Wind farms provided two thirds of the green power programs offered by US utilities in 2009

More than 850 utilities in the US now offer green electricity tariffs, with more than 650,000 people now participating.

New figures from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s survey of utility green power programs issued yesterday said that 6 billion kilowatt-hours of “green” electricity was sold through premium green electricity tariffs during 2009.

Two-thirds of this was sourced from wind farms, the annual assessment revealed.

The analysis, carried out by NREL’s Strategic Energy Analysis Center, said that the average premiums paid by customers for green power is continuing to fall.

It said that the net price premium for utility green power products decreased from 3.48 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in the year 2000 to 1.75 cents per kWh in 2009.

NREL senior energy analyst Lori Bird said: “Despite the economic downturn, consumers are continuing to support the development of renewable energy by voluntarily participating in utility green power programs.”

Top utilities

The top utilities for green power programs in 2009 included Austin Energy, which sold the most renewable energy through its voluntary green power program of any utility for the eighth year in a row.

The company based in Austin, Texas, sold 765 million kWh of wind and landfill gas energy in the year.

Karl R Rábago, Austin Energy’s vice president for distributed energy services, said; “We are proud that Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program leads the nation in showing that customers who want to manage costs and reduce emissions can make a difference in the way electricity is made.”

Waterloo Utilities, of Waterloo, Wisconsin, sold the highest proportion of its electricity as “green” power. It provided 21.4% of its electricity load through its Renewable Energy Program.

Oklahoma was the best area for prices when it came to green power programs last year, with the lowest premiums from the utilities Edmond Electric (0.17 cents per kWh cheaper than standard power) and OG&E (0.28 cents per kWh premium on top of standard power rates).

Oregon utility Portland General Electric (PGE) had the highest number of customers on its green power tariffs, with 72,812 business and residential customers on its Clean Wind, Green Source and Renewable Future programs.

Carol Dillin, vice president for customers and economic development at PGE, said: “Oregon is gaining a reputation as a leader in renewable energy resources, and PGE customers are pointing the way.”

The City of Palo Alto Utilities in California saw the highest proportion of its customer base on its green power tariff, with 20.8% of its customers on its Palo Alto Green program.

“Participating in green power programs is one way that consumers can support renewable energy development and reduce their environmental footprint,” said NREL analyst Jenny Sumner.