Energy Policy
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Green Power Challenges Generate Community Buzz
Over the past two years, utilities and their marketing partners have increased the use of green power challenges to increase participation and awareness for their green pricing programs. The utility typically develops the challenge in partnership with local governments, who make their own purchase in conjunction with the challenge, and environmental nonprofit organizations, who can help communicate the challenge. Utility and local government decision-makers typically agree on a goal for a fixed number of sign-ups within a specified time, usually about six months.
In 2007, at least fourteen utilities offered challenges, mostly in small- to mid-sized ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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CSU Launches REC Offering
Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) is now offering its customers renewable energy certificates (RECs) in 100 kWh increments at a price of 34¢ each, or 0.34¢/kWh. When a customer signs up under the program, CSU retires the requisite quantity of RECs on their behalf. The REC program comes in response to strong customer demand for renewable energy; CSU's green pricing program is currently sold out.
The program is being supplied by a five-year REC contract between the MORE DETAILS
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DVP Seeks Regulatory Approval for Green Option
Dominion Virginia Power, a subsidiary of Dominion, asked the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) for permission to offer its customers two new options to purchase renewable energy. Pending SCC approval, residential and business customers would be able to purchase renewable energy starting in January 2009 through their monthly bills in two ways.
The first option to purchase renewable energy would allow customers to offset 100% of their electrical usage with electricity generated from renewable energy sources. Payments under this option would ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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PA Plans to Expand Green Power Purchases
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that he has directed the state's Department of General Services to increase the commonwealth's purchases of renewable energy to 50% of the state's electricity needs from the current level of 30%. To achieve the 50% target, the state would need to purchase more than 500 million kWh of renewable energy annually. Pennsylvania is currently the largest state purchaser of green power. The Governor also set a goal of reducing energy consumption in state buildings by 10% by 2010 in addition to the 10% reduction in energy usage achieved in 2006. ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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Renewables to Power National Political Conventions
Wind and solar power will supply 100% of the energy needs for the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Because Xcel Energy serves both the Denver and Minneapolis-Saint Paul areas, sites of the Democratic and Republican Conventions respectively, it will provide the renewable power for both events. The Republican and Democratic National Committees will purchase the estimated 3 million kWh that the conventions will use from Xcel's MORE DETAILS
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Yampa Valley Lowers Green Energy Premium
The Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA), a consumer-owned cooperative utility serving Northwest Colorado and a portion of Wyoming, has lowered the premium for its green pricing program participants, from $3 per 100 kWh block to 60¢ per 100 kWh block (0.6¢/kWh) over the standard rate. The new premium is one-fifth the previous amount. For an average household meeting 100% of their energy needs through the program, the reduction would reduce their annual green energy premium from about $290 to about $57.
YVEA supplies its program with renewable energy credits (RECs) purchased from Xcel Energy. ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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AmerenUE Expands Green Pricing Options
AmerenUE received regulatory approval to add a block option to its Green-e certified Pure Power green power offering for residential and small commercial customers. The new option of 1,000 kWh blocks, at $15 per block, was already available at the same price to large industrial electricity customers. This announcement expands that option to the other customer classes, who could previously only purchase renewable electricity for 100% of their usage, at ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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MGE Program Reaches 10 Percent Residential Participation
Madison Gas and Electric's (MGE) green pricing program announced its residential participation has rapidly expanded during the four month period beginning in January 2008, when MGE made some changes in the program. Residential participation in the Green Power Tomorrow program went from 4,300 to nearly 12,000 customers during the period. More than 10% of the utility's residential customers are now participating in the program, and about 9.4% of all customers. Total sales for the program now exceed 135 million kWh per ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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Green-e Certified Renewable Energy Sales Increase in 2007
According to preliminary data, the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) certified 15 million MWh of renewable energy sales in 2007, up more than 50% from 2006. This represents sales to more than 90,000 new residential customers and 50% more commercial customers, for Green-e certified renewable energy. The audited report will be released later in the fall.
The CRS Green-e program provides independent, third-party certification to ensure certified renewable energy meets environmental and ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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NSTAR to Launch Green Pricing Program
NSTAR received regulatory approval to launch a green pricing option to its Massachusetts electric customers beginning July 1. While rates are not set yet, NSTAR expects to offer renewable energy to residential customers for 50% of their electricity needs at a premium of about 1.45¢/kWh or for 100% of their electricity needs at a premium of 0.85¢/kWh. The 50% option would cost the average consumer about $4 per month more than standard electricity service, while the 100% option would cost about $7 per month extra. The program, called NSTAR Green, was developed through a collaboration between ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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Owens Corning Greens Insulation Plant
Owens Corning, a Fortune 500 global manufacturer of glass composites and producer of residential and commercial building materials, announced that it is purchasing green power for its Gresham, Oregon foam insulation plant. Under the agreement with Constellation NewEnergy, Owens Corning has committed to purchase 25 million kWh of Green-e certified wind energy certificates sourced from Texas facilities, which is expected to be enough wind energy to power 100% of the plant's needs for one year. The plant will be operational in the ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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Philadelphia Phillies to Buy Green Energy
The Philadelphia Phillies announced a purchase of 20 million kWh of renewable energy certificates (RECs), becoming the first major league baseball team to buy renewable energy to meet 100% of their electricity needs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it is also the largest 100% renewable energy purchase to date in U.S. professional sports. The REC supplier is New Jersey-based WindStreet Energy, a subsidiary of NCG Energy Solutions. WindStreet's REC product was recently certified by Green-e. ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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APX Launches North American Renewables Registry
APX, Inc., the company that provides the infrastructure for the five existing web-based regional renewable energy certificate (REC) tracking systems, has announced the launch of a new sixth system, known as the North American Renewables Registry. The new registry completes coverage of all North American renewable energy generation projects, tracking and registering RECs in those states and provinces of North America not already covered by the five existing systems. It will be open for registration in late May 2008.
Tracking systems provide a basis ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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Renewable Energy Marketers Form Trade Association
Leading U.S. renewable energy marketers have joined together to create a trade association for organizations that market renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Marketers Association (REMA) has formed to promote the economic and national security benefits of domestic renewable energy. REMA is comprised of organizations involved in the creation, supply, purchase, sale, advocacy of, and education about renewable energy and renewable energy certificates (RECs). Its stated purposes include providing a more favorable operating environment for the industry by providing a forum for discussion of non-competitive ... . . . MORE DETAILS
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