards Program - Green Tag Purchase Program
Mainstay Rewards is a nationwide program by which owners of renewable energy installations can earn extra revenue to help speed up the payback time for their installation. This revenue comes in the form of regular, recurring payments to renewable energy system owners. Any renewable energy installation (such as solar PV panels, a wind turbine) that is offsetting utility grid electricity is entitled to green tags, which represent your production on renewable energy. These green tags have value and can be sold on the market as Green-e certified products.
Main Energy RePower Program
A nationwide program that provides comprehensive financing of renewable energy installations in many states, including Arkansas. RePower is ideal for completed or late-stage projects that have all the pieces in place except for financing.
Articles and Publications
Buy Green Power
This guide from the Union of Concerned Scientists explains what green power is, why consumers should buy it, and options available.
Clean and Green Get a Head of Steam
Describes the trend among college campuses across the country are turning to green power, led by groups of students.
Green Pricing Resource Guide
Produced by the American Wind Energy Association in 2004 to provide information on green pricing.
Guide to Purchasing Green Power
Produced in September 2004 by EPA, DOE, the
World Resources Institute, and the Center for Resource Solutions, this 50-page guide was written to help businesses,
government agencies, universities, and other groups purchase green power. The guide can be downloaded at the link above.
Powerful Choices IV
A 2003 report by the Renewable Northwest Project (RNP) that summarizes the retail green power programs that are available in the Northwest, provides charts of participation rates and kWh sales, and includes recommendations on customer participation in green power programs.
Pricing Programs Spur Growth of Renewable Energy Technologies
This September 2001 NREL study identifies key factors for ensuring the success of "green pricing" programs and ranks programs nationwide for their relative effectiveness.
Trends in Utility Green Pricing Programs
This report presents year-end 2003 data on utility green pricing programs, and examines
trends in consumer response and program implementation over time. The data provided
in the report can be used by utilities as benchmarks by which to gauge the success of
their green power programs.
Utility Green Pricing Programs: What Defines Success?
Prepared by NREL, this report examines important elements of green pricing programs, the premiums charged, customer response, and additional factors that experience indicates are key to developing successful programs. The report concludes with a list of "best practices" for utilities to follow when developing and implementing their programs.
Case Studies
Austin School District
Profiles the success of the Austin Independent School district in its green power purchases.
Binghamton Federal Building, New York
The first federal facility to buy 100-percent wind power. The Federal contract for wind energy covers the facility's electricity usage for 34 months, beginning in July 2002. The 30-megawatt wind farm in Fenner, New York, will produce the power, which should total about 500,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
Profiles in Renewable Energy: Case Studies of Successful Utility-Sector Projects
Describes successful renewable energy projects utilizing six renewable resources—biomass, geothermal, hydropower, photovoltaics, solar thermal, and wind—undertaken by U.S. utility companies. Discusses key factors to the success of each project, development issues, project cost, performance, and environmental impacts and benefits.
World Bank, Washington, DC
Purchasing renewable energy to meet 100% of the electricity needs of its Washington D.C. office. the Bank will purchase 85 million kWh of renewable energy certificates (RECs)
for one year sourced from wind energy facilities located in the mid-Atlantic and
the Midwest. The Bank's renewable energy commitment is part of an overall
"Greening Program" established by its General Services Department to focus on sustainable development within the organization.