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NREL’s green power “Top 10” includes Western customers Utilities provide NREL with the information to rate the top 10 programs in the following categories: total sales of renewable energy to program participants, total number of customer participants, customer participation rate, and the lowest price premium charged for a green pricing service using new renewable resources. Ranked by sales of green power, Sacramento, Calif., Municipal Utility District placed fourth, selling 176,774,804 kWh in 2004. SMUD has consistently appeared in the top five in this category since NREL began the rating. In the customer participation category, four of the top five utilities were Western customers. Lenox, Iowa, Municipal Utilities placed first with 14.5 percent of its customers subscribing to its two-year-old green power program. The City of Palo Alto, Calif., Utilities was second, followed by Holy Cross Energy of Colorado in a tie with Montezuma, Iowa, Municipal Light & Power. Moorhead, Minn. Public Service and SMUD were fourth and fifth respectively. SMUD and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were fourth and fifth in overall number of customers buying green power from their utilities. Roseville, Calif., Electric, SMUD and Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency tied for ninth place in the pricing category. Each charges a premium of one cent per kWh.
Green-e certification now available nationwide The Center for Resource Solutions recently announced that all qualifying renewable energy products in the 50 U.S. states and American territories can receive Green-e electricity certification. The Green Pricing Accreditation Board approved a National Green Pricing Default Certification Standard for the 18 states that are not covered by existing state or regional Green-e criteria. The default standard allows utilities in those states to achieve Green-e certification for their renewable energy products. Green-e has specific regional certification standards for 32 states in the United States. As the nation’s leading renewable energy certification and verification program, Green-e provides independent, third-party certification to ensure renewable energy products meet strict environmental and consumer protection standards. Green-e's annual verification protects customers from paying for renewable energy that is “double sold” to other customers or used simultaneously to meet regulatory mandates. The Green-e logo identifies high quality renewable energy that consumers can trust, as well as everyday consumer products that are “made with certified renewable energy.”
Glendale Water & Power reaching renewable energy goal A new power sales agreement between Glendale, Calif., Water & Power and the Southern California Public Power Authority will give GWP approximately 25 gigawatt/hours of renewable energy annually for resale to its customers. GWP will purchase up to 3 MW from the Ormat Geothermal Energy Projects, moving the utility closer to the state’s renewable resource goal of 20 percent by 2017. Renewable resources currently make up 14 percent of GWP’s current sales. The addition of the Ormat project will bring that figure to 16 percent. California ’s best performing utilities rank between 10 and 20 percent renewable energy use. The Ormat project will provide energy from two geothermal plants located in the geothermal resource areas of Imperial Valley, California. Hydroelectric power from the Hoover Dam counts as an eligible renewable resource under the RPS. GWP’s agreement with the Ameresco Chaquita Canyon Landfill Gas Project will add another 27 GWh of renewable energy each year for 20 years once the facility is completed. As sales grow, GWP will continue to look for additional renewable generation opportunities. Current estimates suggest GWP will need to invest in additional renewable resources capable of providing another 49 GWh a year to meet its 20 percent goal by 2017.
States push for more green energy The governors of Iowa and North Dakota celebrated Earth Day 2005 by taking steps to make their states greener. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack directed state agencies to conserve energy while increasing the use of renewable energy. Executive Order No. 41 directs state agencies to obtain at least 10 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources, to buy energy-efficient equipment, and to reduce their energy use in buildings by 15 percent by 2010, relative to energy use in 2000. In North Dakota, Governor John Hoeven signed several bills into law to accelerate wind power, hydrogen and alternative fuel technologies in the state. The new legislation also created an Office of Renewable Energy within the Division of Community Services at the state Commerce Department. The new office will assist in developing renewable energy within the state and promoting energy conservation and wise use of energy resources in both the public and private sectors. In separate press releases, both administrations cited the economic benefits, as well as increased energy independence, as a strong incentive for developing renewable energy.
Guidelines help utilities create bird protection plans The Edison Electric Institute, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association recently issued guidelines for utilities in preparing an avian protection plan. The collaboratively-developed guidelines are meant to help utilities create avian protection plans that don’t require formal approval from the Fish and Wildlife Service. The guidelines offer plan components and techniques and a formal process for adapting the plan to the specific needs of a location. A utility could use the guidelines to develop a protection plan that is suited to its area, rather than hire a consultant. The plan covers preparing a corporate policy on protecting avian species, training utility personnel in nest management protocols and carcass disposal and ways to report bird injuries and death. Other sections cover permitting, system design and public education. The three groups worked two years to prepare the 90-page plan, which is available online.
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