June 2000 issue

 NWCouncil.org NeWs    June 2000 index

Green power: questions and answers

Q: I’ve been hearing and reading about "green power," "clean wind" and "salmon-friendly power." What are these? How do they differ from electricity I use now?

A: All of these are terms used to describe electricity produced with a minimum of pollution or other environmental impacts. Conventional oil or coal-fueled power plants, even natural gas-fired power plants, pollute the air with their emissions and produce carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas). Hydropower dams on salmon-bearing streams can impede fish migrations and damage fish and wildlife habitat. Electricity generated using wind turbines, solar collectors or other renewable resources, including carefully sited, low-impact hydropower dams, have fewer of these environmental consequences. For some of these power products, a portion of the revenues derived from their sale is dedicated to fish and wildlife habitat improvement.

Q: Why are utilities offering customers choices like green power?

A: "Green choice" is an important service electric companies can offer their customers. Customers see in green power an opportunity to help improve air quality or remedy other environmental impacts of electricity production. Furthermore, by adding new, renewable resources to their existing power supplies, utilities are diversifying, making them less vulnerable to fuel interruptions, fuel price hikes or other potential disruptions that could put them at a disadvantage. Power plants that don’t increase carbon dioxide levels or air pollution also provide utilities with a possible advantage where pollution or carbon dioxide taxes are levied.

Q: Utilities can’t separate out "green" electrons from "coal-fired" can they? Don’t we still get the same electricity whether we ask for "green" or not?

A: It’s true that the power delivered to your home or business will be the same as that delivered to every other customer served by your utility, but by choosing a green power package, you’ll be ensuring that an increasing portion of the utility’s resources are clean and renewable. Without customer support for green power options, utilities would most likely stick to less expensive conventional power plants. In some cases, utilities will charge a premium for the green power. A portion of the extra $2 to $10 per month you choose to pay will go toward the construction of new renewable-resource-based power plants, the repair of salmon habitat or marketing and education programs to encourage more customers to choose green power.

Q: If it’s a good deal for utilities, why can’t they just pay for it themselves? Why charge us a premium?

A: Utilities strive to offer the lowest-priced electricity on the market. Clean electricity from wind, solar and other plants having low environmental impacts often costs more up front than electricity from conventional power plants, although their long-term environmental and fuel costs are much lower. However, as more customers ask for renewable power sources, the technology will improve and the cost will come down.

Q: If I sign up for green power, how do I know the utility will use the extra money for the things they advertise – clean wind and salmon-friendly power?

A: An organization called "Renew 2000," which includes representatives from the Northwest’s major environmental groups, the Northwest Power Planning Council, the Bonneville Power Administration and several electric utilities, will certify the programs utilities offer. These groups have been working together for more than a year to develop criteria on which to judge the merits of utility products. The group is also developing criteria to help certify individual power plants, such as the Vansycle Ridge Wind Farm in northeastern Oregon.

Q: If I decide to buy green power, will the quality of my electricity supply change – will lights flicker or my computer crash when there’s no wind at the wind power sites or no sun on the collectors?

A: All the electricity is blended together on the power grid so reliability and power quality will not be affected. When renewable resources are not providing the electricity, conventional resources or power purchased from other areas will come online. Neither you nor your electronic equipment will notice any difference.

Q: If I’m interested in green power, where do I find this product?

A: Some utilities, including Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Utah Power offer a green power product as part of a "portfolio" of electric power products. Other utilities, such as Salem Electric, Emerald People’s Utility District and Snohomish Public Utility District, are blending green power purchases into their retail power products.

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation sells green power wholesale to utilities and businesses, and uses some of the proceeds to develop new renewable resources and to support fish and wildlife habitat improvements. For more information, contact your local electrical utility.

In areas such as Montana and California, where full retail access is allowed, customers can purchase green power directly from non-utility electricity producers.