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Green Power
Green Tags
Green tags, also called renewable energy certificates
(REC), are an interesting
new twist in the renewable energy
world (new - going on 5 years
old). They combine features of
green pricing and pollution credits,
and have the potential to significantly
reduce transaction costs and
help stabilize the market for
renewable energy. Over the
last five years, REC have made
feasible a number of recent noteworthy
green energy transactions, see Large
Purchasers of Green Power,
and there are a large number
of utilities now offering green
pricing programs to their
retail customers.
Clearly RECs are worth knowing about, and deserve
some careful thought as to what
role if any they should play in your renewable
plans.
Green pricing
Green pricing – defined as programs in which electricity users are charged a premium for electricity produced from renewable sources – can be a useful component of any utility's renewable energy strategy. Green pricing can provide a pathway for energy users to directly express their environmental preferences, a noncontroversial source of funds for new renewable generation, and a visible platform to publicize the utility's renewable activities.
The first U.S. green pricing
program was
introduced
in 1993. The number of such
programs has mushroomed
since then. Currently, more
than 300
utilities
in more than 30 states have green pricing programs. Recent
estimates are that these
various programs
are consuming the output
of about 980 MW of renewables – mostly
wind. Green
power products are also
available or planned in
Germany, the Netherlands,
Sweden, Australia,
and the United Kingdom.
If you're interested in
purchasing
green power,
be sure and
read the EPA
Guide to
Purchasing
Green Power.
And, if you'd
like help
locating
green power
suppliers
in your area,
try the EPA
Green Power
Locator program. Also,
EPA provides
very useful
Green
Power Partner Resources and Clean Energy Tools.
Although green pricing is still a relatively novel concept, there's a growing body of experience on how to make green programs work.
For further information, be sure to take a look at DOE's
green power Web site. This Web site has the latest information on
green power, including contact names and phone numbers at all U.S. utilities
with green power programs.
Additionally, the Public Renewables Partnership encourages your consumer owned utility to take advantage of the Environmental Protection Agencies Green Power Partnership Program. For more information see the EPA Green Power Partnership Letter of Committment and the EPA Green Power Partnership Fact Sheet.
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