NREL Highlights Leading Utility Green Power Programs
May 5, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
Under these voluntary programs, consumers can choose to help support additional electricity production from renewable resources such as solar and wind; more than 800 utilities across the U.S. offer these programs.
Using information provided by utilities, NREL develops "Top 10" rankings of utility programs in the following categories:
- Total sales of renewable energy to program participants.
- Total number of customer participants.
- Customer participation rate.
- Green power sales as a percentage of total utility retail electricity sales.
- The lowest price premium charged for a green power program using new renewable resources.
Ranked by renewable energy sales, Austin Energy is the leading green power program in the U.S., followed by Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp, Florida Power & Light and Xcel Energy.
Ranked by customer participation rates, the top utilities are City of Palo Alto Utilities, Lenox Municipal Utilities, Silicon Valley Power, Portland General Electric and Sacramento Municipal Utility District. (For additional rankings, see the tables on the Greenpower Network web site).
According to NREL, customer choice programs are proving to be a powerful stimulus for growth in renewable energy supply. In 2007, total utility green power sales exceeded 4.5 billion kilowatt-hours, about a 20% increase over 2006. Approximately 600,000 customers are participating in utility programs nationwide.
Utility green pricing programs are one segment of a larger green power marketing industry that counts Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and colleges and universities among its customers. The programs help support more than 3,000 megawatts of new renewable electricity generation capacity, said NREL.
NREL analysts attribute the success of many programs to persistence in marketing and creative marketing strategies, including utility partnerships with independent green power marketers. In addition, the rate premium that customers pay for green power continues to drop.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).