Consumer choice probably isn't what comes to mind when you think about your electric company. The grid is one-size-fits all: electrons work the same whether they come from organically sourced methane or strip-mined coal, and they don't care if they're pumping tunes from the stereo or milk from a cow.
What does matter is that, unless directed otherwise, regulated utilities often provide energy from the cheapest available option with which they're familiar. That sounds good, except that the formula doesn't account for damage downstream -- things like mercury pollution, acid rain, smog, and climate change that arise from reliance on fossil fuels. The deck is stacked against promising clean technologies like solar and wind and in favor of old-school, carbon-belching coal plants. In 2005, non-renewable electricity produced 1.9 billion metric tonnes of CO2. That's 81% of CO2 emissions from the US electrical sector and about one-fourth of total US greenhouse emissions.
Electricity markets are changing, though, and if you want to buy power with a lighter carbon footprint there are plenty of utilities who want to sell you electricity produced by wind, biomass, solar, or even landfill gas. Green power can be less, the same, or a little more expensive. But regardless, it plays an important role in today's energy economy: when combined with improving energy efficiency in your home, you can lower your electricity bills and CO2 impact. Even though it now accounts for less than 1% of the US electricity market, green power grew 37% in 2005. It's proving that there is a growing appetite for clean renewable energy. And as customer demand increases, utilities, from linesmen to CEOs, are becoming renewable energy's strongest advocates.
The simplest scenario for buying green power is to check and see what your local utility offers. Or, if you're in a deregulated state in which you can choose your power company, check and see what the competition is offering as well (see Green Power Marketing below). Some companies offer to purchase electricity from renewable sources to meet all of your power demands; others provide packages in which some of your power will be sourced from particular kinds of renewable energy like wind or solar. Still, others offer programs in which a portion of your power is met from green sources. The pricing packages vary based on the specific mix of renewables (i.e., how much wind, biomass, solar, landfill gas and geothermal comprise the product), local regulations and the individual utility's overall cost structure. More than 600 utilities in 37 states offer green power products and they try to make it simple to sign up. To find out what your options are, see the US Department of Energy map.
If you can't access green electricity through a utility servicing your area, you can still actively support the renewable energy industry by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (see below).
Green power marketing is how to green your juice in the 10 states (plus D.C.) where electricity is deregulated. You choose your provider, and among them are green power options. Depending on your state you can buy some or all of your power from renewables, support new wind investment, or get a mix of power. Some of the products are certified by third parties (Environmental Resources Trust or green-e). You can compare the products in your area here.
Renewable energy certificates
If you don't live in state with a deregulated electricity market and your utility isn't offering greenpower, green tags, or renewable energy certificates (RECs) are your best option for getting green power, apart from installing your own. A REC or green tag represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable electricity. Because the grid doesn't care where electricity comes from it can be generated and delivered anywhere. So what you're really buying are the renewable attributes -- carbon free, renewable, pollution free -- of the electricity that is displacing dirty power. RECs use electricity's unique portability to deliver low carbon power, wherever you need it.
Consumer voice: If your local utility ISN'T offering green power right now, make sure to write to them, their regulator (e.g. the state utility commission) and your hometown newspaper to say you want your power to come from renewables - so they should get on with it! See our sample letter.
