Hello All,

My power company recently started offering a green power option and it sounds really good. What the deal is: I pay an added premium on top of my normal per kwh rate. This premium is really small. Less than a penny per kwh. This is added to my bill and really doesn't make a big difference even in the winter.

What they provide (or say they do) is clean green energy produced from a number of sources. They have different levels of participation, but I just go with the 100% option.

I was wondering about something though. I have never seen any green power production sources in my area or even in my region. Where are they getting this power from then? Is it really green power or is the power company just taking my money because I want to be green, taking advantage of this new trend?

Geo, yes you are probably buying renewable energy. If not directly, you are paying an added premium to assist you power company in buying carbon offsets. While there is some drawback to carbon offsets compared to direct production it is still a way to get renewable energy.

Research and find out if your power company or its providers are Green-e certified. This is the largest and most well respected certification for green power. If its not there, you might want to ask a few more questions.

Geo, you might be hepling to pay for a renewable energy project in another state: wave energy in Oregon or wind in Texas, or .... Thaks for promoting renewable enrergy!

It's a carbon offset and trade program most likely. While a good option for now, I question if this is the right approach for the long haul. Is allowing a coal plant to use customer money to pay to pollute really helping make things greener or lining the pockets of executives on both sides of the energy production industry?

Carbon offsets may not be the end all be all solution to the sustainable energy production problem as it does pollute, but what it does do is help fund and promote green energy sources while they grow and take over more and more of the energy market. Over time, most power companies will try to shift some if not most of their energy production to renewable resources. This won't happen overnight, but with the help of conscientious consumers and carbon trade programs, we will foster the growth of this industry for the future.

has anyone had success getting your local utility to go for a green-e certification. I don't know the process but I have talked with a few managers at my local power company and they just aren't very responsive. They have a green power option but no certification. I would just feel better about paying the extra if I could verify that they were following through with their end of the bargain.

green power options are a great way to make an impact in the environmental movement. The price isn't bad at all, but I wonder what would happen if a large percentage of the customer base opted in. Would the system be able to handle the load. I doubt it, but would they refund that small premium?

If everyone pushed for green power now, there would be a lag on the ability to deliver but with an influx in green energy incomes, the amount of renewable resource energy production would likely increase at a good rate.

I opted in to my power company's green option and I hardly notice the difference on my bill. I don't know how much help this little bit of money is actually doing and I would even pay more to see the technologies more well funded.

I have been using the green power option in my community for a few years now and really don't see much difference in my power bills. It just makes me feel good that I am doing my part when it comes to energy sources. I knew it wasn't enough though. I reduced my actual electrical consumption as well. That combination is what is going to help us more. The reduce part is so much more powerful.

It may not be how we do power in the future, but I like carbon trade and the idea of green power options for where we are now. If you have the opportunity, I say go for it!!

Green power options are a great first step. Let's all push for more smart grids. It's good to be reading about more development in that area this year. Smart grids and green power options will work hand in hand one day and, hopefully, take the whole topic of carbon offsets into a more real, quantifiable territory.

smart grids are one step but decentralizing the power grid would be even more ideal. Currently, we lose about half of our energy production to transmission loads. Large complexes often how power generation close by because the cost of construction is often offset and then some by the savings in transmission loads as compared to getting power from a distant location. This same concept should be used more often.

Most people are only opposed to this notion because they don't want large, exhaust spewing power plants in their neighborhoods. If you combine clean power generation technologies with decentralization, you have a perfect solution. One of the roadblocks with renewable energy is the amount of power needed to meet our needs. If you reduce transmission loads, you can reduce the demand and therefore the size of the power plant. Add in smart grid technology and we are on the right path.

lilly, great point, but the big problem is the mindset we are stuck in about power generation. The centralized power generation model has been in place for so long that as we begin the transition to renewable resource power generation, the approach is to insert the new technology into the old model rather than redefining the model. The same holds true for the smart grid technology. The vision of the future of power is still referencing the old. The best, and hardest, thing we could do is to scrap the old system and build up new, correcting all the shortcomings of the old system.

The world has learned over the past decade, we can not continue to use non-renewable resources in the framework we have been. Oil, natural gas and coal are limited supply and once they are gone they are gone for millions of years. Not to mention the overwhelming evidence of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels has shown the world that green energy is not an option most is a requirement. In addition to green technologies continue to evolve, a couple of them already promising as serious contenders.http://www.greenliving9.com/ One of the most profitable ways to generate electricity from wind farms. The windmills are the sources of energy for hundreds of years, but until recently were considered a reliable and steady source of power. Only three percent of the world powers are to provide wind turbines, but the number is growing exponentially as people discover how green power is a reality. Wind Technology is a manufacturer and easy to install and, once activated, they are also very easy to maintain. They offer the most efficient way to produce energy by burning coal later. Until the wind blows, the turbines spin. They produce almost as much power as the coal, without harmful emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The wind technology is the only the best candidates to provide much of our energy needs for the future.

In lieu of the recent nuclear disaster in Japan, I was thinking about nuclear as a power option as we move forward. It does seem that there are just too many risks at this point, but that's only the case if other renewables can't "pull their weight". Its not like hundreds if not thousands haven't died mining for coal or drilling for oil and natural gas. Let's not forget the disaster in the Gulf which was part of the ever increasing difficulty in finding more oil.

Back to the point I wanted to mention about nuclear energy. We talk and talk and talk about how fossil fuels are not renewable. Well.... neither is nuclear energy. Like coal, uranium and other nuclear power sources are mined from the earth. Their origins may be different, but the finite nature of this source is the same. For this reason alone, I am reconsidering whether or not to ever support nuclear. If we were to go that route, would we not just be trading one problem for another one down the road?

I'm really interested in this topic since I'm on the way to write a ebook about energy saving. I think that Green living can be easy as "normal living" and should not take money from us, that should help us to keep our money. If you are interested about my perspective on this, check the link in my signature.

Best regards,
Lucy