Although residential solar electricity systems are becoming less expensive overall, they are still cost prohibitive for many families. This, eventually, will not be the case, but in the meantime, what can you do to take advantage of utilizing renewable energy in your home?
There is good news! Did you know that many utility companies throughout the United States have a program where you can actually have a specified percentage of your electricity be generated from renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass? Fortunately, many of them do!
For example, I’ll use Arizona Public Service (APS) - the largest electric utility in the state. They have what is called the “Green Choice” program.
According to their website, under this voluntary program, customers can elect to have a portion of their electricity be generated from renewable resources.
The largest amount of renewable energy that APS utilizes is wind power generated from the Aragonne Mesa Wind Farm, which is about 40 miles outside of Santa Rosa, New Mexico. An APS Media Fact Sheet states that they purchase all of the power generated by this wind farm, a total capacity of 90 megawatts (MW), and then transmit it through the western power grid system to a switchyard in the Four Corners area. This switchyard then sends the power to Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
In addition to this, Arizona Public Service’s website reports that they also have a long-term contract with the Salton Sea Geothermal Power Plant, which supplies them with a capacity of about 10 MW. Furthermore, APS owns several solar installations throughout Arizona, which supply a combined capacity of about 6.5 MW. The total renewable energy capacity of APS is about 106 MW, with more projects coming online in the future.
And, in my opinion, that’s why programs like this present a great opportunity for utility customers! The more people signing up, the more money flows toward renewable energy, creating more demand, which allows utility providers to continue to invest in and develop renewable energy generating stations! The more renewable energy being supplied, the lower the price can become, making it more competitive with conventional energy sources. Once the cost hits a certain “tipping point,” then it is possible that renewable energy can become more cost-effective than conventional. When that is achieved, then anything is possible!
APS asserts that there are three different Green Choice Rate options. On their webpage that discusses them, it states that with the first option, the “Block” option, customers can purchase renewable energy is 100 kWh blocks, for a premium of $0.01 per kWh, in addition to the customer’s normal monthly charges. The charges stay the same every month.
The second option is the one that I use, which is the “Percentage” option. Under this scenario, a client can elect to have a certain percentage of their actual power usage come from renewable resources. A residence can select a total percentage of 35%, 50%, or 100%. The premium is the same per kWh - $0.01. The major difference though is that the percentage is based on the actual amount of electricity used. For example, if your bill for the month is for 600 kWh, and your Green Choice percentage is 100%, then the premium, on top of your normal monthly charges, would be only $6.00! So, it can cost only a few extra bucks to take advantage of renewable electricity? Sounds like a great deal to me!
APS declares that their third choice is the “Total Solar” option. With this selection, customers would receive either 50% or 100% of their total usage from solar resources only. It basically works the same as the second option, except that the premium is different. Under this set-up, a premium of $0.166 is charged per kWh.
Under all of these options, tax is charged on the premiums.
So if you don’t happen to live in an area that is served by APS, which is a likely scenario if you don’t live in Arizona, how can you check to see if your utility provider offers a similar program?
Well, of course you could just give them a call or check out their website, but you can also easily see if they are certified by Green-e, who states on their website that it “is the nation’s leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the retail market.” On this website, you can learn more about them and what they do, as well as a little bit about renewable energy.
But you can also search to see if your utility provider offers a renewable energy program that is certified by them! Check out their search page, and give it a try for yourself!
So just because home solar or wind power generating equipment may currently be a bit cost-prohibitive doesn’t mean that you still can’t take advantage of these options on a larger scale. And you will likely be surprised about how affordable it really can be! Consider signing up and feel good about the contribution you will be making toward the renewable energy revolution!
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