National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Innovation for Our Energy Future 

A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

NREL is operated by Midwest Research Institute ● Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 

Green Power Marketing in 

the United States: A Status 

Report (Eighth Edition) 

Lori Bird and Blair Swezey 

Technical Report 

NREL/TP-620-38994 

October 2005 
Green Power Marketing in 

the United States: A Status 

Report (Eighth Edition) 

Lori Bird and Blair Swezey 

Prepared under Task No. ASG5.1003 

Technical Report 

NREL/TP-620-38994 

October 2005 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393

303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov

Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle 

Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Overview of Green Power Marketing in the United States .......................................................1 

 Introduction....................................................................................................................1 

Utility Green Pricing Programs ....................................................................................2 

Competitive Green Power and REC Markets................................................................7 

Green Power Market Summary and Trends ................................................................14 

Conclusions and Observations ....................................................................................17 

Utility Green Pricing Programs ...............................................................................................19

Competitive Green Power and Renewable Energy Certificate Marketing ..............................45 

Retail Green Power and REC Marketers.....................................................................45 

 Utility/Marketer Partnerships.......................................................................................53 

Selected Wholesale Marketers.....................................................................................55 

 Certificate Brokers.......................................................................................................56 

Selected Green Power Customers............................................................................................58 

 Businesses....................................................................................................................58 

 Universities..................................................................................................................62 

 Local Government .......................................................................................................66 

 State Government.........................................................................................................68 

 Federal Government.....................................................................................................69 

Programs Supporting Large Green Power Purchasers.................................................71 

References................................................................................................................................73 

Appendix A – Tables of Green Power Product Offerings.......................................................75 

Appendix B – EPA Green Power Partnership Top 25 Partners...............................................91 

Appendix C – Estimated U.S. Green Power Customers by State............................................92

LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1. Price Premiums Charged for Utility Green Pricing Products..................................3 

Table 2. Estimated Cumulative Number of Customers Participating in Utility Green 

Pricing Programs......................................................................................................5 

Table 3. Customer Participation Rates in Utility Green Pricing Programs by Year..............5 

iii
Table 4. Annual Sales of Green Energy through Utility Green Pricing Programs................6 

Table 5. New Renewable Energy Capacity Supplying Green Pricing Programs in 2004 .....7 

Table 6. Estimated Cumulative Number of Customers Purchasing RECs or Green Power 

from Competitive Marketers, 2002-2004 ..............................................................10 

Table 7. Retail Sales of Renewable Energy in Competitive Markets and RECs.................11 

Table 8. New Renewable Capacity Supplying Competitive Markets and RECs, 2004.......12 

Table 9. Estimated Green Power Customers by Market Segment.......................................15 

Table 10. Estimated Green Power Sales by Market Segment................................................15 

Table 11. Estimated Green Power Sales by Customer Segment, 2004..................................16 

Table 12. Estimated New Renewables Capacity Supplying Green Power Markets..............17 

Table A-1. Utilities Offering Green Pricing Programs in 2004 ...............................................75 

Table A-2. Utility Green Pricing Programs by State, October 2005........................................76 

Table A-3.Retail Green Power Product Offerings in Competitive Electricity Markets, 

October 2005..........................................................................................................85 

Table A-4. Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Retail Products, October 2005 ..................89 

Table B-1. EPA Green Power Partnership Top 25 Partners by Size of Purchase, 

October 2005..........................................................................................................91 

Table C-1. Estimated U.S. Green Power Customers by State and Customer Class ...............92 

LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1. U.S. Map of Green Pricing Activities......................................................................2 

Figure 2. Trend in Green Pricing Premiums, 2000-2004........................................................4 

Figure 3. Utility Green Pricing Sales, 2000-2004...................................................................6 

Figure 4. States with Competitive Green Power Offerings ....................................................8 

Figure 5. New Renewable Energy Capacity Serving Green Power Markets, 1999-2004.....16 

iv
Acknowledgments 

This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The authors wish to thank Linda Silverman 

and the EERE renewable energy technology programs for their support of this work. The 

authors also wish to thank Adam Capage of Platts; John Halley and Cheryl Camuso of 

Community Energy Inc.; Anthony Amato, Sarah Margaret Gilbert, and Kurt Johnson of 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership; Lars Kvale of the 

Center for Resource Solutions; and Elizabeth Brown of NREL for their thoughtful review 

of the document; as well as Michelle Kubik of NREL for her editorial support. Finally, 

the authors thank the many green power marketers and utility contacts that provided the 

information summarized in this report. Additional information on green power market 

trends and activities can be found on the U.S. DOE’s Green Power Network Web site 

(http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/). 

v
An Overview of Green Power Marketing in the United States 

Introduction 

Voluntary consumer decisions to purchase electricity supplied by renewable energy sources 

represent a powerful market support mechanism for renewable energy development. Beginning 

in the early 1990s, a small number of U.S. utilities began offering “green power” options to their 

customers. Since then, these products have become more prevalent, both from utilities and in 

states that have introduced competition into their retail electricity markets. Today, more than 

50% of all U.S. consumers have an option to purchase some type of green power product from a

retail electricity provider. 

Currently, about 600 utilities offer green power programs to customers in 34 states. These 

programs allow customers to purchase some portion of their power supply as renewable 

energy—almost always at a higher price—or to contribute funds for the utility to invest in 

renewable energy development. The term “green pricing” is typically used to refer to these utility 

programs offered in regulated or noncompetitive electricity markets. 

In some competitive (or restructured) retail electricity markets, electricity customers can 

purchase electricity generated from renewable sources by switching to an alternative electricity 

supplier that offers green power. In addition, in some states, default suppliers offer green power 

options to their customers in conjunction with competitive green power marketers. To date, 

nearly a dozen states that have opened their markets to retail competition have experienced some

degree of green power marketing activity. 

Finally, any consumer can purchase green power using renewable energy certificates (RECs), 

which represent the unique or “green” attributes of electricity generated from renewable energybased projects. Residential and nonresidential consumers can support renewable energy 

development through REC purchases regardless of whether they have access to a green power 

product from their retail power provider and without having to switch to an alternative electricity 

supplier. Today, a few dozen companies actively market RECs to residential or business 

customers throughout the United States. 

This report documents green power marketing activities and trends in the United States. The first 

section of the report provides an overview of green power markets, including product pricing, 

sales, and consumer response. The second section provides brief descriptions of utility green 

pricing programs. The third section describes companies that actively market green power in 

competitive markets and those that market RECs nationally or regionally. The final section 

provides information on a select number of large, nonresidential green power purchasers, 

including businesses, universities, and government agencies. 

1
Utility Green Pricing Programs 

The number of utilities offering green pricing has grown steadily in recent years—today, more 

than 600 investor-owned, public, and cooperative utilities in 34 states offer green pricing 

programs (Figure 1 and Tables A-1, A-2).1

 Because a number of small municipal or cooperative 

utilities offer programs developed by their power suppliers, the number of distinct green pricing 

programs is about 125. Since 1999, between about 15 and 25 new programs have been added 

each year. Initially, part of the growth in utility green power offerings was attributable to the 

threat of retail market competition, while more recent growth has been spurred by state laws 

requiring utilities to offer green pricing.2

 In addition, utilities are becoming increasingly 

comfortable with the operational reliability and improved economics of renewable energy 

technologies, leading to a growing willingness to undertake projects. And a number of utilities 

have expanded their programs as customer demand has grown. 

Figure 1: U.S. Map of Green Pricing Activities 

 

1

 For an up-to-date list of utilities with green pricing programs, see the table of utility green pricing programs on the 

U.S. Department of Energy’s Green Power Network Web site at

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/pricing.shtml?page=1. 2

 These states include Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. 

2
Products and Pricing 

Typically, green pricing programs are structured so that customers can either purchase green 

power for a certain percentage of their electricity use (often called percent-of-use products) or in

discrete amounts or blocks at a fixed price (block products), such as a 100-kilowatt-hour (kWh) 

block. Most utilities offer block products but may also allow customers to purchase green power 

for their entire monthly electricity use. Utilities that offer percent-of-use products generally 

allow residential customers to elect to purchase 25%, 50%, or 100% of their electricity use as 

renewable energy, while a few offer fractions as small as 10%. Larger purchasers, such as 

businesses, can often purchase green power for a smaller fraction of their electricity use. 

The price premiums charged in green pricing programs range from 0.33¢/kWh to as much as 

17.6¢/kWh, with a median of 2.0¢/kWh and a mean of 2.45¢/kWh (Table 1). Programs that 

feature solar-based products represent the high end of the range. A handful of utilities offer 

volume discounts or lower premiums to nonresidential green power customers. 

Table 1: Price Premiums Charged for Utility Green Pricing Products 

(¢/kWh) 

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Average 2.15 3.48 2.93 2.82 2.62 2.45

Median 2.00 2.50 2.50 2.50 2.00 2.00

Range 0.4–5.0 (0.5)–20.0 0.9–17.6 0.7–17.6 0.6–17.6 0.33–17.6

10 Programs with 

Lowest Premiums* 0.4–2.5** (0.5)–2.5 1.0–1.5 0.7–1.5 0.6–1.3 0.33–1.0

Number of Programs 

Represented 24 50 60 80 91 101

*Represents the 10 utility programs with the lowest price premiums for new customer-driven renewable energy. This

includes only programs that have installed—or announced firm plans to install or purchase power from—new

renewable energy sources. In 2001, the discrepancy between the low end of the range for all programs and the Top

10 programs was because the program with the lowest premium (0.9¢/kWh) was not eligible for the Top 10 because

it was either selling existing renewables or had not installed any new renewable capacity for its program.

**Data for April 2000. 

Source: Bird and Brown (2005) 

The average price premium has dropped at an annual average rate of 8% since 2000 (Figure 2). 

Some of this reduction can be attributed to lower market costs for renewable energy supplies. 

Also, increases in the price of natural gas have narrowed the price gap between renewables and 

gas-fired generation alternatives. This has led to lower starting premiums for many new 

3
programs as well as reduced the effective premiums in programs that exempt participating 

customers from fuel-related price increases.3

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

cents/kWh

Average

Median

Figure 2: Trend in Green Pricing Premiums, 2000-2004 

Customer Participation

At the end of 2004, more than 330,000 customers were participating in utility green pricing 

programs nationwide, including about 8,100 nonresidential customers.4

 Between 1999 and 2004, 

the number of participating customers increased nearly fivefold, with an average annual growth 

rate of 38%. Table 2 shows the increase in customers delineated by residential and 

nonresidential customer segments. During 2004, the number of residential and nonresidential 

customers grew at approximately the same rate of 25%. In previous years, the number of 

commercial and industrial-sector participants increased more rapidly than residential 

participants, at least partly because of increased targeting of nonresidential customers. The 

equivalent growth rates among customer segments in 2004 may indicate a shift back toward a 

residential focus, or reflect the impact of increased competition from competitive REC 

marketers. 

 

3 It should be noted that some utilities periodically adjust the green power premium to reflect changes in the cost of

fossil fuels used for electricity generation. Thus, when fuel prices rise, the effective green power premium falls. 

Utilities offering fuel-price exemptions or fixed-rate green power options include: Austin Energy, Edmond Electric, 

Eugene Water & Electric Board, Madison Gas and Electric, OG&E Electric, We Energies, and Xcel Energy. 4 NREL received participant and sales data for about 70% of utility green pricing programs in 2004, including all of 

the major programs. The remaining programs, which are smaller in size, do not have a large impact on overall 

participant numbers. Annual program participant numbers have been adjusted downward from those previously

reported in Bird and Swezey (2003) because of program participation revisions made by the Los Angeles 

Department of Water and Power.

4
Table 2: Estimated Cumulative Number of Customers Participating 

in Utility Green Pricing Programs 

Customer Segment 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Residential n/a* 131,000 166,300 224,500 258,700 323,700

Nonresidential n/a* 1,700 2,500 3,900 6,500 8,100

Total 66,900 132,700 168,800 228,400 265,000 331,800

% Annual Growth n/a 98% 27% 35% 16% 25% 

% Nonresidential n/a 1.3% 1.5% 1.7% 2.4% 2.5% 

*Information on residential and nonresidential participants is not available for 1999. 

Source: Bird and Brown (2005) 

In 2004, customer participation rates in utility green pricing programs remained steady, with an 

average of 1.3% and a median of 1.0% across all programs (Table 3). The overall lack of 

improvement in participation rates may result from a number of factors, including a lack of 

customer awareness of the green power program;

5

 customer unwillingness to pay a premium for 

green power; customer uncertainty regarding the actual benefits of the program; and varied 

levels of interest among utilities in marketing and promoting the program (Holt and Holt, 2004; 

Swezey and Bird, 2001). The top 10 programs with respect to participation rates did show 

improvement, with the average rate among these programs increasing to 6.3% in 2004 from

5.5% in 2003.6

 

Table 3: Customer Participation Rates in Utility Green Pricing Programs by Year 

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Average 0.9% 1.2% 1.3% 1.2% 1.2% 1.3%

Median 0.8% 0.7% 0.7% 0.8% 0.9% 1.0%

Top 10 

programs for 

participation*

2.1%–4.7%# 2.6%–7.3% 3.0%–7.0% 3.0%–5.8% 3.9%–1.1% 3.8%–4.5%

*The high end of the range declined from 2000 to 2002 because the utility with the highest participation rate 

(Moorhead Public Service) experienced an increase in its overall customer base, while the number of participants in 

its green pricing program remained steady. The program was fully subscribed in 2000, and the utility has not 

attempted to expand it. #

Data for April 2000 

Source: Bird and Brown (2005) 

 

5 A number of utilities have reported that only 20% to 30% of their customers are aware that a green power option is 

offered. 6 “Top 10” rankings of utility green pricing programs are posted on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Green Power 

Network Web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/tables/topten.shtml. 

5
For the past three years, the average rate of attrition has been increasing. Utilities reported that an

average of 10% of customers dropped out of green pricing programs in 2004, up from 7% in 

2003 and 4% in 2002. While retention of participants is still high, the trend indicates that 

customer retention may require attention from program managers. 

Green Pricing Sales 

Collectively, utilities sold more than 1.8 billion kWh of green power to retail customers through 

green pricing programs in 2004 (Table 4). Green power sales to all customer classes increased 

by 43% in 2004, compared to 44% in 2003 and 56% in 2002 (Figure 3). The growth in sales can 

be attributed to a larger number of customers purchasing green power, as well as larger 

purchases by nonresidential customers. 

Table 4: Annual Sales of Green Energy through Utility Green Pricing Programs 

(million kWh) 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Residential customers --- 399.7 661.3 874.1 1,295.0 

Nonresidential customers --- 172.8 233.7 410.3 544.2 

Total All customers 453.7 572.5 895.0 1,284.4 1,839.2

% Annual Growth 26% 56% 44% 43%

% Nonresidential Customers --- 30% 26% 32% 30%

*Sales information for customer segments not available for 2000. 

Source: Bird and Brown (2005) 

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

million kWh

Total

Residential

Nonresidential

Figure 3: Utility Green Pricing Sales, 2000-2004 

6
At the end of 2004, more than 700 MW of new renewables capacity was supplying utility green 

pricing programs, with nearly 230 MW planned (Table 5). Wind, solar, and landfill gas are the 

renewable resources most commonly used for utility programs, with wind energy representing 

the largest portion of the total capacity. 

Table 5: New Renewable Energy Capacity Supplying Green Pricing Programs in 2004 

(megawatts)

Source Installed Planned

Wind 584.0 82.8% 139.7 61.1%

Biomass 76.3 10.8% 57.5 25.1% 

Solar 6.1 0.9% 0.2 0.1% 

Geothermal 30.5 4.3% 0.0 0.0% 

Small Hydro 8.5 1.2% 31.3 13.7% 

Total 705.5 100.0% 228.7 100.0%

Source: Bird and Brown (2005)

Competitive Green Power and REC Markets 

About one-third of states have restructured their electricity markets to introduce retail service 

competition. Currently, electricity consumers in the following states can purchase competitively 

marketed green power: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, 

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia (Figure 4 

and Table A-3).

7,8

Initially, buying green power in competitive retail markets entailed switching service from the 

incumbent utility to a green power supplier. However, with few exceptions, green power 

marketers have found it difficult to compete or to persuade customers to switch suppliers (Wiser, 

et al, 2001). As a remedy, a number of states now require default suppliers (which are often the 

incumbent distribution utilities) to offer green power options to their customers. These suppliers 

typically provide customers with a choice of several products offered by competing green power 

marketers. In addition, several utility suppliers have voluntarily teamed with a single green 

power marketer to offer a green power option to their customers. Utility/marketer partnership 

 

7 For an up-to-date list of products offered by competitive green power marketers, see the U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Green Power Network Web site at

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/marketing.shtml?page=1 8 We do not include Oregon and Ohio in this list. In Oregon, only large commercial and industrial customers are able 

to switch to competitive green power providers; residential and small commercial customers have access to green 

power options offered by the incumbent utilities, which we categorize as green pricing (see the green pricing

section). In Ohio, at least one green power marketer supplies customers of municipal aggregation groups with a

“cleaner energy” product, but the renewable energy content is very low. Green power is not offered more broadly in

the market. 

7
programs are now available in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island; and, most 

recently, Connecticut and New Jersey—both launched statewide programs in 2005. 

Figure 4: States with Competitive Green Power Offerings 

RECs provide another alternative to switching electricity suppliers. Also known as “green tags” 

or tradable renewable certificates (TRCs), RECs represent the unique or “green” attributes of 

renewable energy generation and can be sold separately from the commodity electricity. RECbased products may be supplied from a variety of renewable energy sources throughout the 

country and sold to customers nationally; or they may be supplied from renewable energy 

sources in a particular region or locality and marketed as such to local customers. More than 20 

companies offer certificate-based green power products to retail customers via the Internet, and a 

number of other companies market RECs solely to commercial and industrial customers.9

 

RECs are also sold in the wholesale market and are frequently used by utilities and marketers 

who bundle the RECs with commodity electricity to sell green power to retail customers. In fact, 

RECs are used to supply most of the programs in which default suppliers have teamed with 

marketers. Thus, it can be difficult to distinguish REC products from other green power 

 

9

 For an up-to-date list of companies offering certificate-based green power products, see the U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Green Power Network Web site at:

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/certificates.shtml?page=1 

8
offerings. This is particularly true when REC products are supplied from renewable sources 

located in the same region in which they are marketed. 

Products and Pricing 

The green power products offered in competitive markets tend to differ from those offered by 

utilities in regulated markets, in that they may contain a mix of electricity generated from new 

and preexisting renewable energy projects; whereas utility green pricing programs generally 

utilize only new renewable energy supplies. One reason for this is that competitive suppliers are 

more concerned about price competition, and existing resources are typically available at lower 

costs. Also, when markets initially opened to competition, green power marketers often were 

forced to offer existing renewables because of a lack of new renewable energy supplies. 

However, as new renewable energy facilities have come online, the fraction of new renewables 

in retail products has increased. In addition, certification programs have required increasing 

amounts of new renewables. Going forward, the Green-e certification program has proposed 

changes to its certification standards that would require all certified products to be supplied 

exclusively from new renewable energy projects.10 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 

Green Power Partnership has proposed a similar change to its program requirements for green 

power purchasers.11

Competitively marketed green power products generally carry a price premium of between 

1¢/kWh and 2.5¢/kWh, although offerings range from no premium to 5¢/kWh. The price 

premium charged depends on several factors such as the price of “standard offer” or default 

service, the availability of incentives to green power marketers or suppliers, and the cost of 

renewable energy generation available in the regional market. Some marketers charge prices 

very close to or even below to the default market price but may also charge a monthly service 

fee; others offer fixed-price products at a premium, which provide customers with protection 

against increasing prices for a specified period of time, usually only one year. The renewable 

energy sources most commonly used to supply competitive green power offerings are wind, 

landfill gas, and small or low-impact hydropower, while a number of products also contain a 

small amount of solar energy. Higher-priced products often contain a larger fraction of new 

renewable energy content or more desirable resources, such as new wind and solar. 

Similar to competitively marketed products, retail prices charged for REC products typically 

range from about 1¢/kWh to 2.5¢/kWh for residential and small commercial customers (Table 

A-4). In most cases, larger customers are able to negotiate lower prices. Nearly all REC products 

are sourced from new renewable energy generation projects (a requirement of Green-e

certification)

12 and about half are certified, which is a higher fraction than in the competitive 

retail markets. The greater interest in certification among REC suppliers may stem from concerns 

over “double counting” or that RECs are generally not subject to regulatory scrutiny. Wind 

energy is the most commonly used renewable energy source, although some REC products blend 

 

10 Administered by the San Francisco-based Center for Resource Solutions, the Green-e program certifies retail and

wholesale green power products that meet its environmental and product content standards. For details on the

proposed revised standard, see http://www.green-e.org/. 11 See http://www.epa.gov/greenpower. 12 REC products are subject to a different Green-e standard than other competitively marketed products. See the full 

REC Standard at http://www.green-e.org/. 

9
other renewable energy sources, such as biomass (typically from bio-methane sources) and solar. 

Also, one marketer offers RECs that are exclusively derived from solar photovoltaic (PV) 

systems, while another offers a 100% small-hydro REC product. 

Customer Participation

Based on data received from green power marketers, we estimate that as many as 200,000 retail 

customers were purchasing green power from competitive suppliers—or in the form of RECs—

at the end of 2004.13 Most of these customers are purchasing green power from competitive 

suppliers in states with retail competition, primarily in the Northeast and Texas, including about 

30,000 participants in utility/marketer programs. Of the total, less than 10,000 retail customers 

purchase REC products, with most customers concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast 

states where REC marketers tend to be most active. In competitive markets, the vast majority of 

customers purchasing green power are residential customers, while the fraction of nonresidential 

customers purchasing RECs is higher—on the order of one-fifth. 

Table 6 presents trend data on customers purchasing RECs or green power from competitive 

marketers. In 2004, the number of customers increased modestly following a year of essentially 

no growth in which losses of customers in California offset gains in Texas and the Northeast. 

Much of the growth can be attributed to participation in relatively new utility/marketer 

partnership programs in the Northeast—most of which were introduced in late 2003 or during 

2004.14 One of these programs ranked among the top 10 utility green power programs nationally 

in terms of number of customer participants, with nearly 15,000 customers.

Table 6: Estimated Cumulative Number of Customers Purchasing RECs or Green Power 

from Competitive Marketers, 2002-2004

2002 2003 2004

Competitive Markets ~150,000 >150,000 >180,000

RECs <10,000 <10,000 <10,000 

Total <160,000 ~160,000 ~190,000

Green Power Sales 

An estimated 4.4 billion kWh of renewable energy was sold to retail customers by competitive 

and REC marketers (Table 7). About 2.7 billion kWh of this total was sold to retail customers 

 

13 These figures do not include customers purchasing products containing only a small fraction of renewable energy

content. For example, Green Mountain Energy Company serves an estimated 420,000 customers in Ohio with a 

product blend that contains only 1% to 2% of renewable energy content. 14 The first such program was launched in National Grid’s Niagara Mohawk service territory in September 2002,

followed by a partnership between NYSEG and Community Energy in October 2002. In the fall of 2003, the 

National Grid program was expanded to Massachusetts Electric and Nantucket Electric. During 2004, Narragansett 

Electric, Rochester Gas & Electric, PECO Energy, and Long Island Power Authority introduced programs. And in

2005, Connecticut and New Jersey launched default supplier green power programs. 

10
bundled with electricity in competitive electricity markets—a 40% increase from 2003.15 This 

figure includes renewable energy from both existing and new sources as well as that sold to 

customers in products that contain only a small percentage of renewable energy. It also includes 

sales of renewable energy through default utility-supplier programs or utility/marketer 

partnership in states with retail competition, which totaled 136 million kWh. Retail sales of 

RECs, which are sold separate from electricity and largely derived from new renewable energy 

sources, grew nearly threefold, reaching 1.7 billion kWh in 2004. 

Table 7: Retail Sales of Renewable Energy in Competitive Markets and RECs 

(million kWh) 

2003 2004

Competitive Markets 

Residential n/a 2,140

Nonresidential n/a 510 

Subtotal 1,900 2,650

RECs

Residential n/a 40 

Nonresidential n/a 1,690

Subtotal 660 1,720 

Total Sales 2,560 4,370 

n/a = not available 

Table 7 also delineates green power sales by customer segment. In 2004, about 80% of green 

power sales in competitive markets (which involve the sale of electricity) were to residential 

customers, while about 60% of sales through default supplier programs were to residential 

customers. In contrast, nearly all of the REC sales (which are separate from electricity) were to 

nonresidential customers. Nonresidential customers may have greater interest in REC products 

because of their flexibility, the potential for cost savings,16 and because they are generally more 

knowledgeable about electricity markets and understand the concept; whereas residential 

customers may be more comfortable with a delivered electricity product and may be confused by 

the REC concept. Business customers are also more amenable to purchasing RECs that might be 

generated nationwide, if they operate facilities in multiple locations across the country.

17 

An estimated 1,530 MW of new renewables capacity is used to supply competitive green power 

markets or is being sold as RECs in both retail and wholesale markets; wind energy is the 

predominant resource type (Table 8). More than 225 MW of additional renewables capacity is 

planned, again dominated by wind. 

 

15 This includes green power sold to customers through default utility-supplier programs. 16RECs can provide cost savings when they are sourced from renewable energy projects in more favorable resource

locations and because the electricity need not be delivered directly to the customer, which lowers transaction costs. 17 For example, the EPA Green Power Partnership reports that the majority of its top 25 partners purchase RECs (see 

Appendix B). In addition, the Green Power Market Development Group promotes the purchase of RECs among its 

members. See http://www.thegreenpowergroup.org/. 

11
Table 8: New Renewables Capacity Supplying Competitive Markets 

and Renewable Energy Certificates, 2004 

(megawatts)

Source Installed Planned

Wind 1,461.6 95.7% 224.8 99.3%

Biomass 59.3 3.9% 1.3 0.6%

Solar 2.0 0.1% 0.2 0.1%

Geothermal 5.0 0.3% 0.0 0.0%

Small Hydro 0.0 0.0% 0.0 0.0% 

Total 1,527.9 100.0% 226.3 100.0%

Source: Bird and Swezey (2005) 

Regional Market Summaries 

Overall, the experience in competitive markets has been varied and highly dependent on statespecific market rules, standard offer prices, state policy support for renewable energy, and the 

cost of renewable generation sources available in the region. As early as 1998 and 1999, green 

power marketers garnered 1% to 2% of customers in California and Pennsylvania.18 More 

recently, significant marketing activity has been concentrated in Texas, as well as the MidAtlantic and New England states—including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, 

New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. 

With the exception of Texas and Pennsylvania, these markets have not engendered significant 

customer switching to green power products; therefore, green power marketers have turned to 

strategies that do not require customers to switch from their current electricity providers, such as 

teaming with default suppliers or selling RECs separate from electricity. Competitive marketers 

have also suffered from the same lack of consumer awareness that has plagued green pricing 

programs. In recent years, some states and nongovernmental organizations have undertaken 

public education campaigns to try to remedy this problem. 

Texas. Texas is arguably the most viable competitive retail electricity market in the United States 

today, with a significant and sustained level of switching by both residential and nonresidential 

customers. As of August 2005, more than 2 million electricity customers had switched suppliers 

in the state, representing 24% of residential customers and 34% of commercial and small 

industrial customers (Public Utility Commission of Texas, 2005). 

Renewable energy products are available in every service territory in Texas. For several years, 

Green Mountain Energy Company and Reliant Energy have offered green power options to retail 

customers and, in 2005, two new companies entered the market—Direct Energy and Gexa 

Energy. The number of customers purchasing renewable energy from competitive suppliers has 

grown substantially in recent years, with the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA) 

reporting about 60,000 customers served by competitive green power suppliers in 2003, up from

about 40,000 in 2002 (Appendix C) (EIA, 2004). The number of nonresidential green power 

 

18 In California, the electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001 forced most green power marketers to exit the market. 

12
customers increased nearly sevenfold during this same period from 400 to 2,700.19 The 60,000 

green power customers represented about 5% of the approximately 1.2 million customers who 

had switched suppliers by the end of 2003, or about 1% of all electric customers eligible to 

switch suppliers in the state. 

Green power marketers in Texas are offering a variety of options to customers including 

products sourced from renewable energy blends, such as wind, solar, and hydro; products 

sourced exclusively from wind; and products that include only 50% renewable energy content. 

Some marketers are offering green power products below the “price to beat” in certain service 

territories. One marketer also offers a fixed-rate renewable energy product. Several other 

suppliers serve large, nonresidential customers with wind energy. 

Mid-Atlantic and New England. In the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, most states have 

experienced limited customer switching. Early on, Pennsylvania experienced relatively heavy 

switching, but activity has since decreased. Customer switching peaked in the spring of 2001, 

when nearly 800,000 customers had switched suppliers, but only about one-fourth that many are 

served by competitive suppliers today (Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, 2005). Most 

switching activity has been in the Duquesne Light and PECO Energy service territories. 

Consistent with the overall market trend, the number of green power customers in Pennsylvania 

has also declined in recent years, with the EIA reporting about 75,000 green power customers in 

2003, down from about 92,000 in 2002 (EIA, 2004).20

Offsetting some of these losses, PECO Energy launched a wind energy offering in conjunction 

with competitive marketer Community Energy in May 2004; and, by the end of the year, the 

utility had enrolled more than 9,000 customers in the program. However, in October 2005, Green 

Mountain Energy Company announced that it will stop providing electric generation service to 

about 30,000 customers in the state and will instead offer a REC-based product. 

A smaller but growing number of customers are purchasing green power in other Mid-Atlantic 

states such as Maryland and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. According to figures 

from the EIA, the number of customers purchasing green power in Maryland increased from

about 2,500 in 2002 to more than 14,000 in 2003. In addition, Virginia and D.C. combined 

experienced more than a doubling of green power customers from 4,100 in 2002 to 9,400 in 2003 

(EIA, 2004). However, the number of customers purchasing green power in New Jersey declined 

slightly from about 2,200 to 1,800 during the same period, according to EIA figures. New Jersey 

launched a statewide default-supplier program in October 2005, which may stimulate the market. 

Most of the recent market activity in New York and New England has involved programs in 

which competitive marketers have teamed with default providers. In some cases, the default 

suppliers have been required by state law or regulation to offer green power programs to their 

 

19 EIA reported 68,611 green power customers in Texas in 2003 and 47,638 in 2002, including 2,993 and 539 

nonresidential customers, respectively. Adjusting these figures for customers participating in utility green pricing

programs, we estimate that about 60,000 customers were purchasing green power through competitive suppliers in 

2003 and 40,000 in 2002. The figures for nonresidential customers were adjusted similarly. 20 This figure likely includes some customers who are purchasing only a small amount of renewable energy through

a state-mandated program. In an effort to encourage competition in the state, Green Mountain Energy Company won 

the right to serve 50,000 randomly selected PECO customers in 2001. 

13
standard-offer service customers. Most of the programs are structured so that consumers can 

choose among products offered by several marketers, while a few incumbent utilities have 

teamed with a single marketer. Generally, a surcharge is applied to the customer’s regular utility 

bill. Most of these programs are supplied with RECs, but customers essentially receive a bundled

green power product, because they also purchase electricity from the default supplier. 

The first such program was launched in the fall of 2002 in the Niagara Mohawk service territory 

in upstate New York, and later was expanded to other distribution utilities owned by National 

Grid in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Under the program, customers can choose among 

wind-only options or renewable energy blends offered by several green power marketers. As of 

the end of 2004, about 15,000 customers participated in the National Grid program across all of 

the utilities, making it one of the top utility green power programs nationally. Elsewhere in New 

York, NYSEG launched a program to market wind energy to its customers in partnership with 

Community Energy in the fall of 2002, and Rochester Gas & Electric followed suit in spring 

2004. And, in August 2004, the Long Island Power Authority launched a program through which 

customers could choose among products offered by several competing marketers. 

In Connecticut, the state’s two default suppliers initiated green power programs in April 2005, 

which may help to reinvigorate the market. In 2003, the Connecticut green power market 

dissolved completely when the state’s only two green power marketers ceased operations, with 

one citing burdensome state market rules. According to EIA, about 1,000 customers were 

purchasing green power in 2002, but all of those were returned to standard-offer service. 

While overall customer purchaser numbers are still relatively modest in these states, total sales of

renewable energy are more significant than the customer figures suggest, resulting from large 

green power purchases by businesses, colleges and universities, government agencies, and other 

nonresidential customers. More than 200 MW of new wind energy capacity in New York, 

Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is being used to serve green power customers in the region, in 

the form of both RECs and bundled electricity products, primarily through deals negotiated by 

Community Energy and its partners. 

Green Power Market Summary and Trends 

Customers

In summary, more than 500,000 electricity customers nationally are purchasing green power 

products through regulated utility companies, from green power marketers in a competitive 

market setting, or in the form of RECs (Table 9). In aggregate, utility green pricing programs 

have shown steady growth in customers over time as the number of utility programs has 

increased and as existing programs have grown. On the other hand, competitive markets have 

been less consistent. While green power sales have grown in Texas and some Northeast states, 

other markets have failed altogether—most notably in California and Connecticut. While REC 

customers represent a small fraction of the total customer base, REC sales have increased 

dramatically because of a number of very large purchases. It is important to note that there is 

greater uncertainty in our customer estimates for competitive and REC markets because of data 

limitations. 

14
Table 9: Estimated Green Power Customers by Market Segment 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Utility Green Pricing 130,000* 170,000* 230,000* 270,000 330,000 

Competitive Markets >160,000** >110,000** ~150,000 >150,000 >180,000 

REC Markets -- -- < 10,000 < 10,000 < 10,000 

Retail Total >290,000 >280,000 ~390,000 ~430,000 ~520,000 

* Annual program participant numbers have been adjusted downward from those originally reported in Bird and 

Swezey (2003) because of program participation revisions made by the Los Angeles Department of Water and 

Power.

** Includes only customers purchasing Green-e certified green power products, as reported by the Center for 

Resource Solutions (2001; 2002). 

In comparison, the EIA has reported the number of U.S. customers purchasing green power by 

state (Appendix C), including those that purchase products with very low (1% to 2%) renewable 

energy content. According to the EIA, about 880,000 customers purchased renewable energy 

through utilities or competitive suppliers in 2003, up from 710,000 in 2002 (EIA, 2004). These 

figures are generally consistent with our estimates when adjusted for customers purchasing 

products with low renewable energy content. 

Average participation rates among utility green pricing programs have remained steady at just

more than 1%, although the top performing utility green pricing programs have achieved rates 

ranging from 4% to 15%. Competitive markets have experienced penetration rates of from 1% to 

2% in states where the market has been conducive to retail competition. 

Sales 

Retail sales of renewable energy in voluntary purchase markets experienced strong growth in 

2004, increasing more than 60% to 6.2 billion kWh annually (Table 10). This includes sales of 

renewable energy derived from both new and preexisting renewable energy sources. REC sales 

nearly tripled, while sales through utility green pricing programs and competitive marketers also 

exhibited strong annual growth of about 40%. 

Table 10: Estimated Green Power Sales by Market Segment 

(million kWh) 

2003 2004 Increase

Utility Green Pricing 1,280 1,840 43% 

Competitive Markets 1,900 2,650 40% 

REC Markets 660 1,720 162% 

Retail Total 3,840 6,210 62%

*Includes sales of new and existing renewable energy. 

 

15
Purchases by residential customers represent slightly more than half of total renewable energy 

sales in voluntary markets (Table 11). In 2004, nonresidential customers accounted for 30% and 

20% of total renewable energy sales in green pricing programs and competitive markets, 

respectively, and nearly all REC sales. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 

Green Power Partnership reported having about 530 nonresidential partners with collective 

annual purchases of 2.06 billion kWh at the end of 2004 (Amato 2005). Given that the Green 

Power Partnership represents a subset of the market, our estimate of 2.74 billion kWh of 

nonresidential sales at the end of 2004 is generally consistent but likely represents an 

underestimate of the total market.

Table 11: Estimated Green Power Sales by Customer Segment, 2004 

(million kWh) 

Green 

Pricing 

Competitive

Markets 

REC 

Markets Total Share

Residential 1,300 2,140 40 3,480 56% 

Nonresidential 540 510 1,690 2,740 44% 

Total 1,840 2,650 1,720 6,210 100%

Totals may not add due to rounding. 

Since 2000, the amount of renewable energy capacity serving green power markets has increased 

more than tenfold (Figure 5, Table 12). At the end of 2004, more than 2,200 MW of new 

renewable energy generation capacity was being used to supply green power markets, with 

another 450 MW planned (Bird and Swezey, 2005). 

 

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Annual

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Cumulative

Annual MW

Cumulative MW

Figure 5: New Renewable Energy Capacity Serving 

Green Power Markets, 1999-2004 (megawatts) 

16
Table 12: Estimated New Renewables Capacity Supplying Green Power Markets

(megawatts)

Market 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Utility Green Pricing 77 221 279 510 706 

Competitive Markets/RECs 90 542 695 1,126 1,528 

Total 167 764 974 1,636 2,233

Totals may not add due to rounding. 

Conclusions and Observations 

The green power market continues to exhibit strong growth and provide an important stimulus 

for renewable energy development. Green power marketing provides an additional revenue 

stream for renewable energy projects, and raises consumer awareness of the benefits of

renewable energy. More than 50% of U.S. electricity customers now have the option to purchase 

green power directly from a retail electricity supplier, while RECs are available to consumers 

nationwide—although many consumers may not be aware of REC purchase options. Based on 

this review, we have identified a number of industry trends and market challenges: 

• Retail sales of green power continue to grow significantly, led by REC purchases by 

nonresidential customers, although residential sales also continue to grow. In addition, 

customers have increased the size of their purchases, in some cases because of declining 

prices. Thus, the nonresidential market, once considered to be too price-sensitive to buy 

green power, has emerged in recent years as the primary of driver of market growth. This 

trend appears likely to persist at least in the short term as renewable resources improve in 

cost-effectiveness and government agencies, businesses, and universities continue to 

purchase green power to meet environmental goals and enhance their public image. 

• Nationwide, the number of customers purchasing green power grew moderately in 2004 as a 

result of new utility/marketer partnerships in the Northeast, customer switching in Texas, and 

continued growth in both existing and new green pricing programs. However, consumer 

awareness of green power options remains low and continues to pose a barrier to achieving 

greater market penetration rates. Regional marketing efforts recently initiated by a number of 

states, nonprofits, and utility groups may help to raise awareness among consumers. 

• While a relatively small number of utilities continue to dominate participation and sales 

figures among green pricing programs, growth is occurring in a greater number of utility 

programs. Going forward, sustained growth will depend on the ability of utilities to translate 

the success of the top-performing programs to the rest of the industry and to address 

customer attrition, which has increased in recent years. 

• Utility green pricing premiums have continued to fall, owing to a combination of higher 

prices of conventional generation fuels and lower renewable resource costs. Wholesale REC 

prices have also fallen in some markets, contributing to REC sales growth. A key challenge 

to the industry is to enhance the value of green power purchases by providing customers with 

17
the price stability benefits of renewable energy. Price stability is especially important in an 

environment of rising and volatile prices for traditional fuels. Very few utilities or marketers 

offer such benefits to their customers. 

• The continuing growth in the use of RECs is expected to put downward pressure on green 

power prices in all voluntary purchase markets. Only a handful of utilities offer lower green 

power rates or volume discounts for large nonresidential customers. The slower growth of 

nonresidential customers in green pricing programs may be partly a result of increased 

competition from REC marketers. 

• Although the utility sector continues to add green pricing programs at a steady rate, only 

about 20% of the nation’s utilities offer a green pricing product. The greatest impetus for the 

introduction of new programs has come from state mandates, indicating that growth in 

programs may plateau unless more states require green power tariff offerings. 

• Low customer switching rates continue to be a barrier to green power sales in most 

competitive retail markets and there are no new competitive retail market opportunities on 

the horizon. Thus, future growth opportunities lie in default-supplier programs that do not 

require customers to switch suppliers, or in the few remaining viable competitive electricity 

markets, such as Texas. RECs will likely become an increasingly important sales vehicle for 

green power in competitive markets, particularly with large nonresidential customers. 

18
Utility Green Pricing Programs 

Green pricing is an optional utility service that allows customers to support a greater level of 

utility company investment in renewable energy technologies. Participating customers pay a 

premium on their electric bill to cover the incremental cost of the additional renewable energy. 

This section presents information on utilities that offer green pricing programs to their customers 

(see Tables A-1 and A-2 for a list of utilities and a summary of green pricing programs by state, 

respectively).21

 

Alabama Power Company—Alabama Power Company offers its residential customers a 

Renewable Energy Rate under which they can purchase 100-kWh blocks of power generated 

from renewable energy sources for an additional $6 a month, or a premium of 6¢/kWh above the 

standard rate. The initial source of the green power is Alabama-grown switchgrass, co-fired in a 

utility-owned coal-fired power plant. Participating customers must agree to purchase their 

subscribed number of blocks for a minimum of 12 months. 

City of Alameda—Since 1999, Alameda Power and Telecom has offered its customers the 

ability to voluntarily contribute to utility investments in clean power programs. Although the 

California-based municipal utility already obtains more than 80% of its power resources from 

renewable energy sources, it offers the Clean Future Fund, through which customers can affect 

the way the utility “will make future investments in generation sources.” Participating customers 

pay an additional 1.0¢/kWh on their bills or about $3.75 per month for the typical household. 

Fully 100% of the contributions go to fund new renewable resources. 

Alliant Energy—Alliant offers the Second Nature program under which residential and business 

customers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin can support increased renewable energy 

production. Residential customers can choose to replace 25%, 50%, or 100% of their electric 

usage as renewable energy at a rate premium of 2.0¢/kWh. Farm, small business, and 

commercial/industrial customers can make a monthly contribution through the program. The 

power to supply the program comes from a mix of new landfill gas and wind energy projects. 

The Second Nature product is Green-e certified by the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). 

American Municipal Power–Ohio—AMP-Ohio, an Ohio-based nonprofit wholesale power 

supplier for municipal utilities, partners with Green Mountain Energy Company to offer a new 

renewable energy option to its 86 member communities, representing more than 380,000 

customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. Under the Nature's Energy

program, residential and small-business customers with participating utilities can purchase 

electricity generated from small hydro and wind facilities for 1.3¢/kWh above standard electric 

rates or an extra $8 to $10 per month for the average customer. Commercial customers can buy 

green power in 1-MWh increments at the same 1.3¢/kWh premium. The power for the program 

is supplied from a combination of wind, landfill gas and hydroelectric generation, including a 

 

21 In some cases, several distribution cooperatives or other publicly owned utilities might market green power supplied by a single 

utility entity, such as a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative. For example, the Tennessee Valley Authority supplies 

green power to 67 local public power companies that market the power to their customers. Only the supplier utility organization

is described here. 

19
7.2-MW wind energy project in Bowling Green, OH. Only three AMP-Ohio utilities currently 

offer the program. 

Anaheim Public Utilities—Anaheim Public Utilities, the municipal utility of Anaheim, 

California, offers its roughly 100,000 residential and business customers two green power 

options. Under the utility’s Green Power For The Grid program, customers can purchase 100-

kWh blocks of green power for an additional $1.50 per month, or 1.5¢/kWh. Residential 

customers can sign up to purchase up to three blocks of green power each month. Business 

customers must purchase a minimum of 10 blocks, with a maximum of 30 blocks. To supply the 

program, Anaheim purchases wind energy from projects located in California and Wyoming. 

Under its Sun Power For the Schools program, Anaheim customers can make monthly 

contributions toward the purchase, installation, and maintenance of solar photovoltaic (PV) 

power systems at city schools. Residential customers can contribute in increments of $1.50, 

while the minimum contribution for business customers is $15 per month. Monies collected 

through the program pay 60% of the PV system costs, while the utility and participating schools 

split the remaining cost. The schools are responsible for the design, purchase, and installation of 

the solar systems. Customers participating in one or both programs must agree to enroll for a 

minimum of six months. 

Arizona Public Service—In 1996, Arizona Public Service (APS) established a voluntary solar 

tariff to give residents, businesses, and communities the opportunity to purchase solar energy and 

help develop the technology. Through the utility’s SolarPartners program, customers can 

purchase 15-kilowatt-hour (kWh) blocks of solar energy for $2.64 a month (17.6¢/kWh). 

Program costs have been partly subsidized by shareholders and the U.S. Department of Energy 

(DOE) through the Utility PhotoVoltaic Group (UPVG) (now the Solar Electric Power 

Association). Customer response far exceeded the utility’s initial targets, and the program has 

been continually expanded. More than 1 MW of solar projects have been built in various Arizona 

cities, including Flagstaff, Tempe, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Glendale, Prescott, and Yuma, with many 

of the projects built in partnership with the host cities. 

City of Ashland—The City of Ashland (Oregon) and the nonprofit Bonneville Environmental 

Foundation (BEF) have teamed to offer the city's electricity customers a green power option. 

Under the Renewable Pioneers program, residents and businesses can support local and regional 

renewable energy development by purchasing “green tags” directly from BEF. BEF offers two 

Green-e certified products from new renewable resources: Cooler Future Green Tags, consisting 

of 99% wind and 1% solar priced at 2¢/kWh, and Brighter Future Green Tags, which are a blend 

90% wind and 10% solar priced at 2.4¢/kWh. A portion of the revenues from green tags sales to 

Ashland residents and businesses are used to fund solar projects within the city. Program 

participants see no change in their utility bills because the green tags purchase is a separate 

transaction with BEF. The Renewable Pioneers program replaced Ashland's Solar Pioneers

program. 

Austin Energy—In January 2000, Austin Energy, the municipally owned utility of the City of 

Austin, Texas, launched GreenChoice, a program through which residential and business 

customers can choose to receive 100% renewable energy generated primarily from wind and 

20
landfill gas resources. In just 10 months, the utility had fully subscribed the initial 40 MW of

renewable energy supply planned for the program. Austin Energy now contracts for 215 MW of 

wind energy from West Texas, as well as 11 MW of output from landfill gas generation facilities 

located near Austin and San Antonio. 

A key feature of the program is that subscribers pay a “green rate,” which remains fixed for the 

term of the utility’s renewable energy contracts, which is generally 10 years. The green rate 

replaces the utility’s standard fuel charge and, thus, GreenChoice customers are protected from

fuel price fluctuations. The utility is now in the third phase of renewable energy supply 

procurement for which the green rate charge is 3.3¢/kWh. At the current fuel charge of 

2.796¢/kWh, the effective green power premium is about 0.5¢/kWh for new GreenChoice

subscribers.

Avista Utilities—Avista, an investor-owned utility serving 320,000 electricity customers in 

Washington and Idaho, began offering a wind power option to its residential and business 

customers in early 2002. When the Buck-a-Block program was launched, Avista offered 55-kWh 

blocks of wind energy for $1.00, or a price premium of 1.8¢/kWh. Now customers can purchase 

300-kWh blocks of wind energy for the same $1.00 price, reducing the effective price premium

for wind energy to 0.33¢/kWh, which is among the lowest utility green pricing premiums in the 

nation. Avista was able to lower the price after signing a new power purchase agreement with 

PPM Energy for wind energy from the Stateline Wind Energy Center located along the 

Oregon/Washington border. 

Basin Electric Power Cooperative—Basin Electric, a regional power cooperative that generates 

and transmits electricity to 121 member rural electric systems in nine states, offers wind energy 

to its member systems under the Prairie Winds brand. Initially, the wind energy was supplied 

from two, 1.3-MW wind projects in North Dakota and South Dakota, and priced at $2.50 per 

100-kWh block, or 2.5¢/kWh. Basin has since added more than 80 MW of wind energy to its 

resource portfolio through joint projects and purchase agreements, which has expanded the 

amount of “green tags” available for sale. Basin is now offering green tags through the Prairie 

Winds program at a price of $5 per 1,000-kWh block, or 0.5¢/kWh. 

Benton County PUD—In 1999, Benton County PUD, which serves about 37,000 customers in 

Benton County, Washington, began offering its customers the opportunity to support power 

purchases from Klickitat PUD’s Roosevelt Regional Landfill Gas Facility. Benton pays about 

3.5¢/kWh for the landfill power, which at the time was approximately 1¢/kWh more than it pays 

for its other power sources. In late 2002, the utility added 3 MW to its green power supply with 

purchases from the 48-MW Nine Canyon Wind Project in eastern Washington. Customers 

choose their level of program participation with minimum contributions of $1 per month 

required for residential customers and $10 per month for commercial customers. The 

contributions are not tied directly to the customer’s electricity use. 

Boone Electric Cooperative—Boone Electric Cooperative (BEC), which serves about 25,000 

customers in Boone County and portions of five other mid-Missouri counties, announced in 2003 

that it would begin offering its customers a wind energy purchase option. The green power 

21
would be sold in 100-kWh blocks at a price of about $3 per month, or a rate premium of 

3¢/kWh, and sourced from Aquila's 110-MW Gray County Wind Farm in southeastern Kansas. 

In February 2004, BEC announced a decrease in the premium charged for its Renewable Choice

green power product from 3¢/kWh to 2¢/kWh. The premium reduction stemmed from the 

utility’s use of walnut shells that were ruined when tornadoes struck a storage building in 

Stockton, Missouri. The damaged shells were transported about 150 miles and co-fired in a coal 

plant, generating nearly four million kWh that are now used to supply the green pricing program. 

Burbank Water and Power—Burbank Water and Power (BWP), a municipal utility serving 

about 50,000 electricity customers in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, offers the Clean Green 

Support program, under which residential customers can purchase green power in the form of 

“green tickets” for 50% or 100% of the their monthly electricity needs. The cost for the 50% 

green power option is an additional $3 per month (about 1.2¢/kWh for the average residential 

consumer), while the cost for the 100% option is $5 (about 1¢/kWh, on average). There is no 

minimum enrollment period. The green tickets (or RECs) represent the environmental attributes 

of electricity generation from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, 

and biomass energy. BWP shops the open market for the best green power prices. 

Cedar Falls Utilities—Since 1999, Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU) has offered its customers the 

option of contributing to support the operation and maintenance of three, 750-kW wind turbines 

that were installed in November 1998 by a consortium of seven Iowa municipal electric utilities. 

CFU owns two-thirds of the wind project. The project, (near Algona, Iowa) received $2.8 million

of funding from the U.S. DOE and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) through the 

Utility Wind Turbine Verification Program. Customers can participate by purchasing 100-kWh 

blocks of wind energy at a cost of $2.50 per month, or 2.5¢/kWh. 

Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency—Fourteen municipal utilities served by Central 

Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (CMMPA) offer their customers a renewable energy 

option. The product offerings differ by utility with the premiums charged ranging from 

1.5¢/kWh to 2.5¢/kWh. CMMPA supplies the renewable energy for the programs from its 6-MW 

share of the 98-MW Hancock County Wind Energy Center in Iowa. In addition, CMMPA plans 

to add a 2.5-MW wind project in Blue Earth, MN and a 6.25-MW wind project on a family farm

in southwestern Minnesota, as well as a 10-MW wind project and a landfill gas project. A 

portion of the output from these projects will be used to supply the utility green power product 

offerings while the remainder will be used to satisfy the state's renewable energy objective. 

Minnesota utilities are also required by state law to offer their customers voluntary options to 

purchase power generated from renewable sources or high-efficiency, low-emission distributed 

generation. 

Central Vermont Public Service— Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) offers a green 

pricing program supplied from farm-based methane systems. The CVPS Cow Power program

offers customers the option of receiving 25%, 50%, or 100% of their electricity as green power, 

at an extra cost of 4¢/kWh. If farm-based generation proves insufficient to supply the program, 

the utility will first attempt to acquire and retire renewable energy certificates from other 

regionally based renewable generation sources or, as a last resort, deposit customer payments 

22
into the CVPS Renewable Development Fund that will provide incentives for farm-based 

generation projects. CVPS serves more than 150,000 customers in nearly three-quarters of the 

towns, villages, and cities in Vermont. 

Chelan County PUD—Chelan County PUD, with more than 38,000 customers in north-central 

Washington state, offers the Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program, which 

gives customers an opportunity to support local producers of solar and wind power. Customers 

donate a fixed amount each month, and the funds are distributed annually to local producers, 

who supply power into the PUD's electrical grid for use by local customers. The contributions 

are not tied directly to the customer’s electricity use. 

Clallum County PUD—Clallum County PUD, a public utility serving about 25,000 customers 

in northwestern Washington, offers its customers a fixed-rate green power option. Under the 

program, customers can opt to purchase green power for 100% of their electricity needs at a 

fixed rate of 6.9¢/kWh, which represents a premium of 0.7¢/kWh above the utility’s standard 

rate. To supply the program, Clallum purchases one average megawatt of power from the 8-MW 

Klickitat landfill-gas facility located in Roosevelt, Washington. 

Clark Public Utilities—Clark Public Utilities, a public utility district that provides electric 

service to more than 155,000 customers throughout Clark County, Washington, offers its 

customers an option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for an additional $1.50 each 

month, or 1.5¢/kWh. The power for the Green Lights program is sourced from the Bonneville 

Environmental Foundation (BEF) in the form of RECs representing the environmental attributes 

of power generated from new wind and solar projects in the Pacific Northwest region. BEF is 

also assisting with product marketing. A portion of the customer premiums is used to develop 

new renewable energy projects in Clark County. 

Colorado Springs Utilities—Colorado Springs Utilities, which serves more than 569,000 

customers in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado, offers its residential and commercial customers 

a wind power option at a cost of $3 per 100-kWh block, or a premium of 3¢/kWh above the 

standard rate. The utility purchases power from Xcel Energy’s Ponnequin wind project to supply 

the program. 

Columbia River PUD—Columbia River PUD offers a wind energy option to its 17,500 Oregonbased customers. Under the Choice Energy program, customers can purchase wind energy in 

100-kWh increments each month for an extra $2 above standard rates, or a premium of 2¢/kWh. 

Alternatively, customers can purchase wind energy for 100% of their electricity needs at a lower 

premium of 1.5¢/kWh. Power for the program is supplied by the Bonneville Power 

Administration from the Condon, Klondike and Stateline wind projects located in Eastern 

Oregon. 

Concord Municipal Light Plant—In December 2003, Concord Municipal Light Plant (CMLP), 

which supplies electricity to approximately 7,200 residents and businesses in Concord, 

Massachusetts, announced a green pricing program offering its residential and business 

customers the option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of hydropower for an extra $3 each month, or 

a premium of 3¢/kWh. Customers can sign up for an unlimited number of blocks. Electricity for 

23
the program is to be supplied from a repowered 160-kW, run-of-the-river hydro facility at the 

Powdermill Dam in West Concord that will generate approximately 500,000 kWh per year. 

Damage to the dam spillway has delayed implementation of the green power program. 

Consumers Energy—From 2001 to 2004, Consumers Energy, a combination electric and 

natural gas utility serving more than 1.7 million homes and businesses throughout Michigan's

Lower Peninsula, operated a green pricing pilot program under which residential and business 

customers could purchase green power to meet 10%, 50%, or 100% of their electricity needs at a 

price premium of 3.2¢/kWh. The initial 1.8 MW of wind energy supply, sourced from Bay 

Windpower's 5.25-MW Mackinaw City Wind Power Project, was quickly subscribed. 

In May 2004, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) issued an order requiring 

Consumers Energy to implement a new renewable resources program to include a “phased-in 

approach” to adding renewable energy capacity to more closely match customer subscriptions. 

The MPSC also ordered the utility to implement a non-bypassable charge of 5 cents per meter 

per month on all customers as a “funding mechanism to recover green power program costs not 

covered by contributions of customers who agree to pay a premium for green power.” 

Under the utility’s new Green Generation program, customers can purchase 150-kWh monthly 

blocks of renewable energy for $2.50—a rate premium of 1.67¢/kWh—or can choose to meet 

100% of their monthly electricity use with renewable energy at the same price. The utility has 

reached agreements with five independent developers to supply approximately 238,000 MWh 

(~27 average megawatts) of renewable energy annually from new wind (75%) and landfill gas 

(25%) facilities to be located in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. 

Continental Cooperative Services—Eight Illinois-based distribution cooperatives served by 

CCS/Soyland generation and transmission cooperative offer their customers a wind energy 

purchase option in partnership with Community Energy Inc., a national retail marketer of windgenerated power. Through the EcoEnergy program, customers can purchase RECs supplied from

the 54.5-MW Crescent Ridge Windpower Project located near Princeton, Illinois, in increments 

of 200 kWh, 300 kWh, or 400 kWh at a rate premium of 3¢/kWh. The charge appears on the 

monthly bill of participating customers, who must agree to enroll for a minimum of one year. 

Corn Belt Power Cooperative—Corn Belt Power Cooperative, an Iowa-based generation and 

transmission entity serving 11 distribution cooperatives and one municipal electric cooperative, 

is providing wind energy to its member systems. The majority of the distribution co-ops have 

established programs under which customers can contribute funds to support Corn Belt’s 7-MW

purchase from the 98-MW Hancock County Wind Energy Center in Iowa. The contributions are 

used to pay the above-market cost of the wind energy purchase. Any excess revenues collected 

will be used to support additional development of Iowa-based renewable energy resources. 

Two Corn Belt distribution utilities—Butler County REC and Sac County REC—offer a 

different program through which customers can support the development of local, small wind 

energy projects by contributing $1.50 each month for 100 kWh of wind energy production. The 

utilities pay 1.5¢/kWh above avoided cost for wind energy generated from new, customer-owned 

systems of less than 100 kW in size.

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Cowlitz PUD—Cowlitz PUD, which supplies electricity to customers in southwestern 

Washington, offers a Renewable Resource Energy program, through which its residential and 

business customers can support the development of new renewable energy sources in the Pacific 

Northwest. Customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for an additional $2 per 

month, or a premium of 2¢/kWh. Cowlitz purchases “green tags” from the Bonneville 

Environmental Foundation generated from the Stateline and Condon wind projects in 

Washington and Oregon and the Hanford/White Bluffs solar project near Richland, Washington. 

Dairyland Power Cooperative—Dairyland Power Cooperative, a Wisconsin-based generation 

and transmission (G&T) cooperative that provides wholesale electric requirements and other 

services for 25 electric distribution cooperatives and 20 municipal utilities in the Upper Midwest, 

has operated the Evergreen renewable energy program since 1998. Under the program, member 

customers can purchase green power at a price of $1.50 per 100-kWh block, or 1.5¢/kWh, 

sourced from wind energy projects and bio-methane systems at landfills and dairy farms. The 

current premium represents a price reduction of 50% from the original product premium of 

3¢/kWh. 

Deseret Power—Deseret Power, a Utah-based G&T cooperative, provides a green power option 

to the six member distribution cooperatives that it serves, covering 47,000 customers in Utah, 

Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona. The product is supplied with RECs obtained from

projects located in the western states and is priced at $1.95 per 100-kWh block, or a rate 

premium of 1.95¢/kWh. 

Dominion North Carolina Power—In 2003, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved 

a stakeholder-developed plan to offer two green power products to utility customers statewide. 

The first product is a "mass-market" product consisting of a resource mix of new solar, wind, and 

methane from biomass that is offered to residential and small business customers at a cost of 

$4.00 per 100-kWh block or 4.0¢/kWh. The contribution is tax deductible. The second product 

includes a resource mix of new and existing solar, wind, small hydro, and biomass and is offered 

to larger-volume customers at a price of $3.00 to $4.00 per 100-kWh block, depending on the 

purchase size. The green power products are offered by most of the state's electric utilities, 

including Dominion North Carolina Power, Duke Power, Progress Energy Carolinas, and many 

North Carolina electric cooperatives and municipalities. The program is administered by 

Advanced Energy, a Raleigh-based nonprofit research organization. 

DTE Energy—At the direction of the Michigan Public Service Commission, Detroit Edison, 

which serves 2.1 million electricity customers in Southeastern Michigan, has proposed a new 

renewable energy program under which the utility's residential customers could purchase 

renewable energy equivalent to 50% or 100% of their electricity needs at a rate premium of 

2¢/kWh. Nonresidential customers would have an additional option of purchasing renewable 

energy in 1,000 kWh increments (blocks) each month at a premium of 2¢/kWh for the first 3,000 

blocks and 1.8¢/kWh for all additional blocks. Initially, the utility would purchase RECs from

projects located in the Great Lakes region to supply the program. 

Detroit Edison was one of the first utilities in the United States to offer a green pricing program

25
when it established the SolarCurrents program, supporting the development of centrally located 

PV projects. The utility also introduced a SolarSchools program, through which commercial 

businesses could sponsor solar energy service at local elementary schools as well as development 

of a solar energy curriculum for students. 

Duke Power—In 2003, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a stakeholderdeveloped plan to offer two green power products to utility customers statewide. The first 

product is a "mass-market" product consisting of a resource mix of new solar, wind, and methane 

from biomass that is offered to residential and small business customers at a cost of $4.00 per 

100-kWh block or 4.0¢/kWh. The contribution is tax-deductible. The second product includes a 

resource mix of new and existing solar, wind, small hydro, and biomass and is offered to largervolume customers at a price of $3 to $4 per 100-kWh block, depending on the purchase size. The 

green power products are offered by most of the state's electric utilities, including Dominion 

North Carolina Power, Duke Power, Progress Energy Carolinas, and many North Carolina 

electric cooperatives and municipalities. The program is administered by Advanced Energy, a 

Raleigh-based nonprofit research organization. 

East Kentucky Power Cooperative—East Kentucky Power Cooperative, a G&T cooperative 

serving 16 distribution utilities in Kentucky, provides a green power option, EnviroWatts, to its 

member cooperatives. The green power is offered to residential and business customers in 100-

kWh blocks for $2.75, or 2.75¢/kWh, and supplied from new Kentucky-based landfill-gas 

facilities. Customers must commit to the green power purchase for one year. 

El Paso Electric—El Paso Electric, which serves customers in southern New Mexico and west 

Texas, offers its customers a wind energy purchase option through the Renewable Energy Tariff 

Program. Residential and commercial customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind power at 

costs ranging from $1.92 to $3.19 per month, or 1.92¢/kWh to 3.19¢/kWh, depending on the 

state and customer classification. The wind power is supplied from two, 660-kW turbines at 

Hueco Mountain Wind Ranch near Horizon City, Texas. Customers must agree to participate for 

a minimum of one year. 

ElectriCities—In 2003, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a stakeholderdeveloped plan to offer two green power products to utility customers statewide. The first 

product is a “mass-market” product consisting of a resource mix of new solar, wind, and 

methane from biomass that is offered to residential and small business customers at a cost of 

$4.00 per 100-kWh block or 4.0¢/kWh. The contribution is tax deductible. The second product 

includes a resource mix of new and existing solar, wind, small hydro, and biomass and is offered 

to larger-volume customers at a price of $3.00 to $4.00 per 100-kWh block, depending on the 

purchase size. The green power products are offered by most of the state's electric utilities, 

including Dominion North Carolina Power, Duke Power, Progress Energy Carolinas, and many 

North Carolina electric cooperatives and municipalities. The program is administered by 

Advanced Energy, a Raleigh-based nonprofit research organization. 

Emerald People’s Utility District—Emerald PUD, a public utility near Eugene, Oregon, 

serving 17,000 customers, offers its electric customers three renewable power options: 50% 

Renewable, 100% Renewable and 100% Wind. All three products are offered in partnership with 

26
Green Mountain Energy Company. The two renewable energy products consist of a blend of 

80% geothermal and 20% wind and are priced at 0.78¢/kWh. The 100% wind product is priced 

at 1.2¢/kWh. 

Eugene Water and Electric Board—Since 1999, EWEB has marketed wind power to 

customers from its 20% share of the Foote Creek Rim I wind project located in southeastern 

Wyoming. Customers can purchase wind energy to provide from 10% to 100% of their 

electricity needs for which the utility charges a fixed wind power rate of 5.274¢/kWh. Since the 

program was established, the effective premium for the EWEB Windpower product has fallen 

from 3.09¢/kWh to about 0.74¢/kWh for the average wind power customer because of cost 

increases experienced for traditional generation sources. In 2002, EWEB signed a contract with 

PacifiCorp Power Marketing (now PPM Energy) to purchase a share of the output from the 

Stateline Wind Project located on the Oregon/Washington border. 

Farmers Electric Cooperative—Farmers Electric Cooperative, which serves 650 electric 

meters in eastern Iowa, began offering a green power option to its electricity customers in 

January 2004. Under its Green Power Project, customers can sign up via their utility bills to 

contribute a minimum of $2.50 per month to support the development of renewable energy 

sources. The funds will be used to support the use of biodiesel in diesel-fired peaking generators 

or the development of Iowa-based wind resources. All utilities in Iowa are required by state law 

to offer a green power option to their electricity customers. 

Florida Power & Light—Florida Power & Light (FPL) is operating a three-year pilot program

through which residential customers can purchase renewable energy certificates from wind, solar 

and biomass generation sources located in Florida and other states. The RECs are sold in 1,000-

kWh blocks for $9.75, or 0.975¢/kWh. For every 10,000 customers who sign up for the Sunshine 

Energy program, FPL will add 150 kW of solar capacity in Florida. FPL partners with Green 

Mountain Energy Company to market the program to its customers. 

Fort Collins Utilities—Fort Collins Utilities has offered a wind energy product to its customers 

since 1996. In June 2004, the Colorado-based municipality recently lowered the premium

charged for its Wind Power Program to 1.0¢/kWh from 2.5¢/kWh. The lower premium, 

guaranteed for 2004 and 2005, resulted from a decision to purchase wind energy certificates 

from the new, 144-MW Pleasant Valley Wind Energy Facility in southwest Wyoming—the 

utility is purchasing about 5% of the project output. In addition, Fort Collins continues to 

purchase power from Platte River Power Authority’s Medicine Bow, Wyoming wind project. 

Residential customers can choose to buy $5 or $10 blocks of wind energy, or have their total 

energy use supplied with wind. Business customers can either purchase wind energy to meet 

their entire monthly electricity use or in 2,500-kWh blocks for $25 per month.

Gainesville Regional Utilities—Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) offers a green power 

option to its approximately 82,000 residential and business customers in Florida. Under the 

GRUgreen Energy program, customers can purchase renewable energy for any portion of their 

electricity usage for an additional 2¢/kWh. Most of the power for the program (95%) is from a 

new 2.3-MW landfill gas facility in Alachua County. The remainder of the power is supplied 

from wind energy certificates and local solar systems. 

27
Georgia Electric Membership Corporation—Twenty-eight member utilities of the Georgia 

EMC, which collectively serve about 1.2 million retail customers, offer a green power option to 

their residential and business customers. Under the Green Power program, residential customers 

of the electric cooperatives can sign up to purchase 150-kWh blocks of green power for an 

additional $3 to $5 each month (2¢/kWh to 3.33¢/kWh), depending on the participating EMC. 

Business customers can sign up for a percentage of their power use in proportion to their annual 

electricity use. Power for the program is supplied from two in-state landfill gas projects with a 

combined capacity of 5 MW, and a 2.3-MW, certified low-impact hydropower project located in 

Athens, GA. A portion of the program revenues goes toward research and development. 

Georgia Power—In July 2003, the Georgia Public Service Commission approved a program

through which Georgia Power would offer its 2 million residential and business customers an 

option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for an additional $5.50 per month or a 

premium of 5.5¢/kWh above the standard electricity rate. After several unsuccessful attempts to 

secure green power supplies at an acceptable price, the utility announced in July 2005 that it 

entered into a 10-year contract to purchase the output of a 3.2-MW landfill gas generating 

facility located in Dekalb County that is expected to be operational by the fall of 2006. The 

Green Energy product is available to residential customers in 100-kilowatt-hour blocks. Business 

customers must purchase a minimum of two blocks, 25 blocks, or 400 blocks, depending on their 

tariff category. Participating customers are required to subscribe for a minimum of one year. 

Billing will not begin until the green power supply becomes available. 

Golden Valley Electric Association—Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA), a rural 

electric cooperative which serves about 90,000 residents in the Fairbanks, Delta, Nenana, Healy, 

and Cantwell areas of Alaska, offers a green power option that allows its member customers to 

support the development of small, local renewable energy projects by paying an extra amount on 

their monthly electric bills. Under the Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP) program, 

customers can pick the amount of their monthly contribution, with a minimum two-dollar 

contribution required. The funds collected will be used to purchase the output of local renewable 

energy systems of 25 kW or less in size. Local producers can earn up to $1.50/kWh for their 

power, depending on the level of contributions and the number of operating projects. The 

program is modeled after the SNAP program developed by Chelan County Public Utility District 

in Washington. 

Grant County PUD—Grant County PUD, a public utility serving about 35,000 retail customers 

in central Washington, offers its customers a wind power purchase option. Under its Alternative 

Energy Resources program, customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind power for an extra 

$2 per month or 2.0¢/kWh. The power is supplied from the utility’s 25% share of the 50-MW

Nine Canyon Wind Project located in eastern Washington. Alternatively, customers may make a 

voluntary contribution in the form of a lump sum payment, which will be used to support 

development of alternative energy resources, such as solar and biomass. 

Grays Harbor PUD—Grays Harbor PUD, which supplies electricity to about 32,000 residents 

of Grays Harbor County in western Washington, offers a renewable resource option through 

which its customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of renewable energy for $3, or a premium of 

28
3¢/kWh. The power is supplied from the utility's 6-MW share of the 50-MW Nine Canyon Wind 

Project located in eastern Washington. 

Great River Energy—Great River, formed in 1998 through the merger of Cooperative Power 

Association and United Power Association, offers the Wellspring renewable energy program to 

its 28 member distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The wind power is 

supplied from the 6-MW Chandler Hills and a second 6-MW wind farm located near Dodge 

Center, Minnesota. Great River makes the power available to its members with a suggested retail 

price premium of 1.5¢/kWh, but each distribution utility sets the wind energy premium for its 

customers. 

Green Mountain Power—GMP, an investor-owned utility that serves one-quarter of the retail 

customers in Vermont, offers a monthly renewable energy service that enables customers to 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting the development of new renewable energy 

projects. Under the CoolHome program, customers can make tax-deductible donations of $6 per 

month to Clean Air-Cool Planet (a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding solutions to global 

climate change), which, in turn, uses the donations to support development of new renewable 

energy projects through Vermont-based NativeEnergy. Program revenues are being used to 

support two 30-kW turbines fueled by methane gas from a wastewater facility in Vermont, a 

750-kW wind turbine on the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota, and several farm

methane projects in Vermont. 

Hawaiian Electric—In 1996, HECO initiated a program to be funded in part with customer 

contributions with a minimum goal of installing 20 kW of PV systems on public school facilities. 

Customers can make voluntary, monthly fixed-dollar contributions or lump-sum contributions at 

any time. During its entire period of operation, the Sun Power for Schools program has supported 

the installation of 23.6 kW of PV at 20 schools. 

Holy Cross Energy—Holy Cross, which serves more than 43,000 customers in Colorado’s 

Roaring Fork Valley, offers its customers two different green power options. Under the Wind 

Power Pioneers program, customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of Colorado-based wind 

energy at a rate premium of 2.5¢/kWh with the wind energy sourced from Xcel Energy. Under 

the Local Renewable Energy Pool program, customers can purchase green power generated 

locally by Holy Cross members operating small-scale hydroelectric facilities or photovoltaic 

systems in blocks of 75 kWh for $2.50 per month, or a premium of 3.3¢/kWh. 

Hoosier Energy—Hoosier Energy, a generation and transmission cooperative serving 17 

distribution utilities in southern Indiana with nearly 700,00 customers, provides a green power 

option to its member cooperatives. Participating utilities offer the green option, EnviroWatts, to 

their retail customers at premiums ranging from $2 to $4 per 100-kWh block, or 2.0¢/kWh to 

4.0¢/kWh. The green power is being supplied from an Indiana-based landfill gas project owned 

by Wabash Valley Power Association. 

Idaho Power Company—Idaho Power Company, which serves 700,000 customers in southern 

Idaho, eastern Oregon, and northern Nevada, offers a green power program through which 

residential and business customers in Idaho can contribute a fixed dollar amount each month to 

29
support the development of renewable resources in the Pacific Northwest through the purchase 

of RECs supplied by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Customer contributions are used 

exclusively to purchase renewable energy, with program overhead and marketing expenses 

funded from other sources. Although the green power contributions are not tied directly to the 

customer’s electricity use, each $3 contribution purchases the equivalent of 308 kWh of green 

power, which represents a renewable energy price of 0.97¢/kWh. 

Indianapolis Power and Light Company—Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL) 

offers its residential customers, as well as commercial and industrial customers whose demand 

does not exceed 2,000 kilowatts, an option of purchasing 10%, 25%, 50%, or 100% of their 

monthly electricity use from renewable energy sources. The power to supply the program is 

sourced from outside the IPL service territory with the rate premium capped at 3.0¢/kWh. 

Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities—About 80 municipally owned electric utilities in Iowa 

are participating in the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities’ (IAMU) umbrella green pricing 

program, Green City Energy, which gives customers the ability to support renewable energy 

development from sources such as wind, solar, and biodiesel. Some utilities allow customers to 

make one-time or monthly contributions, while other utilities offer customers the option of

purchasing green power or renewable energy certificates. All electric utilities in Iowa are 

required by state law to offer a green pricing program to their customers. 

Keys Energy Services—KEYS, a municipal utility serving 27,000 customers in the Florida 

Keys, offers green power to its residential and business customers. Under the GO GREEN 

program, customers can choose from two green power options. The first, called Florida Ever 

Green, is supplied from solar hot water heating systems (20%), photovoltaic systems (5%), and 

biomass facilities (75%) located in Florida. The utility offers $10, $25, and $50 monthly 

purchase options for this product, which carries a 2.75¢/kWh premium price. The second option, 

called USA Green, is supplied from wind farms (50%), biomass facilities (45%), and 

photovoltaic systems (5%) sourced nationwide and is offered as $10, $15, and $20 monthly 

purchase options, with a lower rate premium of 1.6¢/kWh. Both products are supplied by 

Sterling Planet and certified by Environmental Resources Trust. There is no minimum 

enrollment period for either product. 

Lansing Board of Water and Light—Lansing Board of Water and Light, the municipally 

owned utility of Lansing, Michigan, offers its 97,000 residential and business customers an 

option to purchase 250-kWh blocks of green power for an extra $7.50 per month, or a premium

of 3.0¢/kWh. The power for the GreenWise Electric Power program comes from existing 

renewable energy projects: a landfill-gas facility in Lansing and two small-hydro facilities in 

Cheboygan County. Customers must subscribe for a minimum of three years. 

Lewis County PUD—Lewis County PUD, a public utility serving about 27,000 customers in 

western Washington, offers its customers an optional Green Power Rate. Under the program, 

residential and business customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind power for an 

additional $2 each month, or 2¢/kWh. To supply the program, the utility is purchasing 1 MW of 

power from the 50-MW Nine Canyon Wind Project located near Kennewick, Washington. 

30
Lincoln Electric System—In 1998 and 1999, Lincoln Electric System (LES) constructed two, 

660-kW wind turbines on the northeast side of Lincoln, Nebraska, to supply its customers with a 

green power option. The utility accepts monthly donations of any whole dollar amount of $5 or 

greater, with a minimum monthly contribution of $4.30 to purchase the equivalent of about 100 

kWh. Initially priced at 6.0¢/kWh, LES was able to reduce the wind energy premium to 

4.3¢/kWh because of its eligibility for the Renewable Energy Production Incentive, available 

through the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities—The City of Los Alamos (NM) Department of 

Public Utilities offers the L.A. Green through which customers can subscribe to purchase 100-

kWh blocks of green power at a rate of $1.80 per block (1.8¢/kWh) in addition to the regular 

electricity rate. Customers may also choose to subscribe to green power for 90% of their monthly 

electric consumption at the same premium rate of 1.8¢/kWh. Large Commercial Customers have 

several participation choices of 1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 50% or 90% of monthly usage at the 

same 1.8¢/kWh rate. The initial green power supply will be sourced from the 204-MW New 

Mexico Wind Energy Center located in eastern New Mexico but the utility plans to purchase 

RECs from other qualified producers of renewable energy in New Mexico and elsewhere in the 

nation. 

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power—Since 1999, the Los Angeles Department of 

Water and Power (LADWP) has offered the Green Power for a Green L.A. program, which gives 

customers the option to purchase green power for 100% of their electricity needs for 3¢/kWh. 

The minimum participation for residential and small nonresidential customers is 20% of their 

metered energy use; for medium or large nonresidential customers, the minimums are 500 and 

1000 kWh per month, respectively. For residential customers, the extra cost is partially offset by 

free energy efficiency products and services provided by the utility—for example, LADWP 

currently gives two complimentary compact fluorescent bulbs to new green power customers. In 

2003, program demand was met by existing small hydroelectric (52%), solar (0.1%), and biogas 

energy (38%), as well as a purchase of wind energy (10%). In 2004, program demand was met 

entirely by purchases of wind power, consistent with a stated goal that all future program supply 

come from newly developed local renewable resources and/or from open market renewable 

energy purchases. 

Lower Valley Energy—Lower Valley Energy (LVE), an electric cooperative serving about 

13,500 members in western Wyoming and southeastern Idaho, offers its residential and business 

customers a green power product supplied under an agreement with the Bonneville Power 

Administration. The renewable power comes from the Foote Creek Rim Wind Project in 

Wyoming and from other regional projects. Residential customers can purchase 300-kWh blocks 

of green power for $3.50 each month, which represents a rate premium of 1.17¢/kWh, while 

commercial customers can purchase 1,500-kWh for $17.50 per month (Partner Level) or 3,000-

kWh blocks for $35.00 per month (Champion Level). The utility lowered the premium by 30% 

from the initial level of 1.67¢/kWh by eliminating the administrative margin between what it 

pays for wind power and what it charges its members. Customers can sign up for as many blocks 

as they desire. 

31
Madison Gas and Electric—Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), which serves 120,000 

customers in and around Madison, Wisconsin, constructed an 11.22-MW wind farm in 1999 in 

northeastern Wisconsin with most of the output being marketed to customers as a green power 

option—a 3-MW portion of the project is being used to meet a state renewable energy mandate. 

The utility sells the power in 150-kWh blocks for $5 per month, a premium of 3.3¢/kWh over the 

standard electricity rate. Less than three months after the project came on-line, more than 5,100 

residential customers and about 100 businesses had enrolled, fully subscribing the program.

Mason County PUD No. 3—Mason County PUD No. 3, which serves 28,000 customers in 

western Washington, offers a wind energy option to its residential and commercial customers. 

Under the Mason Evergreen Power program, customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind 

power for $2 per month, or a premium of 2¢/kWh. Each block represents about 10% of an 

average residential customer's monthly electricity use. There is no limit on the number of blocks 

that can be purchased. Customers can enroll, change their participation level, or drop out of the 

program at any time. The green power is supplied from the utility's 2-MW share of the 64-MW, 

Nine Canyon Wind Project in south central Washington. 

MidAmerican Energy—MidAmerican Energy offers a green power option to its nearly 600,000 

Iowa-based residential and business customers. Under its Renewable Advantage program,

customers can make one-time, periodic, or monthly contributions to support the development of 

new renewable energy resources. Customers can sign up to participate either by using a checkoff box on their utility bill or via the utility’s Web site. Minimum contribution levels are $1.00 

for both residential and commercial customers. The funds collected will be used to construct an 

additional wind turbine at the company's existing wind site. Once built, other renewable energy 

sources, such as solar or landfill gas projects, will be explored. 

Midstate Electric Cooperative—Midstate Electric Cooperative, which serves about 12,000 

member customers in central Oregon, offers its customers a green power product derived from a 

mix of low-impact hydroelectric resources and wind energy purchased from the Bonneville 

Power Administration. Midstate sells the green power to residential and business customers in 

100-kWh blocks for $2.50 per month (2.5¢/kWh) and requires a two-block minimum purchase. 

Minnesota Power—Minnesota Power, an investor-owned utility serving approximately 140,000 

customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, offers its Minnesota customers an option to purchase 

100-kWh blocks of wind energy for an additional $2.50 per month or 2.5¢/kWh. To supply the 

WindSense program, the utility has a 15-year agreement with Great River Energy to purchase 

half the output (about one MW) of three wind generators at the Chandler Hills Wind Farm in 

southwestern Minnesota. Customers must commit to their subscription level for at least one year. 

Minnkota Power Cooperative—Minnkota Power Cooperative, a G&T cooperative that supplies 

wholesale electricity to 11 member-owner electric cooperatives in eastern North Dakota and 

northwestern Minnesota, and also serves as the operating agent for the Northern Municipal 

Power Agency, which serves 12 municipal utilities, offers its member distribution cooperatives 

and the municipals the option to purchase wind-generated power through a program called 

Infinity Wind Energy. Customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind energy for an additional 

32
$1.50 per month or a premium of 1.5¢/kWh. The wind energy is provided from two, 900-kW

wind turbines in North Dakota. 

Missouri River Energy Services—Missouri River Energy Services (MRES), a joint-action 

agency providing wholesale power to 56 member municipal utilities in Iowa, Minnesota, North 

Dakota, and South Dakota, makes wind energy available to these utilities through the 

RiverWinds program. The power supply comes from four 900-kW wind turbines located outside 

of Worthington, Minnesota. Customers of participating utilities can purchase 100-kWh monthly 

blocks of wind energy for $2 to $2.50 per block (2.0¢kWh to 2.5¢kWh), depending on the utility. 

MRES also makes “green tags” available for 2.5¢kWh to nonmember municipal utilities 

interested in developing green pricing programs for their customers. 

Moorhead Public Service—Moorhead Public Service (Minnesota) has constructed two, 750-

kW wind turbines to serve customers of its Capture the Wind green pricing program. Both 

turbines were constructed only after the utility had fully subscribed the wind energy output. The 

utility charges a premium of 0.5¢/kWh for 100% renewable energy—one-third of the energy is 

provided from the wind projects and the remainder from hydro facilities already in the utility’s 

resource mix. Thus, the effective premium for the wind power is 1.5¢/kWh. Residential 

customers must make a three-year purchase commitment and can choose to serve 100% of their 

electricity needs with the renewable energy blend or purchase monthly blocks of 1,000 kWh. 

Commercial customers pay the same premium and can purchase all of their electricity as 

renewable energy or buy monthly blocks of 1,500 kWh. Moorhead State University purchases 

83,000 kWh each month, representing more than half of the average output of one turbine. The 

program has been fully subscribed for several years.

Muscatine Power and Water—Muscatine Power and Water, a municipal utility serving 10,800 

electricity customers in eastern Iowa, offers a green power option—Solar Muscatine—through 

which its residential customers can make monthly contributions of $3, $5, or $7 to support the 

acquisition and installation of photovoltaic arrays in the community. 

City of Naperville—The City of Naperville (Illinois) municipal utility partners with Community 

Energy Inc. to offer a green pricing program to its residential and commercial customers. The 

Naperville Renewable Energy Option product is supplied from a combination of wind energy 

(90%), small-hydro (5%), and solar energy (5%) procured from in-state sources, and is priced at 

a 2.5¢/kWh premium to the regular electricity rate. The minimum participation level is $5.00 for 

the purchase of 200 kWh. 

Nevada Power—As part of an order approving the acquisition of a new natural gas-fired power 

plant, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada issued a requirement that Nevada Power 

propose a green pricing tariff in its 2005 general rate case. Under the tariff, customers would be 

able to make voluntary purchases of power from renewable energy resources and be protected 

from cost increases in fossil fuels used for power generation. The commission also ruled that any 

renewable energy sources developed under the program should be in addition to green power 

sources used to meet the state’s renewable portfolio standard. 

33
New-Mac Electric Cooperative—New-Mac Electric Cooperative, which serves about 16,000 

customers in Newton, McDonald, and Jasper counties, Missouri, offers its customers an option to 

purchase green power in 100-kWh blocks for an extra $3 per month or 3¢/kWh. There is no limit 

to the number of blocks that can be purchased, but customers must make a 12-month 

commitment to purchase the same number of blocks each month. The power is provided through 

KAMO Electric Cooperative (KAMO Power), an Oklahoma-based G&T cooperative, which 

makes green power available to its member distribution co-ops. The power is supplied by 

Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), which sources wind energy from Aquila's 110-MW

Gray County Wind Farm located in southeastern Kansas. 

City of New Smyrna Beach—The City of New Smyrna Beach (Florida) Utilities Commission 

offers its customers a green power contribution program through which customers can make 

monthly contributions of $2, $5 or $10 per month to support the installation of solar electric 

systems at local public facilities. To date, the city has installed two PV systems at public sites 

totaling 9.8 kW, and nine residential solar systems. 

NorthWestern Energy—NorthWestern Energy, which provides default service to 288,000 

electricity customers in Montana, offers the E+ Green program through which residential and 

business customers can purchase an unlimited number of 100-kWh blocks of renewable energy 

each month for $2 per block, or a premium of 2¢/kWh. Commercial and industrial customers that 

meet minimum purchase requirements can become E+ Green Partners, which makes them

eligible for inclusion in program advertisements and entitles them to use the E+ Green program

logo. The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) supplies the program with Green-e

certified renewable energy certificates generated from wind and solar facilities located in the 

Pacific Northwest. BEF will also use program revenues to encourage new Montana-based 

renewable energy projects. 

OG&E Electric Services—OG&E Electric Services, which serves about 700,000 retail 

electricity customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas, offers 100-kWh blocks of wind power 

for an extra $2 per month or 2.0¢/kWh. However, wind power subscribers are exempted from the 

utility's fuel adjustment charge, which reduces the effective wind power premium. In October 

2005, the fuel adjustment charge amounted to 2.01¢/kWh, bringing the wind energy rate to parity 

with the utility’s standard electricity rate. The wind energy is supplied from OG&E's 51-MW

share of the Oklahoma Wind Energy Center project near Woodward, Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma Municipal Power Association—Oklahoma Municipal Power Association (OMPA), 

a joint-action agency serving 35 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma, offers wind 

energy from its 51-MW share of the Oklahoma Wind Energy Center. The wind energy is offered 

to customers of member utilities in 100-kWh increments each month for $1.80, or a rate 

premium of 1.8¢/kWh. The wind energy purchases are exempt from the utility's monthly fuelcost charge. In October 2005, the fuel adjustment charge amounted to 2.01¢/kWh, moving the 

effective wind energy charge below that of the utility’s standard electricity service. 

Omaha Public Power District—Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) offers a green pricing 

option to its customers consisting of power generated from new wind and landfill gas resources 

at a price premium of 3¢/kWh. Residential customers can participate at one of four set levels, 

34
ranging from $4.50 to $30 per month (150 kWh to 1,000 kWh per month), while commercial 

customers can obtain 25%, 50%, or 100% of their power needs through the program. The green 

power is supplied from a 660-kW wind turbine and a 3.2-MW landfill gas plant. Customers must 

agree to participate in the program for a minimum of one year. OPPD serves more than 280,000 

customers in southeast Nebraska. 

Orcas Power and Light Cooperative—Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO), an 

electric cooperative serving Washington’s San Juan Islands, offers its customers a green power 

mix of low-impact hydropower and wind energy sourced from the Bonneville Power 

Administration at a price of $3.50 per 100-kWh block, or a premium of 3.5¢/kWh. The utility 

uses a portion of the customer contributions to support the development of on-site renewable 

resources in its service territory. OPALCO “buys down” the cost of customer-owned systems 

and purchases the system output at above-market prices. OPALCO sends its green power 

subscribers an annual report that documents program facts and figures. 

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative—Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC), which serves 

25,000 members in eastern Oregon, offers a green power option under which customers can 

purchase 200-kWh blocks of wind power for an additional $3 each month, or 1.5¢/kWh. To 

supply the program, the co-op has contracted with the Bonneville Power Administration and the 

Bonneville Environmental Foundation for wind power generated by facilities located in the 

Pacific Northwest. Participants must enroll for a period of one year. 

Otter Tail Power Company—Otter Tail Power, an investor-owned electric utility serving 

nearly 250,000 customers in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, offers its customers an 

option to purchase wind energy in 100-kWh blocks for an extra $2.60 per month, or a rate 

premium of 2.6¢/kWh. The green power for the TailWinds program is supplied from a single, 

900-kW wind turbine located along Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota. Customers must 

subscribe for a minimum of one year. 

Pacific County PUD #2—Pacific County PUD #2, which serves about 15,000 residents of 

Pacific County, Washington, offers a green power program through which its residential and 

business customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for $1.05 per month, or 

1.05¢/kWh. There is no limit to the amount of green power that customers can purchase. The 

utility purchases the green power from the Bonneville Power Administration. BPA, in turn, gives 

a portion of the wholesale green power payment to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to 

support the development of new renewable energy facilities in the Pacific Northwest. 

PacifiCorp—PacifiCorp offers a wind energy tariff in the six western states in which it sells 

retail electricity as either Pacific Power or Utah Power. Under the Blue Sky program, PacifiCorp 

customers in California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming can purchase 100-

kWh blocks of electricity from new wind projects for a monthly premium of $1.95 per block or 

1.95¢/kWh. Since the inception of the program, PacifiCorp has twice lowered the premium 

because of the improved economics of wind energy. And in August 2004, Utah Power 

introduced a variation on the Blue Sky program, which provides volume purchase discounts to 

commercial customers that purchase more than 10,000 kWh of wind energy each month for at 

least one year. The wind energy that PacifiCorp sells to its customers is supplied from wind 

35
energy projects in the Pacific Northwest. Pacific Power customers in Oregon can also choose 

from two other green power products offered through the utility by a third-party supplier. 

City of Palo Alto Utilities—City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) offers its residential, 

commercial, and industrial customers a 100% renewable energy product sourced from newly 

constructed wind turbines located within the western power system and new California-based 

solar photovoltaic projects. Participating residential customers must sign up to receive 100% of 

their electricity use as green power while commercial customers can either receive 100% green 

power or purchase the green power in 1,000-kWh blocks. The additional cost for the green 

power is 1.5¢/kWh. The city partners with 3 Phases Energy Services on the design and operation 

of the program, and procurement of the renewable energy supplies. Within 18 months of 

unveiling the PaloAltoGreen program, the city announced that it had enrolled 10% of its 

customers as green power purchasers. 

Park Electric Cooperative—Park Electric Cooperative, a distribution co-op serving nearly 

3,500 customers in southwestern Montana, is offering a renewable energy option under which its 

customers can purchase renewable energy for all of their electricity needs at a premium of 

1.2¢/kWh above standard rates. The program is supplied by the Bonneville Environmental 

Foundation with “green tags” derived from wind (>98%), solar (<1%), and biomass (<1%) 

energy projects located in the Pacific Northwest. Participating customers are required to enroll 

for a minimum of one year. 

Pasadena Water & Power—Pasadena Water & Power (PWP) offers a “green power” option to

its approximately 60,000 residential customers. Through the program, customers can purchase 

newly developed wind energy at a premium of 2.5¢/kWh. The utility has a long-term agreement 

with PPM Energy to purchase 6 MW of output from the 150-MW High Winds project located in 

Solano County, California. PWP is using the wind energy both to supply the green pricing 

program and to comply with a state law that requires public utilities to develop and implement a 

renewable portfolio standard. 

Peninsula Light Company—Peninsula Light Company (PLC), an electric cooperative serving 

about 26,000 consumers in Gig Harbor, Washington, offers a program through which member 

customers can purchase green power in 100-kWh monthly blocks for an additional $2.80, or 

2.8¢/kWh. To supply the Green by Choice program, PLC purchases Environmentally Preferred 

Power from the Bonneville Power Administration. The power comes from the Foote Creek Rim

wind project in Wyoming and the Packwood Lake hydro project in Washington. A portion of the 

wholesale green power payment goes to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to support the 

development of new renewable energy facilities in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, PLC uses 

25% of the green power revenue to support environmental education programs and the 

development of local renewable resources. 

Platte River Power Authority—Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) supplies wind power for 

the green pricing programs of its four Colorado-based municipal utility members—Estes Park, 

Fort Collins (see above), Longmont, and Loveland—as well as to Tri-State G&T and the city of 

Aspen. PRPA has expanded its Medicine Bow, Wyoming, wind site several times to meet 

36
growing customer demand for green power—the site now includes 11 turbines totaling nearly 8.5 

MW of generating capacity. 

PNGC Power—PNGC Power, formerly the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative, is a notfor-profit, private energy services cooperative owned by 15 electric cooperatives in the Pacific 

Northwest. PNGC owns and operates the 2.5-MW Coffin-Butte landfill gas generation facility in

Benton County, Oregon. While the project output is shared proportionally among the member 

cooperatives, four Oregon-based members market the landfill-derived power to their customers 

as a premium green power service. The four utilities are Central Electric Cooperative, 

Consumers Power, Douglas Electric Cooperative, and Umatilla Electric Cooperative. The green 

power premiums charged range from 1.8¢/kWh to 2.0¢/kWh. 

Portland General Electric—Portland General Electric (PGE) customers have access to three 

different green power products: Green Source, which is a 100% renewable power option sourced 

from and marketed in partnership with Green Mountain Energy Company and which includes 

energy from certified low-impact hydropower facilities (25%), geothermal plants at The Geysers 

in California (25%), and new wind resources in the Pacific Northwest (50%); Healthy Habitat, 

which adds a $2.50 monthly contribution for salmon habitat restoration to the Green Source

product; and PGE Clean Wind, which consists of wind power from the Pacific Northwest. The 

pricing for the first two products is 0.8¢/kWh above the basic utility rates, while residential and 

small commercial customers pay a rate premium of 1.75¢/kWh for the PGE Clean Wind product. 

Progress Energy—In 2003, the North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a stakeholderdeveloped plan to offer two green power products to utility customers statewide. The first 

product is a "mass-market" product consisting of a resource mix of new solar, wind, and methane 

from biomass that is offered to residential and small business customers at a cost of $4.00 per 

100-kWh block or 4.0¢/kWh. The contribution is tax deductible. The second product includes a 

resource mix of new and existing solar, wind, small hydro, and biomass and is offered to largervolume customers at a price of $3.00 to $4.00 per 100-kWh block, depending on the purchase 

size. The green power products are offered by most of the state's electric utilities, including 

Dominion North Carolina Power, Duke Power, Progress Energy Carolinas, and many North 

Carolina electric cooperatives and municipalities. The program is administered by Advanced 

Energy, a Raleigh-based nonprofit research organization. 

PSI Energy—PSI Energy, a subsidiary of Cinergy that serves more than 700,000 retail 

electricity customers in Indiana, offers its customers the ability to make monthly contributions to 

a fund to support the development of renewable resources. The revenues collected are used to 

purchase green power or to assist the utility’s efforts to develop energy generated from 

environmentally friendly sources. To date, PSI has used funds collected to build an 8-kW PV 

system and a 10-kW wind system in Indiana. 

Public Service Company of New Mexico—Under the PNM Sky Blue program, Public Service 

Company of New Mexico (PNM) residential and small-business customers can purchase 100-

kWh monthly blocks of wind energy for an extra $1.80, or a premium of 1.8¢/kWh. Large 

businesses can purchase wind energy for up to 90% of their electricity usage at the same rate of 

1.8¢/kWh. Power for the program is supplied from the 204-MW New Mexico Wind Energy 

37
Center near Fort Sumner, New Mexico. PNM also sells 50 MW of the wind project output to Salt 

River Project for its EarthWise Energy green pricing program. 

Puget Sound Energy—Puget Sound Energy (PSE), an investor-owned utility serving more than 

900,000 customers in western Washington State, offers its residential and business customers an 

option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for an extra $2 per month, or a 2.0¢/kWh 

premium on the regular rate. Participating customers must purchase a minimum of 200 kWh per 

month. PSE is teaming with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to supply the program

with power from new wind projects and other renewable resources in the Pacific Northwest. 

Roseville Electric—Roseville Electric, a municipal utility in northern California, offers its 

40,000 customers options to purchase a 50% renewables content product at a premium of 

0.5¢/kWh, or a 100% renewables product for an additional 1.0¢/kWh, for all of their electricity 

needs. The green power is supplied from geothermal and small hydropower resources. In 

addition, customers can contribute an additional 1.0¢/kWh to a fund used to build new, 

renewable energy systems, such as PV systems installed on public facilities, within the city. 

Sacramento Municipal Utility District—Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) offers 

the Greenergy program, through which its customers can choose to obtain 50% or 100% of their 

electricity needs from renewable energy sources for an additional $3 and $6 per month, 

respectively, which represents a premium of 0.80¢/kWh for an average residential customer 

using 748 kWh per month. The power content of the 100% renewables product is 65% biomass 

and waste, 34% wind energy, and 1% small hydroelectric. The Greenergy products are also 

Green-e certified. 

City of St. Charles—In partnership with ComEd and Community Energy Inc., the City of St. 

Charles (Illinois) municipal utility offers its residents and businesses the ability to donate a fixed 

monthly amount to purchase renewable energy certificates from ComEd. The certificates 

represent the output of local renewable energy projects, including landfill gas and a 51-MW

wind project to be constructed just north of Peoria. 

City of St. George Energy Services Department—The City of St. George Energy Services 

Department, which serves about 24,000 meters in southwestern Utah, offers a green power 

option to its residential and business customers. Under its Clean Green Power Program, users of 

city power can purchase renewable energy in 100-kWh monthly increments for $2.95 each, or a 

rate premium of 2.95¢/kWh. The power is supplied from the 144-MW Pleasant Valley Wind 

Project in Wyoming and the city-owned Pine Valley hydro project. Program revenues will be 

invested in additional green power sources. 

Salt River Project—Salt River Project (SRP), a public utility that provides electricity service to 

820,000 customers in the Phoenix metropolitan area, offers customers the EarthWise Energy

product, which can be purchased in 100-kWh blocks for an additional $3 per month or a 

premium of 3¢/kWh. The product is supplied from a broad mix of renewable resources, 

including landfill gas, low-impact hydropower, geothermal energy, wind energy and solar PV 

projects. SRP has entered into several purchase agreements for renewable power including: a 

five-year contract to purchase 50 MW of wind power from Public Service Company of New 

38
Mexico (PNM); a five-year agreement to purchase 25 MW of geothermal power from plants 

operating in California's Imperial Valley; and a 10-year agreement to purchase 10 MW from a 15 

to 20-MW wood-fired power plant to be built near Snowflake, AZ in 2008. 

City Public Service of San Antonio—City Public Service of San Antonio (CPS), the municipal 

electric utility serving more than 550,000 customers in San Antonio, Texas, offers a wind power 

option to the city's retail electricity customers. The wind energy is available in 100-kWh blocks 

for an additional $3 per month, or a premium of 3.0¢/kWh. Customers are not contractually 

bound to the program and can enter or leave the program, or change their purchase levels at any 

time. The power for the Windtricity program comes from the 160.5-MW Desert Sky Wind 

Project in West Texas, from which CPS purchases the entire output. 

Santee Cooper—Santee Cooper, a state-owned electric and water utility in South Carolina, sells 

green power derived from landfill gas plants to its customers and member utilities for a premium

of 3.0¢/kWh, with all program revenues to be reinvested in development of additional renewable 

resources or facilities. Through the program, residential customers can purchase the green power 

in 100-kWh blocks, small commercial customers in 200-kWh blocks, and large business 

customers in blocks of 1,000 kWh. Santee Cooper serves 126,000 direct customers in Horry, 

Georgetown, and Berkeley counties. The utility also supplies power to 15 of the state’s 20 

electric cooperatives serving 437,000 customers in 38 counties and directly serves 34 industrial 

customers in 11 counties. 

Savannah Electric—In July 2003, Savannah Electric received regulatory approval to offer its 

residential and business customers the option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for an 

additional $6 per month or a premium of 6.0¢/kWh above the standard electricity rate. Monthly 

minimum purchase requirements are one block for residential customers, three blocks for small 

nonresidential, 100 blocks for medium nonresidential, and 400 blocks for large nonresidential. 

The initial supply source for the green power will be landfill gas generation. All participating 

customers are required to subscribe for a minimum of one year. Savannah Electric serves 

320,000 people in a five-county area of Georgia. 

Seattle City Light—In July 2005, Seattle City Light unveiled a new program through which 

customers can purchase renewable energy certificates equivalent to a portion or all of their 

electricity use. Initially, the Green-Up program will offer wind energy certificates supplied from

the Stateline Wind Project at a rate premium of 1.5¢/kWh—the utility has a 20-year agreement 

with PPM Energy to purchase 175 megawatts of wind energy from the project. In the future, the 

program may also be supplied from biomass and landfill gas projects. The utility plans to use the 

net program revenues to make additional purchases of renewable energy from new facilities. 

Since 2002, Seattle City Light has offered the voluntary Seattle Green Power program through 

which customers can make contributions to support the development of smaller-scale, local, or 

regional renewable energy projects. 

Silicon Valley Power—Silicon Valley Power (SVP), the municipal electric utility of the City of

Santa Clara, CA, offers a program—Santa Clara Green Power—through which residential, 

commercial, and industrial customers can choose to receive 100% renewable energy for a 

premium of 1.5¢/kWh. The product is supplied with renewable energy credits from newly 

39
constructed wind turbine facilities and new solar photovoltaic projects located within California. 

Additionally, a portion of the program revenues are used to support new solar facilities in the 

Santa Clara community. SVP is partnering with 3 Phases Energy Services, a California-based 

renewable energy company, to develop and manage the renewable energy purchases and 

marketing on behalf of the City. 

Snohomish County PUD—Snohomish County PUD offers its 260,000 residential and business 

customers a voluntary program, Planet Power, through which they can purchase 150-kWh

blocks of electricity generated from renewable energy sources for an additional $3 per month, or 

2.0¢/kWh. Each block represents about 15% of an average residential customer’s monthly use. 

There is no limit on the number of blocks that can be purchased, and customers can enroll or 

discontinue their participation at any time. The utility has contracted with the Bonneville 

Environmental Foundation to supply renewable energy certificates representing output from new 

wind energy projects in the Pacific Northwest. 

Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency—Southern Minnesota Municipal Power 

Agency (SMMPA), the wholesale power supplier for 18 municipal utilities in southern 

Minnesota, supplies wind energy to its member utilities from two 950-kW wind turbines 

installed in 2003. Residential and business customers can purchase the wind energy through the 

member utilities for $1 per 100-kWh block or a premium of 1.0¢/kWh. SMMPA was able to 

lower the price from an initial premium of 2.9¢/kWh because the cost of power from the turbines 

was less than expected. The lower costs resulted from a combination of strong winds, the 

efficiency of the turbines, and the ability to avoid costly transmission charges and losses by 

siting the turbines close to the distribution lines of Fairmont Public Utilities, which is a SMMPA 

member.

Southern Montana Electric G&T Cooperative—Five members of the Southern Montana 

Electric G&T Cooperative—Fergus Electric, Yellowstone Valley, Bear Tooth Electric, Mid 

Yellowstone, and Tongue River—offer their customers a green power option at a price premium

of 1.05¢/kWh. Under the program, most of the co-ops offer the power in 100-kWh blocks, 

however, at least one co-op allows its customers to purchase green power for all of their 

electricity usage. The programs are supplied by Southern Montana with purchases of the 

Bonneville Power Administration’s Environmentally Preferred Power product, which is a blend 

of new and existing wind and low-impact hydro. 

City Utilities of Springfield—City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri, offers a wind power option 

to its residential and business customers. Participants can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind 

power for $5, or 5¢/kWh and must agree to participate for a minimum of one year. The wind 

power is sourced from a Kansas wind farm. 

Tacoma Power—Tacoma Power, which serves more than 140,000 customers in the state of 

Washington, offers its customers an option to purchase a blend of low-impact hydro and wind 

power supplied by the Bonneville Power Administration in partnership with the Bonneville 

Environmental Foundation. Residential customers can participate by paying an extra $3, $6, or 

$10 each month. Business customers have additional purchase options. The effective premium

charged for the power is 1.5¢/kWh. 

40
City of Tallahassee—The City of Tallahassee municipal utility offers residential and business 

customers three different products and blends of green power. The Wind Plus product is a 

nationally sourced blend of 55% wind, 25% bioenergy, 15% hydro, and 5% solar, and carries a 

price premium of 1.85¢/kWh. The Tallahassee Blend is a mix from 80% hydropower and 20% 

solar from local sources and is priced at 2.5¢/kWh above the standard rate. And the Pure Solar

product is 100% from local or other in-state solar sources with a premium of 11.6¢/kWh. Each 

product has monthly payment options of $10, $15, or $20. All three products are supplied in 

partnership with Sterling Planet, a Georgia-based green power marketer. 

Tampa Electric Company—Tampa Electric Company (TECO), an investor-owned utility 

serving more than 500,000 customers on Florida’s west coast, offers customers an option to 

purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for $5 or a price premium of 5¢/kWh. Power for the 

program is sourced from local solar and landfill gas projects, and through co-firing biomass 

waste materials in existing coal-fired generating units. 

Tennessee Valley Authority—Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) offers the Green Power 

Switch program through which customers of TVA-supplied distribution companies can purchase 

150-kWh blocks of renewable energy for an extra $4 per month, or a premium of about 

2.67¢/kWh. Power for the program is supplied from a mix of wind energy, landfill gas, and solar 

energy from PV systems installed at public facilities throughout the TVA region. In December 

2004, TVA completed the expansion of its Buffalo Mountain Wind Park with the addition of 15,

1.8-MW wind turbines, bringing the total installed capacity to 29 MW. Three, 660-kW turbines 

have been in operation at the site since 2000. Eighty-five of TVA’s 159 distributors currently 

offer the program to their customers. The program has also received Green-e accreditation from

the Center for Resource Solutions. 

Traverse City Light & Power—Since 1996, Traverse City (Michigan) has operated a green 

pricing program for its residential and small commercial customers, selling the output from a 

600-kW wind turbine that was constructed on the edge of town. Residential and commercial 

customers pay a 1.58¢/kWh premium to purchase 100% of their power from wind energy. The 

municipal utility has not expanded the program. 

Tri-State G&T Association—Tri-State, a G&T cooperative serving 44 rural electric systems, 

provides a green power product to its member distribution systems based in Colorado, Wyoming, 

and Nebraska. Tri-State offers the green power to its member systems in 100-kWh blocks at a 

rate premium of 2.5¢/kWh. The program is supplied primarily through purchases from wind 

energy facilities and small hydropower projects. 

Tucson Electric Power Company—Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP), an investor-owned 

utility serving more than 350,000 customers in southern Arizona, offers its customers an option 

to purchase 20-kWh blocks of energy tied to the use of landfill methane at the company's 

Irvington Generating Station. Customers pay $2 (10¢/kWh) per month for the first block 

purchased and $1.50 (7.5¢/kWh) for all subsequent blocks. The customer funds collected are 

invested in the construction and operation of solar electric generating facilities in Arizona. 

41
Unisource Energy Services—Unisource Energy Services (UES), an investor-owned utility 

providing electric service to about 77,000 customers in Arizona, gives customers the option to 

sponsor one watt (20 kWh) of solar power generation by contributing $2 each month, or 

10¢/kWh. Each additional watt or 20-kWh block of green power is priced at $1.50 per month, or 

7.5¢/kWh. Proceeds from the GreenWatts program will be used to build new solar power 

projects in communities served by UES. Until UES can establish its own sources of renewable 

energy, a portion of the customer contributions will be used to purchase green power “credits,” 

or renewable energy certificates, from other sources. 

Upper Peninsula Power Company—Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO), a subsidiary 

of WPS Resources Corporation, offers a renewable energy option to its more than 50,000 electric 

customers in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. Under the NatureWise program, customers can 

purchase renewable energy in 100-kWh monthly increments for $4.00 each, or a rate premium of 

4¢/kWh. Currently, UPPCO purchases power generated from wind, landfill gas, and animal 

waste methane resources from its sister utility, Wisconsin Public Service. As more UPPCO 

customers enroll in the program, UPPCO will add renewable generation to the mix and consider 

purchasing from generating sources in the Upper Peninsula. Customers may purchase as many 

blocks as they wish and there is no minimum enrollment term. 

Vigilante Electric Cooperative—Vigilante Electric Cooperative, which provides electricity 

service to about 4,500 members in nine southwestern Montana counties, offers its residential and 

nonresidential customers an option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for an extra 

$1.10 each month, or to meet their entire monthly electricity use with green power at the same

premium of 1.1¢/kWh. The green power is supplied by the Bonneville Power Administration 

from wind, hydro, and solar projects in Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. 

Wabash Valley Power Association—Wabash Valley, a G&T cooperative serving 24 member 

distribution systems in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, offers customers of its member

cooperatives the option to purchase green power generated from seven landfill gas facilities 

across the state of Indiana totaling about 22 MW of capacity. The distribution companies 

participating in the program are offering the green power at price premiums ranging from

0.5¢/kWh to 1.0¢/kWh. 

Waverly Light and Power—Waverly Light and Power (WLP), a municipal electric utility 

serving 4,300 customers in northeast Iowa, developed a new green pricing option for its 

customers. Under its Green Power Choice program, customers can make contributions to support 

the development of renewable energy sources in Waverly. The minimum contribution is $2 per 

month and all contributions are tax deductible. Since 2001, WLP has been selling wind power 

certificates under its Iowa Energy Tags program. Each “tag” represents 2,500 kWh of wind 

power output and is priced at $50, or 2.0¢/kWh. The tags are sourced from three wind turbines 

owned and operated by the utility—one 900-kW turbine located north of Waverly and two 750-

kW turbines located near Alta, Iowa. Revenues from the certificate sales are used to develop 

additional wind projects. 

42
We Energies—Since 1996, We Energies, formerly Wisconsin Electric, has offered an optional 

renewable electricity service under which its customers can choose to receive 25%, 50%, or 

100% of their power from renewable energy sources at a premium of 2.04¢/kWh. The renewable 

energy supply is a mix of wind energy, small hydropower, and landfill-gas generation and the 

program has received Green-e accreditation from the Center for Resource Solutions. 

In fall 2005, We Energies announced two enhancements to its Energy For Tomorrow renewable 

energy program: an experimental buy-back rate for customer-sited solar PV systems and a bulk 

purchase rate for large business customers. Under the three-year solar buy-back pilot, We

Energies will purchase the entire output of customer-sited PV systems sized between 1.5 kW and 

100 kW at a rate of 22.5¢/kWh for 10 years, up to a total installed capacity of 500 kW. The solar 

output will be used to supply the Energy for Tomorrow program and solar system owners must 

be enrolled in the program to be eligible for the payments. The utility also lowered the cost of

renewable energy for larger purchases made by nonresidential customers. Under the new tariff, 

customers who purchase more than 70,000 kWh of renewable energy per month will pay a 

premium of 1.5¢/kWh compared to the base premium of 2.04¢/kWh. 

Western Farmers Electric Cooperative—Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), an 

Oklahoma-based G&T cooperative, offers a wind energy option to approximately 400,000 retail 

customers in the state through its 19 distribution cooperatives. Under the WindWorks program, 

the co-ops offer wind energy certificates to residential and commercial customers in 100-kWh 

monthly blocks for $0.50 each, or a price premium of 0.5¢/kWh. There is no minimum period of 

enrollment. The certificates are supplied from the 74.25-MW Blue Canyon wind energy project 

located in southwestern Oklahoma. 

Wisconsin Public Power Inc.—Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (WPPI), which supplies wholesale 

power to 32 municipal utilities in Wisconsin, offers a green energy option to retail customers of

participating distribution utilities. Residential and business customers can purchase 150-kWh

blocks of green power for $3 a month, or 2¢/kWh. The power comes from a mix of wind energy, 

low-impact hydropower, and small, local digester gas facilities. WPPI owns two wind turbines 

near Worthington, Minnesota, with a combined generating capacity of 1.8 MW, the output of 

which has been fully subscribed by the program. In 2004, WPPI contracted to purchase 40 MW

of wind energy from a new project to be built near Waupun, Wisconsin, that will provide

additional wind energy for its program. 

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation—Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) offers 

two green power programs to its more than 400,000 customers in northeastern and central 

Wisconsin. Under the SolarWise for Schools program, WPS customers can make tax-deductible 

donations that are used to purchase and install solar-electric systems on local high schools. The 

schools receive the solar-electric systems and save money on their electric bills, and also receive 

a renewable energy curriculum. The utility also offers the NatureWise program, under which 

customers can purchase 100-kWh blocks of green power for $1.86, or 1.86¢/kWh—the premium

was reduced by 30% in January 2005. The power is supplied from a combination of Wisconsinbased wind turbines and generation systems utilizing methane from landfill and farm waste 

resources. The tariff program has received Green-e accreditation from the Center for Resource 

Solutions. 

43
Xcel Energy—In 1993, Xcel Energy established a green pricing contribution program for its 

Colorado-based customers. Through the Renewable Energy Trust, customers could either make 

fixed contributions or use a bill “roundup” option to support utility investments in renewable 

energy. Through the trust, Xcel has deployed more than 60 PV projects, including 40 kW of offgrid PV systems and more than 60 kW of school-based systems. 

In 1997, Xcel introduced the Windsource program in Colorado, which offers customers an option 

to purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind energy at a base price of $2.50 per month or a rate 

premium of 2.5¢/kWh. Customers can also receive their entire monthly electricity consumption 

from wind energy. Colorado-based Windsource customers are exempted from the utility’s energy 

cost adjustment (ECA), which has led to a steady decline in the effective premium paid for the 

Windsource product as fuel prices have risen. In October 2005, Xcel filed with the Colorado 

Public Utilities Commission for an ECA adjustment, which if approved, will provide

Windsource customers with a savings of 1.55¢/kWh against standard electricity service. Because 

of growing customer demand over time, Xcel has expanded its Colorado-based wind energy 

supply to more than 60 MW, from which it also supplies a number of other utility programs. 

Xcel has also installed 2 MW of wind to serve its New Mexico-based customers—the wind 

energy is priced at a premium of $3 per 100-kWh block, or 3¢/kWh. Customers can purchase as 

few or as many blocks of wind energy as desired, up to their total monthly consumption. And, in 

early 2003, Xcel launched the Windsource program for its 1.1 million Minnesota-based 

customers, giving these customers the option to purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind power for $2 

each, or a premium of 2¢/kWh. Xcel supplies the program primarily from small wind power 

projects in Minnesota. 

Yampa Valley Electric Association—Yampa Valley, which serves Steamboat Springs and 

several other cities in northwestern Colorado, offers its customers an option to purchase 100-

kWh blocks of wind power for 3¢/kWh. Yampa Valley sources the supply from Xcel Energy’s 

Ponnequin wind site in northern Colorado. 

44
Competitive Green Power and 

Renewable Energy Certificate Marketing 

Green power marketing refers to the sale of green power in competitive markets, where multiple 

suppliers and service offerings generally exist. Currently, marketers offer green power products 

to retail customers in 10 states—Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, 

New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C. (for a 

summary of retail green power products, see Table A-3). 

Renewable energy certificates (RECs)—also known as green tags or tradable renewable 

certificates (TRCs)—represent the unique attributes of electricity generated from renewable 

energy sources and are often sold separately from the commodity electricity. For a summary of 

retail REC products, see Table A-4. 

This section presents information on retail green power marketers and REC suppliers, 

utility/marketer partnerships, selected wholesale green power providers, and REC brokers. 

RETAIL GREEN POWER AND REC MARKETERS 

3 Phases Energy Services—3 Phases is a registered energy service provider in California, where 

it markets power generated from renewable energy sources to residential and business customers 

under its Green Direct program. The company also offers green certificates supplied from new 

wind resources for approximately 2¢/kWh. The certificates can be purchased on a monthly or 

annual basis. The company's Web site includes an “environmental footprint calculator,” which 

helps potential customers calculate the number of certificates that would be required to offset the 

carbon emissions associated with an individual's annual household energy use and transportation 

requirements. 3 Phases supplies RECs to a number of large nonresidential customers, including 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Safeway, HSBC Bank, and Kinko’s. The 

company also supplies renewable energy and marketing services for green pricing programs 

offered by utilities including PacifiCorp, the City of Palo Alto, and Silicon Valley Power. 

APS Energy Services—In June 2005, APS Energy Services entered into a six-month contract 

with the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems to supply 

the universities with renewable energy for 15% of their electricity needs. Under a six-month 

contract, UC and CSU will purchase 39,000 MWh and 34,000 MWh, respectively, of RECs 

consisting of wind (86%) and landfill gas (14%) resources. The RECs are supplied by 3 Phases 

Energy Services under a wholesale agreement with APS Energy Services. 

Bonneville Environmental Foundation—Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), an 

independent nonprofit foundation established in 1998 by regional environmental groups and the 

Bonneville Power Administration, markets green tags sourced from renewable energy projects 

primarily in the Pacific Northwest. The revenues generated from the certificate sales are used to 

fund projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects 

utilizing solar, wind, and biomass resources. Through its Web site, BEF offers Cooler Future 

Green Tags supplied from wind (99%) and solar (1%) in 1000-kWh increments for $20, or a 

45
price premium of 2¢/kWh. It recently introduced Brighter Future Green Tags, which have a 

higher percentage of solar (10%) and are priced at 2.4¢/kWh. It also wholesales green tags to a 

number of utilities in the West and to a variety of large nonresidential customers, including 

White Wave, Interface Fabrics Group, and a number of ski areas. Along with new wind energy 

resources, BEF funds have supported the development of more than 200 kW of solar energy 

projects in the region. 

Cape Light Compact—An aggregator serving 185,000 residents of the 21 towns in Cape Cod 

and Martha's Vineyard (Massachusetts), the Cape Light Compact is offering two green power 

purchase options to its members. Under the Cape Light Compact Green program, customers can 

purchase 100% of their electricity from renewable energy sources including run-of-the-river 

hydro (75%), landfill gas or wind (24%), and solar (1%) at a premium of 1.8¢/kWh over the 

Compact's standard electricity product. Alternatively, customers can choose a 50% renewable 

energy option at a premium of 2.3¢/kWh for the green power portion. Initially, 25% of the 

product will come from “new” renewable resources. A portion of the renewable energy premium

can be deducted from federal taxes. Additionally, the state will match up to 75% of the premium

to provide funds for community-based, renewable energy projects and similar initiatives for lowincome residents across the state. 

 

Center for Ecological Technology—The Center for Ecological Technology (CET) has teamed 

with three other nonprofit suppliers of renewable energy in New England to market a single 

green power product to residential and small commercial customers in the region. Under the 

agreement, CET, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, People’s Power & Light, and Conservation 

Services Group (CSG) are offering New England GreenStart, a 100% renewable energy product 

sourced from New England-based resources and currently consisting of small hydro (75%), 

biomass (19%), wind (5%), and solar (1%). Going forward, CET will focus on marketing New 

England GreenStart in western Massachusetts and helping to secure new renewable energy 

sources from that area. 

Clean and Green—In 2005, Boulder, Colorado-based Clean and Green began offering a Greene certified REC product sourced from municipal and community-based wind energy projects 

nationwide. The company offers the RECs to residential customers in 300 kWh increments for 

about 3¢/kWh. 

Clean Energy Partnership—The Clean Energy Partnership, a Maryland-based nonprofit that 

organizes businesses to support solutions to global warming and air pollution, has teamed with 

Community Energy and Sterling Planet to offers its members green power options. Under the 

program, participating businesses can choose among three options: wind energy generated in the 

Mid-Atlantic; wind energy generated nationally; and a blend of 75% biomass, 24% wind, and 

1% solar. Discounts are provided for members and for larger-volume purchases. 

Commerce Energy (electricAmerica)—A subsidiary of Commerce Energy, electricAmerica 

continues to provide renewable electricity service to some customers in California. In March 

2004, the company renewed its contract with the City of Santa Monica to provide about 5 MW of 

renewable energy to meet 100% of the electricity needs at the city's municipal facilities. 

46
Community Energy Inc.—Community Energy Inc. (CEI) is a Pennsylvania-based, for-profit 

corporation that markets wind energy certificates in New York, the Mid-Atlantic, Illinois, and 

Colorado. CEI builds customer demand to support identified wind energy projects in the 

customer's region and contracts for the supply under long-term arrangements with wind 

developers and other suppliers. 

CEI has teamed with a variety of utilities and marketers to offer its New Wind Energy products to 

retail customers in the Northeast (see Utility/Marketer Partnerships). The company 

participates in default utility green power programs in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, 

Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. CEI has also independently teamed with utilities such as New 

York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), Rochester Gas & Electric, and PECO Energy to offer 

wind energy supplied from local wind projects. It also markets wind energy to customers in New 

York City, Philadelphia, and the Washington, D.C., area through cooperative marketing 

agreements with ConEdison Solutions, the Energy Cooperative Association of Pennsylvania, and 

Washington Gas Energy Services. In addition, CEI acts as a wholesale supplier. Its marketing 

partnerships have supported the development of more than 200 MW of new wind generation and 

it has wind projects under development in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New England, and 

other states east of the Mississippi River.

ConEdison Solutions—ConEdison Solutions, an unregulated subsidiary of Consolidated Edison 

that provides electricity service to residential and small business customers in the New York City 

region, teams with Community Energy Inc. to offer green power. The ConEdison Solutions 

GREEN Power product is a Green-e certified blend of New York-based wind (25%) and 

hydropower (75%) offered at a premium of 0.5¢/kWh compared to the company's standard 

electricity rate. The power is supplied from the 30-MW Fenner Windpower Project and small, 

run-of-the-river hydropower facilities. The offering is available to all residential customers in the 

ConEdison and Orange and Rockland service territories. The company also offers a 

nonresidential wind energy offering in conjunction with Community Energy that is priced 

according to the volume purchased. 

Conservation Services Group—Conservation Services Group (CSG) has teamed with three 

other nonprofit suppliers of renewable energy in New England to market a single green power 

product to residential and small commercial customers in the region. Under the agreement, CSG, 

Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, People’s Power & Light, and CET are offering New England 

GreenStart, a 100% renewable energy product sourced from New England-based resources and 

currently consisting of small hydro (75%), biomass (19%), wind (5%), and solar (1%). Going 

forward, CSG will concentrate on its wholesale market activities, including building new PV 

plants throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, many of which will be supported by New 

England GreenStart customers. 

In addition, CSG offers a Green-e certified REC product called ClimateSAVE that is currently 

supplied from wind and solar facilities in New York and Kansas. 

Constellation NewEnergy—Constellation NewEnergy offers renewable energy options to 

medium and large commercial and industrial companies in New England and other regions of the 

United States. Working in conjunction with Maine PowerOptions, a not-for-profit consortium

47
that serves as an aggregator for the state's governmental and nonprofit organizations, 

Constellation NewEnergy contracted to supply renewable energy to a number of facilities in 

Maine. It also supplied green power for both the Republican and Democratic national 

conventions. 

Direct Energy—In summer 2005, Direct Energy Inc. began offering renewable energy purchase 

options to retail customers in Texas. Its Pure Texas Wind Plan is a 100% renewable energy 

product offered at a fixed price for one year. A second option, the Clean Texas Wind Plan, is a 

50% renewable energy product offered at a 2% guaranteed savings to the “Price-to-Beat.” Direct 

Energy currently serves about 900,000 customers in Texas. In June, the company signed a longterm power purchase agreement with AES Corp. for the output of the 120-MW Buffalo Gap 

Wind Farm located near Abilene, Texas. 

EAD Environmental—EAD Environmental is a New York City-based marketer of RECs and 

greenhouse gas credits. Via the Internet, the company markets a 100% wind energy REC product 

for 1.5¢/kWh and a small hydro option for 1.2¢/kWh. The company is a subsidiary of Natsource, 

a broker of emissions credits and RECs serving wholesale markets. It supplies green power to a 

number of nonresidential customers, including Connecticut College, Harvard, and the University 

of Southern Maine. 

Energy Cooperative of New York—Energy Cooperative of New York (ECNY), a Buffalobased nonprofit organization, offers a green power option to residential electric customers in the 

Niagara Mohawk service territory. The renewable energy for the product is sourced from wind 

(25%) and landfill gas (75%) generation facilities within New York state. ECNY customers pay 

a premium of about 1¢/kWh for the green power but save about 0.5¢/kWh by switching to 

ECNY service. The green power charge appears on the customer's regular Niagara Mohawk bill. 

Energy Cooperative Association of Pennsylvania—Energy Cooperative Association of 

Pennsylvania (ECAP), a 20-year-old, Philadelphia-based fuel oil cooperative, offers a Green-e

certified product to its members. The EcoChoice 100 renewable energy product consists of 

nearly 90% landfill gas, 10% new wind energy, and a small fraction of solar. ECAP purchases 

the solar energy from members who own photovoltaic systems. ECAP’s green power product is 

available only in the PECO service territory. ECAP also offers its members a wind power option 

in collaboration with Community Energy. The product, called New Wind Energy, is sold in 100-

kWh blocks at an extra cost of $2.50 per block or 2.5¢/kWh. 

EnviroGen—Based in Buffalo, New York, EnviroGen participates in the both the Niagara 

Mohawk GreenUp program and the Long Island Power Authority LIPA Green Choice Program

(see Utility/Marketer Partnerships). In both programs, the company offers a product supplied 

from a blend of 75% biomass and 25% small hydro resources at a premium of 1.0¢/kWh. 

Gexa Energy—In spring 2005, Gexa Energy began offering green power to residential and 

commercial customers in Texas, as well as to commercial customers in Massachusetts and New 

York. In the Houston market, the price for the company’s “Gexa Green” renewable energy 

product is 0.5¢/kWh more than for the company’s conventional power product. The power for 

the renewable energy offering is sourced from wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources. Gexa 

48
currently serves approximately 800 megawatts of load associated with more than 100,000 small 

commercial and residential customers throughout Texas. 

Green Mountain Energy Company—Based in Austin, Texas, Green Mountain Energy 

Company provides its brand of clean electricity products to about 600,000 customers in 

California, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas. . Green Mountain 

offers a 100% wind energy product in Texas; but, in most other states, the company markets 

renewable energy blends from sources such as landfill gas, small hydro, wind, and solar. In Ohio,

Green Mountain serves a number of municipal aggregation groups with electricity generated 

primarily from natural gas facilities, with a small percentage from renewable sources (2%). The 

company also offers Green-e certified RECs products to commercial customers nationally. In 

addition, the company administers and markets green power products offered through utilities in 

Florida, Ohio, Oregon, New Jersey, and New York. 

Green Mountain’s market activities have resulted in the development of more than 170 MW of 

new renewable energy projects, including a 160-MW wind project in west Texas, wind projects 

in California and Pennsylvania, and commercial-scale photovoltaic systems in most of the states 

in which the company operates. Green Mountain has financial backing from Nuon (one of the 

largest electric utilities in the Netherlands) and BP Amoco. 

Jersey-Atlantic Wind—Jersey-Atlantic Wind participates in the New Jersey CleanPower 

Choice program, which began October 1, 2005. Under the program, the company is offering a 

blend of New Jersey-based wind (50%) and low-impact hydro (50%) at a premium of 2.9¢/kWh. 

The company is also offering a 100% New Jersey-based wind product in 100-kWh monthly 

increments for $5.50, or a premium of 5.5¢/kWh. 

Levco Energy—In March 2005, Levco Energy, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based heating oil and 

energy provider, began offering a 100% renewable energy product to residential customers in the 

Connecticut Light and Power service territory at the same cost as standard-offer service. Levco’s 

100% Renewable Program consists of RECs sourced 98.5% from state-defined Class II 

resources, such as existing waste-to-energy, biomass, or hydro facilities, and 1.5% from Class I 

resources, such as new solar, wind, fuel cells, and landfill gas. 

Maine Interfaith Power & Light—In fall 2004, Maine Interfaith Power & Light introduced two 

new green power offerings sourced from zero-emission renewable energy resources, which 

replace and improve upon its initial green power offering launched in January 2003. The first 

new product, Green Supply II, is sourced from the Worumbo hydropower facility in Lisbon 

Falls, Maine, which is the only small hydropower dam in the state certified as low-impact by the 

Low Impact Hydropower Institute. The product is priced at 1¢/kWh above the standard offer 

rate. The second offering, Green Supply Plus, couples electricity from the Worumbo hydropower 

facility with 20% new wind electricity and is priced at 1.5¢/kWh above the standard-offer rate. 

Mass Energy Consumers Alliance—Mass Energy Consumers Alliance (Mass Energy) has 

teamed with three other nonprofit suppliers of renewable energy in New England to market a 

single green power product to residential and small commercial customers in the region. Under 

the agreement, Mass Energy, People's Power & Light, CSG, and CET are offering New England 

49
GreenStart, a 100% renewable energy product sourced from New England-based resources and 

currently consisting of small hydro (75%), biomass (19%), wind (5%), and solar (1%). Going 

forward, Mass Energy and People's Power & Light will continue to provide overall 

administration and management of New England GreenStart, as well as oversee the development 

of a marketing and outreach campaign to support the retail green power market. 

Mass Energy also offers a REC product called New England Wind, which is available to 

customers throughout New England. The product is sold in 2-MWh blocks at a cost of $100, or a 

premium of 5¢/kWh. Customers purchasing New England Wind do not switch electricity 

providers but continue to pay their standard monthly electricity bill. Mass Energy supplies the 

product from a 660-kW wind turbine located in Hull, Massachusetts. 

NativeEnergy—NativeEnergy offers a program that enables individuals and businesses to 

support the development of new wind and biomass projects through the advance purchase of 

long-term streams of renewable energy credits, including the associated carbon dioxide (CO2) 

offsets. The NativeEnergy program has directly supported the development of a 750-kW wind 

turbine on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota and a small wastewater 

methane facility in New England. The company is assisting in the development of a 10-MW

wind project on the Rosebud Sioux reservation, as well as farm-based methane projects in 

Pennsylvania and Vermont. In summer 2005, the nonprofit Intertribal Council On Utility Policy 

(COUP) announced that it had acquired a majority interest in NativeEnergy on behalf of its 

member tribes. 

People’s Power & Light—A Rhode Island-based nonprofit supplier of renewable energy, 

People’s Power & Light has combined forces with three other New England-based green power 

marketers to market a single green power product to residential and small commercial customers 

in the region. Under the agreement, People's Power & Light, Mass Energy, Conservation 

Services Group (CSG), and the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) are offering New 

England GreenStart, a 100% renewable energy product sourced from New England-based 

resources and currently consisting of small hydro (75%), biomass (19%), wind (5%), and solar 

(1%). People's Power & Light is providing overall administration and management of New 

England GreenStart, as well as overseeing the development of a marketing and outreach 

campaign to support the retail green power market. 

Pepco Energy Services—Pepco Energy Services, an unregulated subsidiary of Potomac Electric 

Power Company, offers green power to customers in some areas of Maryland, Pennsylvania, 

Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Customers can choose from the company’s 10%, 51%, or 100% 

renewable energy options, which are supplied primarily from biomass sources, such as landfill 

gas. The company also offers 51% and 100% wind energy options supplied from new wind 

energy projects in the region. Pepco Energy Services serves a number of large accounts 

including the state of New Jersey, the Tower Companies, and the U.S. Department of Energy 

(DOE). 

QVINTA Inc.—In June 2004, QVINTA Inc. entered into a three-year agreement with the U.S. 

EPA to supply 2.35 million kWh of RECs for EPA’s Duluth, Minnesota, laboratory sourced 

from wind facilities located in Dodge Center, Minnesota. 

50
Reliant Energy—Reliant Energy offers a 100% wind energy option to residential customers in 

Texas. Reliant introduced its renewable energy option to customers outside of the Houston area 

in 2002 and expanded the offering to Houston customers in 2005. Under the state’s electricity 

restructuring law, incumbent utilities were restricted from providing competitive products and 

services in their home territory until January 1, 2005. To supply the product offering, Reliant 

purchases renewable energy credits from Texas-based wind farms. 

Renewable Choice Energy—Renewable Choice Energy (RCE), based in Boulder, Colorado, 

offers a REC-based wind energy product called American Wind, which is available to consumers 

nationwide. The product is supplied from a variety of new wind energy projects in the United 

States. The company uses grassroots marketing—including direct sales and community events—

to sell its products. 

Renewable Ventures—San Francisco-based Renewable Ventures offers a Green-e certified 

REC product sourced from California-based PVUSA solar projects. The RECs are sold in 750 

kWh increments for $25. 

Select Energy—As the competitive energy marketing and services arm of Northeast Utilities, 

Select Energy offers Green-e certified renewable energy to business and institutional customers 

in the Mid-Atlantic. The company has entered into contracts to supply green power to the U.S. 

EPA and the U.S. General Services Administration. 

Sky Energy Inc.—Greenville, South Carolina-based Sky Energy Inc. offers a Green-e certified 

REC product sourced from wind energy projects nationwide. 

Sterling Planet—A Georgia-based green power marketer, Sterling Planet participates in utility 

green power programs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island 

(see Utility/Marketer Partnerships), through which it offers renewable energy blends. Sterling 

Planet also offers a Green-e-certified 100% REC product to residential and business customers 

nationwide. The RECs are obtained from a number of different sources throughout the United 

States, encompassing the use of solar, wind, and biomass resources. The average price of the 

RECs is 1.6¢/kWh. Sterling Planet has entered into contracts to supply RECs to a number of 

large, nonresidential customers, including the U.S. EPA and Fortune 500 companies that 

participate in the Green Power Market Development Group. 

Sterling Planet also partners with Suburban Energy Services to offer green power to homeowners 

and small businesses in New York. It has developed green power marketing partnerships with 

several utility companies, including the City of Tallahassee, Keys Energy Services, and JEA. 

Strategic Energy—A Pittsburgh-based competitive electricity supplier, Strategic Energy LLC 

provides green power to several large, nonresidential customers including Office Depot, Kinko’s, 

and the State of Pennsylvania. 

Suburban Energy Services (formerly Agway Energy Products)—Suburban Energy Services, 

a Syracuse, New York-based company that provides heating oil, natural gas, and other energy 

services, offers green power to homeowners and small businesses in the Niagara Mohawk and 

51
NYSEG electric service territories in partnership with Sterling Planet. The companies are 

offering a product called Sterling Green—a blend of new wind, small hydroelectric, and methane 

gas derived from renewable sources. Customers choosing the green power product pay 1.5¢/kWh 

more than the company’s standard electricity product. 

TerraPass Inc.—Formed by a group of Wharton Business School classmates, TerraPass Inc. 

offers a service to offset automobile-related greenhouse gas emissions. Interested customers can 

purchase a TerraPass to offset the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with driving 

12,000 miles. The base price ranges from $29.95 to $79.95, depending on the fuel efficiency of 

the vehicle driven, which is equivalent to from $9 to $11 per metric ton of CO2 offset. TerraPass 

uses the revenues to purchase RECs and to purchase and retire CO2 emissions offsets from the 

Chicago Climate Exchange. For example, TerraPass has purchased Green-e certified RECs from 

wind projects and RECs from a dairy farm anaerobic digestion project. 

TXU Energy—TXU Energy, a utility serving 2.7 million electric customers in Texas, contracted 

with Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, to supply approximately 78 million kWh of wind 

power annually to meet all the electricity requirements of the base. 

Washington Gas Energy Services—An affiliate of Washington Gas, Washington Gas Energy 

Services (WGES) partners with Community Energy to offer wind energy to businesses and 

residents in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. In some service territories, WGES offers 

100-kWh blocks of wind energy at a 2.5¢/kWh premium. In other areas, customers can choose to 

purchase wind energy for a portion of their electricity use, ranging from as little as 5% to as 

much as 100%. The power is supplied from the 66-MW Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in 

West Virginia, which began operating in December 2002. 

Waverly Light and Power—Waverly Light and Power (WL&P), a municipal electric utility 

serving 4,300 customers in Waverly, Iowa, sells wind energy certificates representing the 

environmental attributes of the output of three utility-owned and operated wind turbines—a 900-

kW turbine north of Waverly and two 750-kW turbines near Alta, Iowa. The certificates are sold 

in 2,500-kWh blocks for $50, or 2.0¢/kWh. According to the utility, revenues from the certificate 

sales will be used to develop additional wind energy projects. 

WindCurrent—Based in Baltimore, Maryland, WindCurrent offers a Green-e certified product 

called Chesapeake WindCurrent to customers in the Washington, D.C., area. Customers can 

purchase the green power to meet 25%, 50%, or 100% of their electricity needs or purchase 100-

kWh blocks (two-block minimum) at a premium of 2.5¢/kWh. The product is currently supplied 

from the Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in West Virginia. In the future, wind power projects 

planned for Maryland and Virginia may be added to the resource mix. 

52
UTILITY/MARKETER PARTNERSHIPS 

Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating—In April 2005, a green power 

program was unveiled for customers of Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating. 

Under the new program, customers have the option to purchase green power for 50% or 100% of 

their electricity needs from two providers—Sterling Planet and Community Energy—which were 

selected by the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control through a competitive bidding 

process. 

The Sterling Planet product is sourced from new wind (33%), existing small hydro (33%), and 

new landfill gas generators (34%) at a premium of 1.15¢/kWh over standard-offer service. The 

Community Energy offering is sourced from 50% new wind and 50% landfill gas and priced at 

1.1¢/kWh over standard-offer rates. 

Long Island Power Authority—Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) provides green power 

options for the nearly 1.1 million electricity customers that it serves on Long Island. Under its 

LIPA Green Choice Program, retail customers can purchase green power in the form of RECs 

directly from participating green power marketers. Currently, three marketers—Community 

Energy, EnviroGen, and Sterling Planet—offer renewable energy blends or a 100% wind energy 

option ranging from 1¢/kWh to 2.5¢/kWh above standard electricity costs. Participating 

customers receive a single bill from LIPA reflecting both standard electricity charges and the 

incremental charge for the green power. 

Massachusetts Electric Company and Nantucket Electric Company—In fall 2003, National 

Grid expanded its GreenUp program and began offering green power options to customers of its 

electric distribution subsidiaries in Massachusetts. Currently, customers of Massachusetts 

Electric Company and Nantucket Electric Company can purchase products offered by three 

different green power suppliers: Community Energy, Mass Energy, and Sterling Planet. The 

products are blends of power from new and existing renewable energy resources and range from

1.35¢/kWh to 2.4¢/kWh above a customer's standard electricity rate. 

Narragansett Electric—In March 2004, National Grid expanded its GreenUp program to 

customers of Narragansett Electric, a subsidiary company that serves 465,000 electricity 

customers in Rhode Island. Under the program, customers can purchase green power from one of 

three participating green power marketers: Community Energy Inc., People's Power & Light, and 

Sterling Planet. The product options range from 1.5¢/kWh to 2.0¢/kWh above the cost of 

standard service and consist of renewable energy supplied from a variety of sources, such as 

wind, small hydro, biomass, and solar. Participating customers do not switch from their existing 

utility service but see a green power surcharge on their regular bills. 

New Jersey Utilities—In fall 2005, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) announced 

the start of a new program through which the state’s retail electric customers can purchase 

renewable energy without switching electricity suppliers. Under the Clean Power Choice 

Program, residential and business customers can enroll by checking a box on their utility bills 

and selecting from among renewable energy products offered by four marketers: Community 

Energy, Green Mountain Energy Company, Jersey-Atlantic Wind, and Sterling Planet. The 

53
products offered through the program are renewable energy blends offered at rate premiums

ranging from 0.9¢/kWh to 2.9¢/kWh. In addition, one supplier is offering blocks of New Jersey 

wind energy for 5.5¢/kWh. Green power sold in the program must be sourced from renewable 

energy that is not otherwise used to meet a statutory requirement, such as a renewable portfolio 

standard. The program began October 1 in the PSE&G and JCP&L service territories and will 

expand to Atlantic City Electric and Orange & Rockland Utilities in April 2006. The BPU’s 

Office of Clean Energy will oversee and administer the program and ensure that relevant New 

Jersey consumer protection rules and procedures are followed. 

New York State Electric and Gas—New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), an electric 

utility that serves about 830,000 electricity customers in upstate New York, has teamed with 

Community Energy to offer wind energy to its residential customers. The New Wind Energy

product is available in 100-kWh blocks at a cost of $2.50 per block monthly. Customers must 

purchase a minimum of two blocks. The power is supplied from the 30-MW Fenner Windpower 

Project, which is about 40 miles southeast of Syracuse. 

Niagara Mohawk—In 2002, Niagara Mohawk, a National Grid subsidiary that serves 1.5 

million electricity customers in upstate New York, introduced a program through which its 

residential and commercial customers could purchase electricity generated from renewable 

energy sources offered by third-party providers. The GreenUp renewable energy program was 

developed as a result of the settlement agreement reached in the Niagara Mohawk-National Grid 

merger. Under the program, participating customers do not switch from their regular utility 

service, but see a line item for a green power surcharge on their utility bills. Customers can 

choose to purchase green power products offered by four providers: Community Energy Inc., 

EnviroGen, Green Mountain Energy Company, and Sterling Planet. The products are blends of 

power from new and existing renewable energy resources and range from 1¢/kWh to 2¢/kWh 

above a customer's standard electricity rate. In September 2004, Niagara Mohawk announced 

that about 8,800 customers had enrolled in the program. 

PECO Energy—In May 2004, PECO Energy, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation that serves 

1.5 million electric customers in southeastern Pennsylvania, began offering a wind energy 

product to its residential and business customers. Customers can purchase PECO WIND in 100-

kWh blocks monthly for an additional charge of $2.54 per block (2.54¢/kWh), or can choose to 

receive 100% of their electricity from wind energy. The extra charge for the wind energy is 

added directly to the utility bills of participating customers. The wind energy is supplied by 

Community Energy Inc. from several Pennsylvania-based wind projects, including Mill Run (15 

MW), Somerset (9 MW), and Waymart (60 MW). In November 2004, PECO announced that it 

had enrolled more than 9,000 households in its PECO WIND program. 

Rochester Gas & Electric—Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E), a utility distribution subsidiary 

of Energy East Corporation that serves 350,000 electricity customers in upstate New York, is 

teaming with Community Energy Inc. to offer its customers the option of purchasing electricity 

generated from new in-state wind energy sources. Under its Catch the Wind program, customers 

can purchase 100-kWh blocks of wind energy monthly for an extra $2.50 (2.5¢/kWh). The 

minimum purchase is two blocks per month, which is equivalent to one-third of an average 

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residential customer’s electricity use. The extra charge for the wind energy will be added to the 

regular electricity bill of participating customers. 

SELECTED WHOLESALE MARKETERS

A variety of companies and generators supply green power or RECs in wholesale markets. Some

of the more prominent wholesale marketers are listed below, as well as other supplier entities 

that have explicitly stated their intent to market the output of renewable energy generating 

projects in voluntary purchase markets. 

Aquila—Aquila offers Green-e certified RECs to retail marketers and commercial and industrial 

customers. The certificates are supplied from the company's 110-MW Gray County (Kansas) 

Wind Farm, which was completed at the end of 2001. 

Basin Electric Power Cooperative—Basin Electric, a regional power cooperative that generates 

and transmits electricity to 124 member rural electric systems in nine Midwestern states, markets 

RECs from two new 40-MW wind energy projects in North Dakota and South Dakota. Basin 

also supplies green power to many of its distribution cooperatives under the Prairie Winds

product name. 

Bonneville Power Administration—Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal energy 

marketer with headquarters in Portland, Oregon, supplies green power to a number of utilities 

and large, nonresidential customers, primarily in the Pacific Northwest. BPA purchases the 

output of nearly 200 MW of wind energy from the Condon, Klondike, and Stateline projects in 

the Pacific Northwest; and the Foote Creek Rim project in Wyoming. It also partners with the 

Bonneville Environmental Foundation to market “green tags.” 

Calpine Corporation—Calpine, headquartered in San Jose, California, supplies utilities and 

power marketers with green power or RECs from its California-based geothermal power 

projects. 

Endless Energy Corporation—Endless Energy, a Maine-based wind energy developer, entered 

into an agreement with the College of the Atlantic of Bar Harbor, Maine, to supply wind energy 

from the Redington Wind Farm, which is planned for completion in 2005. The college has made 

a 20-year commitment to purchase wind energy for 100% of its electricity needs. 

EnXco—EnXco, a California-based wind energy developer, offers a Green-e certified 

commercial and wholesale tradable renewable certificate product called Viking Wind. The 

product is supplied from its wind energy projects, such as the 12-MW Viking Wind Project in 

Minnesota. 

Exelon—Exelon has long-term power purchase agreements for the output of four wind projects 

in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, with a combined capacity exceeding 175 MW. The company 

has an agreement with Community Energy to market the output to customers throughout the 

region. 

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MidAmerican Energy— MidAmerican Energy, which provides electricity to about 700,000 

customers in the upper Midwest, is marketing a portion of the output of its 360-MW wind project 

in northwest Iowa, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2005.

Missouri River Energy Services—Missouri River Energy Services (MRES)—a joint-action 

agency providing wholesale power to 56 member municipal utilities in Iowa, Minnesota, North 

Dakota, and South Dakota—provides wind energy to its member utilities from four wind 

turbines (with a combined capacity of 3.7 MW) located outside of Worthington, Minnesota. 

MRES also makes “green tags” available to nonmember municipal utilities interested in 

developing green pricing programs for their customers. 

Mainstay Energy—Chicago-based Mainstay Energy purchases and aggregates RECs from

small, customer-owned renewable energy systems, and markets them nationwide. 

Nebraska Public Power District—Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) plans to sell a 

portion of the output of a recently constructed 60-MW wind project near Ainsworth, Nebraska, 

to other public utilities as wholesale wind energy and RECs. 

PPM Energy—PPM Energy, a nonregulated subsidiary of ScottishPower, markets the output 

from a number of wind energy projects in the West, including the 300-MW Stateline project 

wind plant on the Washington-Oregon border, the 144-MW Unita County wind project in 

Wyoming, the 162-MW High Winds project in California, and the 24-MW Klondike project in 

Oregon. 

PowerLight Corporation—A Berkeley, California-based designer, manufacturer, and installer 

of grid-connected solar electric systems, PowerLight Corporation offers a Green-e certified 

commercial and wholesale REC product called PureSolar. 

Vision Quest—A division of TransAlta Energy Corporation based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 

Vision Quest has entered into a two-year agreement with the Bonneville Environmental 

Foundation to supply Green Tags created from wind projects that it owns and operates at various 

locations throughout Canada, including the 68-MW Summerview wind farm in Alberta. Vision 

Quest facilities and products are certified both in Canada and by the Green-e program in the 

United States. BEF offers the Green Tags to businesses and utilities in both countries, opening 

up the market for cross-border sales of renewable energy. 

CERTIFICATE BROKERS 

Cantor Environmental Brokerage—Cantor Fitzgerald is a financial services firm with 

operating units involved in a variety of market-based business initiatives (including energy and 

environmental brokerage), such as RECs and CO2 emissions trading. 

Emissions Credit Brokers—Emissions Credit Brokers is a domestic broker of emissions credits 

and RECs.

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Evolution Markets—Evolution Markets is an emissions and coal brokerage firm based in White 

Plains, New York, which has been approved as a broker of Green-e certified RECs. The 

company also manages an Internet-based bulletin board for RECs, which provides a venue for 

wholesale buyers and sellers to post bids and offers for renewable energy attributes and green 

power. 

GFI Group—GFI Group, with offices in New York City and international locations, is a 

brokerage and financial services firm specializing in financial and commodity markets, including 

emissions trading and RECs. 

GT Energy—GT Energy is an international environmental brokerage that is active in both U.S. 

and European renewable energy markets. 

Natsource LLC—Natsource, based in New York City, is an international broker of emissions 

credits and RECs. 

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Selected Green Power Customers

Because polls and surveys show that individual consumers place a high value on environmental 

protection and the use of cleaner energy sources, early green power marketing efforts focused 

primarily on residential customers. More recently, green power providers have focused 

marketing efforts on nonresidential customers. Once thought to be too price sensitive to be 

willing to pay more for green power, businesses recognize that green power purchasing can help 

meet corporate goals related to environmental improvement and sustainable business practices. 

Larger customers are also more economical for marketers to serve than many small customers. 

This section highlights green power purchasing by selected nonresidential customers. In addition 

to business customers, green power purchasers include municipalities, government agencies, and 

other organizations. In the federal sector, green power purchases are encouraged by the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005, which replaces a 1999 Presidential Executive Order that called for federal 

agencies to expand the use of renewable energy within facilities. 

BUSINESSES 

Advanced Micro Devices—In September 2005, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a leading 

supplier of personal computer processors and memory, announced that it would purchase 100% 

renewable energy from Austin (Texas) Energy's GreenChoice program for its Austin facilities. 

Under the agreement, AMD purchases 52 million kWh of renewable energy annually or enough 

to power 4,000 average Austin homes year-round. 

American Psychological Association—Under an agreement announced in August 2003, the 

American Psychological Association (APA) committed to purchase green power equal to 75% of

the annual electricity consumption of its two Capitol Hill office buildings. Green Mountain 

Energy Company supplied the green power as renewable energy certificates (RECs) derived 

from wind energy and other renewable resources. The green power purchase amounted to more 

than 20 million kWh during a 19-month period. 

Aspen Skiing Company—In 1997, Aspen Skiing Company became the first ski resort to 

purchase wind power. Today, the company purchases 1,200 MWh of wind power annually and 

recently constructed a 115-kilowatt microhydro plant that combined represent about 5% of its 

electricity use. Aspen is also the first ski industry member to join the Chicago Climate Exchange 

and hopes to achieve a 10% reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 from 1999 

levels. 

Austin Independent School District—In October 2003, the Austin Independent School District 

entered into an agreement with Austin Energy to purchase 45 million kWh of green power 

annually, or enough to meet 30% of its annual electricity needs. According to the school district 

superintendent, the purchase is a “wise investment for Austin schools” because the price of the 

green energy is fixed through 2011 under Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program. During 2000 

and 2001, the district was forced to double its utility budget as a result of increases in the price of 

natural gas. 

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Ben & Jerry's—In August 2002, Ben & Jerry's announced that it would offset a year's worth of 

carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its Vermont ice cream production facilities by supporting 

the construction of a new 750-kW wind turbine on Native American lands in South Dakota. 

Through its participation in NativeEnergy's WindBuilders Business Partner program, Ben & 

Jerry's purchased renewable energy credits equivalent to 4.5 million kWh of wind energy 

generated during the life of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe wind turbine. The purchase offsets 

approximately 5,000 tons of CO2. 

Clif Bar—Clif Bar, a Berkeley, California-based maker of nutrition bars and foods for

endurance activities, offset the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the energy used to 

power its offices, manufacturing operations, and business travel during 2002 by purchasing 

renewable energy credits generated from a new Native American-owned wind turbine. Through 

its participation in NativeEnergy’s WindBuilders program, Clif Bar purchased RECs equivalent 

to 2.2 million kWh of wind energy generated during the life of the 750-kW Rosebud Sioux Tribe 

wind turbine in South Dakota. The purchase offsets about 2,000 tons of CO2. 

The Durst Organization—Under an agreement with ConEdison Solutions and Community 

Energy Inc. (CEI) announced in January 2004, the Durst Organization—a prominent New York 

City-based commercial real estate owner—committed to purchase 10.5 million kWh of wind 

power annually to supply seven high-rise office buildings in Manhattan. The green power 

purchase represents 10% of the total energy consumed in the company’s New York properties. 

ConEdison’s Green Power product for commercial customers consists of wind energy supplied 

by CEI and sourced from regional wind power projects including the 30-MW Fenner Wind 

Power Project located in Madison County, New York. 

FedEx Kinko's—In October 2003, FedEx Kinko's (formerly Kinko’s) entered into agreements 

to expand its green power purchases by 80%. Under a contract with 3 Phases Energy Services, 

the company purchases 13.9 million kWh of biomass energy certificates for 45 retail stores in 

Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In addition, FedEx Kinko's entered into 

agreements with utilities in South Carolina, Wyoming, and Colorado to purchase green power 

for another 20 branches. With these agreements, the company is purchasing a total of 29 million 

kWh of green power annually for more than 11% of its retail stores spanning 18 states. 

HSBC Bank North America—In April 2005, HSBC Bank announced that it is purchasing wind 

energy certificates equivalent to about 25% of its electricity needs under an agreement with 3 

Phases Energy Service. HSBC is purchasing 68 million kWh annually of Green-e certified RECs 

sourced from new wind projects in California and Minnesota, making it one of the largest retail 

green power purchases in North America. In December 2004, HSBC became the world’s first 

major bank to commit to carbon neutrality. The bank plans to achieve this goal by reducing 

energy use, buying green electricity, and offsetting the remaining carbon dioxide emissions by 

investing in carbon credit or allowance projects. 

Hyatt Hotels—In August 2005, two Hyatt hotels in Dallas entered into an agreement with 

Austin-based Green Mountain Energy Company to purchase renewable energy for 100% of their 

electricity needs. Together, the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion and Hyatt Regency DFW

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International Airport have committed to purchase about 35 million kWh of renewable energy 

annually, which is the largest hospitality industry purchase of renewable energy nationally. 

Interface Fabrics Group—Interface Fabrics Group, a supplier of fabrics for commercial 

interiors based in Guilford, Maine, purchases wind energy certificates equivalent to the energy 

associated with manufacturing select patterns of its Terratex product. Under an agreement with 

the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (Oregon) announced in March 2003, the company is 

purchasing 12.5 million kWh of "green tags" over five years. Interface Fabrics Group, which is a 

division of Interface Inc., derives almost 90% of its thermal needs from biomass or waste wood 

chips.

Lockheed Martin— In October 2003, defense and aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin 

committed to purchase enough green power to meet 10% of the annual electricity needs of its 

Palo Alto (California) facilities through the City of Palo Alto Utilities’ green pricing program. 

Under the agreement, Lockheed Martin purchases 1.8 million kWh of renewable energy 

annually. 

Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse—Lowe's, the nation's 13th largest retailer, announced 

in July 2002 that it would purchase about 3% of its monthly electrical use for its 32 stores from

the Green Power Switch program offered by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and its 

distributors. The company agreed to purchase about 4.5 million kWh of green power annually for 

its stores and has since increased the purchase to 6 million kWh. 

Lundberg Family Farms— Under an agreement with 3 Phases Energy Services announced in 

July 2003, Lundberg Family Farms, a Sacramento-based farm and packager of natural and 

organic rice products, committed to purchase green power for 100% of the electricity used to run 

its milling, processing, and packaging operations. Under the agreement, the farm purchased 4.4 

million kWh per year of wind energy certificates supplied from the Stateline and Klondike wind 

energy facilities in Oregon 

Luzenac America Inc.—In July 2003, Luzenac America Inc. entered into an agreement to 

purchase renewable energy certificates from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset 

100% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its electrical energy use at the 

Yellowstone Talc Mine in Montana. The certificates, or “green tags,” represent more than 1.7 

million kWh of renewable energy generated from wind energy sources in the region. 

Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc.—In May 2005, Mohawk Fine Papers, the nation’s largest 

manufacturer of premium printing and imaging papers, increased its annual purchases of wind 

energy by more than 350% to run its two mills in upstate New York as well as a newly 

purchased facility in Ohio. The annual purchase of 45 million kWh makes Mohawk one of the 

leading U.S. business purchasers of green power, according to data compiled by the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership. Wind energy now provides 21% 

of the annual power needs of the New York mills and 50% of the Ohio mill’s needs. 

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New Belgium Brewing Company Inc.—The New Belgium Brewing Company Inc. of Fort 

Collins, Colorado, purchases 100% wind energy to power the brewery's operations. A brewer of 

specialty beers, New Belgium entered into an agreement in March 1999 with Fort Collins 

Utilities to purchase the wind energy at a premium price for 10 years. The entire 70-person staff

of New Belgium voted to purchase the wind power even though the additional cost will diminish 

the size of their annual bonuses. To supply the New Belgium contract, a new 660-kW wind 

turbine was added at the Platte River Power Authority wind site near Medicine Bow, Wyoming. 

Office Depot—Office Depot, a national seller of office products with 867 retail stores in 44 

states, entered into an agreement with Pittsburgh-based Strategic Energy in June 2004 to 

purchase green power for 12 of its California retail stores and warehouses. Under the two-year 

contract, the company is buying approximately 19 million kWh of electricity annually, generated

from landfill gas and wind. 

OfficeMax, Inc.—OfficeMax Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of office supplies and 

services, announced that it is offering its North American business customers a 100% postconsumer recycled paper manufactured with wind power and certified by the Forest Stewardship 

Council (FSC). The paper is also made without the use of chlorine and chlorine compounds. 

Mohawk Color Copy 100% Recycled Paper is manufactured by Mohawk Paper Mills, the only 

U.S. mill using wind energy in its paper-making process. 

Starbucks—In April 2005, Starbucks Coffee Company committed to purchase wind energy 

certificates sufficient to match 5% of the electricity used to power its company-operated stores in 

North America. The purchase is part of a multifaceted environmental sustainability strategy to 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the company’s business activities. According to 

the company, the purchase is equivalent to the output of 11 large wind turbines. Starbucks also 

recently joined the Green Power Market Development Group, a collaboration of leading 

corporations and the World Resources Institute, dedicated to building corporate markets for 

green power. 

Tower Companies—A family-owned commercial and residential building developer, the Tower 

Companies announced an agreement in March 2003 to purchase green power to supply 

company-owned buildings in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Under the terms of a new 

2-year deal signed in 2005, Pepco Energy Services (PES) will supply 41 million kWh of green 

power to meet 100% of the energy needs of Tower's commercial buildings and Tower-owned 

apartment communities. Sterling Planet is providing PES with green energy in the form of

renewable energy certificates. 

WhiteWave—In 2003, White Wave, a leading manufacturer of Silk soy milk and other soybased foods based in Boulder, Colorado, contracted to purchase wind energy certificates 

equivalent to 100% of the electricity used in its manufacturing operations. Under agreements 

with Renewable Choice Energy and Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the company 

committed to purchase 20 million kWh of "Green Tags" supplied from wind farms in several 

states. In 2004, WhiteWave’s parent company, Dean Foods, acquired Horizon Organic, a leading 

producer of organic dairy products and consolidated the Silk and Horizon Organic brands under a 

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new division called WhiteWave Foods. In 2005, the division more than doubled its purchase of 

green power to 49.5 million kWh to encompass the energy used by Horizon Organic. 

Whole Foods Market Inc.— A leading natural and organic supermarket based in Austin, Texas, 

Whole Foods Market currently purchases or generates 71 million kWh of green power, which is 

equivalent to more than 20% of its electricity needs nationally. The company has expanded its 

purchases over time. In June 2004, Whole Foods committed to purchase wind energy certificates 

for 10% of the electricity used at its 28 stores and facilities in the North Atlantic Region, 

covering Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. More recently 

the company purchased green power equivalent to 100% of the electricity usage of its nine 

natural food stores in Colorado and New Mexico. 

UNIVERSITIES 

American University—In February 2003, American University (Washington, D.C.) entered into 

a contract with Washington Gas Energy Services and Community Energy to meet 5% of its 

electricity needs for five years with wind power. The power is supplied from the 66-MW

Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in West Virginia, which began operating in December 2002. 

California Universities—In June 2005, the University of California (UC) and California State 

University (CSU) systems entered into an agreement to purchase renewable energy for 15% of 

their electricity needs. Under a six-month contract with APS Energy Services, UC and CSU will 

purchase 39 million kWh and 34 million kWh, respectively, of renewable energy certificates 

consisting of wind (86%) and landfill gas (14%) resources. The RECs will be supplied by 3 

Phases Energy Services under a wholesale agreement with APS Energy Services. The purchase 

stems in part from UC’s policy on Green Building Design and Clean Energy Standards, which 

was adopted in July 2003 to increase sustainability system-wide. At CSU, the announcement 

comes on the heels of a two-year campaign run by university students and Greenpeace to 

encourage CSU to adopt a comprehensive clean energy and sustainability policy. The university 

is drafting a policy that will include standards for energy conservation, clean energy generation, 

clean energy purchasing, and sustainable building design. 

Carnegie Mellon University—In 2001, Carnegie Mellon University, a Pittsburgh-based 

research university of about 7,500 students, began purchasing wind energy to meet about 5% of 

its electricity needs under an agreement with Community Energy, Inc. In 2003, the university 

expanded its purchase to 5.8 million kWh annually or 6% of its annual electricity needs. 

Community Energy has supplied the power from the Mill Run and Somerset wind energy 

projects located southeast of Pittsburgh, which have a combined capacity of 24 megawatts 

(MW). 

Catholic University—In August 2002, the Catholic University of America, based in 

Washington, D.C., entered into an agreement with Washington Gas Energy Services to purchase 

wind energy, meeting 12% of its electricity needs for five years. The power is supplied from the 

66-MW Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in West Virginia under a wholesale supply agreement 

with Community Energy. The purchase is equivalent to the entire annual output of one, 1.5-MW

wind turbine.

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College of the Atlantic—In July 2004, the College of the Atlantic, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, 

made a 20-year commitment to purchase wind energy for 100% of its electricity needs. The 

college signed an agreement with Endless Energy Corporation (EEC) to buy wind energy from

the Redington Mountain Windfarm, which will be completed in 2005. Pending completion of the 

wind project, the College of the Atlantic is purchasing renewable energy credits, or “green tags,” 

from NativeEnergy supplied from the Rosebud Sioux wind project in South Dakota. 

Colorado State University—Colorado State University (CSU), a land-grant university in Fort 

Collins, Colorado, offers students living in university residence halls a wind power purchase 

option. CSU, with an enrollment of 25,000 students, is believed to be the first university in the 

nation to allow on-campus residents to choose wind energy. Since fall 2004, the approximately 

5,000 students living in residence halls have had the option to purchase 100% wind energy for 

their rooms at a cost of $17 annually. The typical residence hall student uses about 1,600 kWh of 

electricity during the nine-month school year. The wind power is supplied by Fort Collins 

Utilities through its Wind Power Program. 

Concordia University—In July 2003, Concordia University became the first college or 

university in the nation to subscribe to 100% green power for all of its power needs. The 77-

year-old Lutheran school in Austin, Texas, enrolled in Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program

for all of the approximately 6 million kWh of electricity that it uses annually. Concordia will use 

energy efficiency improvements to offset the additional cost of the green power. 

Connecticut College—In December 2003, Connecticut College entered into an agreement with 

New York-based EAD Environmental to purchase wind energy for approximately 44% of its 

annual electricity needs, doubling its previous green power commitment. Under the two-year 

agreement, the college is purchasing 13 million kWh of Green-e certified wind energy 

certificates sourced from wind farms in the United States. 

Drexel University—In 2002, Pennsylvania-based Drexel University committed to purchase 

wind energy to meet nearly 10% of its electricity needs under an agreement with Community 

Energy. The wind purchase amounted to 4 million kWh per year or the output equivalent of a 

single 1.5-MW wind turbine. The wind energy has been supplied from the new 64.5-MW 

Pocono Wind Farm near Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

Duke University—In April 2003, Duke University (North Carolina) teamed with certificatemarketer Renewable Choice Energy to issue a green power challenge to its students. The 

university has agreed to match student purchases of wind power up to 1.25 million kWh 

annually. Funding for the program comes from savings generated by a cooperative energy 

conservation effort between the university and Environmental Alliance, a student organization 

committed to promoting the implementation of sustainable practices at the university. The 

student group has conducted events to promote the challenge. In 2005, the university began 

purchasing 18 million kWh of wind RECs from Sterling Planet. 

Harvard University— In May 2004, Harvard University entered into a two-year contract with 

EAD Environmental to purchase about 4 million kWh of Green-e certified RECs to offset the 

electricity consumption of a newly constructed, energy-efficient Graduate Student Housing 

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building. The purchase is helping the university achieve certification for the new building under 

the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 

Green Building Rating System. Since then, Harvard has expanded its green power purchases and 

as of fall 2005, eight of Harvard’s schools and departments were collectively purchasing 22 

million kWh of renewable energy, or the equivalent of 7% of Harvard’s total electricity usage. 

Oregon State University—In September 2003, Oregon State University (OSU) committed to 

purchase 5 million kWh of green power from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Under 

the four-year agreement, the university is purchasing “green tags” representing the energy output 

of wind and solar facilities in the Pacific Northwest. The purchase was made possible through a 

state policy that allows large customers, like OSU, to self-direct a portion of their state-mandated 

public purpose charge payments to support specific renewable energy and energy efficiency 

programs. The university also announced plans to site a small renewable energy project, such as 

a solar photovoltaic array, on the campus. 

Pennsylvania Colleges—The Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental 

Policy (PCIEP), in partnership with wind energy marketer Community Energy Inc., announced 

in spring 2005 that nine Pennsylvania-based colleges and universities increased their wind 

energy purchase commitments. As of April 2005, 34 PCIEP members were collectively 

purchasing 92.2 million kWh of wind energy, which constitutes the largest nongovernmental 

aggregated commitment to wind power in the United States. 

Schools that increased their purchases as part of the Consortium’s “Getting to 10% Wind” 

campaign include: Eastern University, which purchases wind energy equivalent to 32% of its 

electricity use, Dickinson College (12%), the University of Pennsylvania (10%), Juniata College

(10%), Allegheny College (10%), Chatham College (10%), Duquesne University (10%), 

Keystone College (10%), and Mercyhurst College (10%). Other schools purchasing wind energy 

include Drexel University (8%), Franklin & Marshall College (7%), Carnegie Mellon University

(6%), Gettysburg College (5%), and Penn State University (5%). 

Pennsylvania State University—Under a five-year contract with Community Energy

(announced in October 2001), Penn State University began purchasing 13.2 million kWh of wind 

energy annually. In the spring of 2002, Penn State purchased another 4.4 million kWh of wind 

power for its satellite campuses to achieve a total purchase of 17.6 million kWh annually. The 

power is supplied from Mill Run and Somerset wind energy projects in Pennsylvania, which 

have a combined capacity of 24 megawatts (MW). 

State University of New York— Under a contract with Community Energy signed in 2002, the 

University at Buffalo, the largest campus in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, 

committed to purchase wind energy for about 2% of its electricity needs. In 2004, the University

at Buffalo increased its multi-year purchase to the output of three wind turbines from the Fenner 

wind project in upstate New York, or 12 million kWh annually. 

University of Colorado—By a margin of nearly 5 to 1, students at the University of Colorado 

voted in April 2000 to increase student fees by $1 per semester so that several campus buildings 

could be powered with wind energy. The wind purchase measure was placed on the ballot 

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following a petition drive that garnered 1,300 student signatures. The affirmative vote for wind 

energy represented the largest margin of victory of any measure on the ballot. According to 

college officials, the record turnout was directly attributable to student campaigning in support of 

the wind energy measure. 

In May 2005, the university expanded its green power purchases to offset 100% of the electricity 

needs of the three student-run campus buildings. The university was able to increase its wind 

energy purchases from 2 million kWh to 8.8 million kWh annually, partly because it used a 

competitive bid process, which yielded a lower supply price. CU now buys wind energy from

Community Energy Inc. at a price premium of about 0.61¢/kWh, compared to an original 

purchase price of 2.5¢/kWh through Xcel Energy’s Windsource green pricing program. Half of 

the wind energy for the new purchase is being supplied from a wind project in southeast 

Colorado and the other half from the upper Midwest. 

University of Pennsylvania—In April 2003, the University of Pennsylvania entered into a 10-

year agreement to purchase 40 million kWh of wind energy annually from Community Energy. 

The new agreement doubles the amount of wind energy that the university previously purchased 

to the equivalent of 11% of its annual electricity needs. The purchase made it possible for 

Community Energy and other partners to move forward with the construction a new 20-MW

wind project in Pennsylvania, with the university purchasing 40% of the output. 

University of Southern Maine—In May 2004, the University of Southern Maine purchased 

RECs from EAD Environmental to offset the electricity consumption of a newly constructed, 

energy-efficient building. Under the agreement, the university is purchasing 1.5 million kWh of 

green power, which is equivalent to approximately 7% of the total electricity consumption at its 

three campuses. The purchase is helping the university achieve certification for the new building 

under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System. 

University of Wisconsin—In spring 2003, the University of Wisconsin (UW) Oshkosh became 

the first Wisconsin university to make a green power purchase commitment. At least 3% of the 

university's electricity needs, totaling nearly 1 million kWh annually, have been provided 

through Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Company's NatureWise product, which is sourced 

from a combination of wind and biomass resources in Wisconsin. 

Western Washington University—In June 2005, the Western Washington University (WWU) 

board of trustees confirmed the university’s intent to purchase renewable energy from Puget 

Sound Energy for 100% of its electricity needs. In spring 2004, a WWU student initiative on 

renewable energy passed with 84.7 percent approval. The student initiative included a maximum 

fee of $19 per quarter for full-time students to support a renewable energy purchase. On June 10, 

the board capped the student fee at $10.50 per quarter. The fee is expected to generate $355,000 

per year or enough revenue to purchase approximately 35 million kWh of renewable electricity 

in the 2005-06 school year at a rate premium of 1¢/kWh. 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

Long Island—In April 2005, six Long Island municipalities in Suffolk County announced that 

they are purchasing more than 8 million kWh of wind energy annually through the LIPA Green 

Choice Program in partnership with Community Energy Inc. Through the program, the 

communities of Southold, East Hampton, Riverhead, and Shelter Island, as well as the Town of 

Southampton and Village of Southampton, are using the green power to meet some or all of their 

municipal electricity needs. In addition, both the Suffolk County and Nassau County legislatures 

recently passed legislation calling for the counties to purchase up to 50% of their future 

electricity needs from renewable energy sources, subject to cost caps. 

City of Los Angeles/ Los Angeles World Airports—In October 1999, the Los Angeles World 

Airports (LAWA)—the municipal organization that governs the city's four airports, including 

Los Angeles International (LAX)—announced its participation in the Los Angeles Department 

of Water and Power's (LADWP) Green Power for a Green LA program. Under a 10-year 

agreement, LAWA will gradually increase the percentage of green power it purchases from

LADWP, from an initial 10% of total electricity use to 50% in 2010. LAWA hopes to purchase 

100% green power by 2015. LAWA initially is using discounted rate savings to pay the higher 

cost of the green energy, but the organization is prepared to spend an additional $250,000 

annually to meet the longer-term commitment. LAWA currently purchases about 1 million kWh 

annually to power the LAX and Van Nuys airports.

On March 2, 2001, the Los Angeles City Council expanded the city government’s purchases 

when it approved a plan to meet about 10% of the city’s electricity needs with power generated 

from new renewable resources. The city will purchase approximately 50 million kWh per year

of renewable power from LADWP. 

Montgomery County Aggregation—In May 2004, an aggregation of Maryland city and county 

agencies led by Montgomery County entered into an agreement with Washington Gas Energy 

Services and Community Energy Inc. to meet 5% of the group’s combined electricity use with 

wind energy. Under the two-year deal, the buying group, which includes six county agencies, 11 

municipalities, and Prince George’s County, collectively purchase 38 million kWh of wind 

energy annually sourced from the 66-MW Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in West Virginia. 

Montgomery County has included the wind energy purchase as a control measure for ozone 

pollution in a State Implementation Plan (SIP) for air quality improvement. 

City of Myrtle Beach—In April 2002, Myrtle Beach became the first city in South Carolina to 

purchase green power for its municipal facilities by subscribing to Santee Cooper's GreenPower

program. Under the one-year agreement, Myrtle Beach purchased 372,000 kWh of green 

power—which represents between 2% and 5% of the city's total annual energy use—at an extra 

cost of $10,800, or 2.9¢/kWh. 

City of Newark—On January 24, 2005, the Newark (Delaware) City Council unanimously 

approved a resolution to increase the city’s purchase of renewable energy to 2% of total 

electricity use by 2006 or approximately 7.5 million kWh annually. The vote followed a 

recommendation made by the City’s Conservation Advisory Commission to increase renewable 

66
energy purchases from the current level of 0.1% to 0.5% in 2005 and 2% in 2006. It is estimated 

that the purchase will increase the average household electric bill by 14 cents per month in 2006. 

The city, which operates its own electric utility and purchases power on the wholesale power 

market, currently uses about 373 million kWh of electricity annually. 

New York City Economic Development Corporation—In March 2005, ConEdison Solutions 

and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced an agreement 

under which the EDC is purchasing 3.7 million kWh of wind energy annually for two city-owned 

industrial centers in Brooklyn: the 4 million-square-foot Brooklyn Army Terminal and the 1 

million-square-foot Bush Terminal. The wind energy is supplied under a wholesale agreement 

with Community Energy Inc. and sourced primarily from the 30-MW Fenner Wind Power 

Project, which is east of Syracuse, New York. 

New York Municipal Wind Buyers Group—In 2004, Community Energy announced that it is 

supplying 36 New York municipalities with wind energy to meet from 5% to 100% of their 

municipal electricity needs. The 36 communities are part of a “Municipal Wind Buyers Group,” 

which is able to reduce wind energy prices for all members as they reach aggregate purchasing 

milestones. In February 2004, the aggregated purchases had led to a 5% price reduction from the 

initial 2¢/kWh premium. As of September 2005, the number of communities participating in the 

buyers group had expanded to more than 50. 

Radnor Township—In February 2003, the Board of Commissioners of Radnor Township (a 

suburb of Philadelphia with about 30,000 residents) unanimously approved a resolution to 

purchase wind energy to meet 62% of the township's electricity needs. Under a three-year 

contract with Community Energy and the Energy Cooperative Association of Pennsylvania 

(ECAP), Radnor is purchasing 1.4 million kWh of wind energy annually from the 66-MW

Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in West Virginia. The township is offsetting the added cost of 

the green power with energy savings from the installation of energy-efficient LED traffic lights 

and competitive market savings from switching its entire electric load to ECAP. 

Salt Lake City—In fall 2002, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson approved a contract to 

purchase wind energy to supply Salt Lake's historic City and County Building. Under the 

agreement, the city initially purchased 420,000 kWh of wind energy annually from Utah Power, 

and has since increased its annual purchase to 1.5 million kWh. The extra cost of the wind 

energy was covered with savings realized from energy efficiency improvements. The Mayor's

Office also worked with the Utah Wind Power Campaign and Utah Power to develop a directmail piece for residents to tout the benefits of wind power. 

City of Santa Monica—In March 2004, electricAmerica and the City of Santa Monica 

(California) renewed an agreement under which the company will continue to supply 100% 

renewable energy to the city’s municipal facilities. The 5 MW purchase is sourced from a variety 

of renewables such as wind, biomass, and geothermal. In 1999, Santa Monica became the first 

city in the nation to purchase green power to meet its entire municipal electricity needs.

City of Saratoga Springs—The city of Saratoga Springs, New York, has committed to purchase 

wind energy certificates equivalent to about 40% of the electricity used at its municipal facilities. 

67
Under a five-year agreement with Community Energy Inc., the city will purchase 2.9 million 

kWh annually at an extra cost of $43,750, or approximately 1.5¢/kWh. The power will come

from the 30-MW Fenner Windpower Project in Madison County, New York. Saratoga Springs is 

one of 24 municipalities in the state that purchase wind energy. 

City of Seattle— In fall 2001, the Seattle City Council (Washington) unanimously approved a 

plan for its municipal utility to obtain about 5% of its power supply from wind resources. 

Initially, Seattle City Light purchased 50 megawatts (MW) of wind energy generation from the 

Stateline project, under a contract with PacifiCorp Power Marketing Inc., which was expanded to 

175 MW in 2004. 

STATE GOVERNMENT

Connecticut— In April 2004, Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland issued an executive order 

that calls for state government to obtain 20% of its electricity needs from renewable energy 

sources by 2010, increasing to 50% in 2020 and 100% by 2050. The order, which covers all 

state-owned buildings (including colleges and universities), is an outgrowth of a stakeholders 

dialogue on climate change conducted during 2003. Under the order, the total state government 

demand for renewable electricity is estimated to be 140 million kWh in 2010. 

Illinois—Illinois Governor George Ryan issued an executive order in April 2002 committing the 

state to purchase green power for at least 5% of the electricity used by buildings owned or 

operated by agencies under the governor's control. The amount of renewable energy purchased 

will increase to at least 15% by 2020. The executive order defines “green power” as electricity 

generated from renewable sources such as wind, solar, organic wastes, and hydropower. It 

excludes the burning of municipal solid waste, wood waste, or tires. 

Iowa—On April 22, 2005, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack issued an executive order directing state 

agencies to obtain 10% of their electricity from renewable energy sources. According to the 

order, “agencies may generate their own alternative energy or may participate in their utility’s 

green power purchase program, where available, to meet this requirement.” The order also calls 

for the agencies to reduce their energy consumption by an average of 15% by 2010, relative to 

2000 levels, and to procure alternative or hybrid-electric vehicles for 100% of their non-law 

enforcement light-duty fleet by 2010. In addition, all state bulk purchases of diesel fuel must 

contain 5% renewable content by 2007, increasing to 20% by 2010. 

New Jersey—In July 2003, the State of New Jersey reaffirmed its commitment to purchase 

green power by entering into a 33-month contract with Pepco Energy Services and Community 

Energy for 54.9 million kWh or 20.6 MW of wind energy generated from wind farms in the MidAtlantic region. The agencies entered into the agreement in part to meet the 10% 

environmentally friendly green power purchase goal established by New Jersey Governor James 

McGreevey. 

New York—In June 2001, New York Governor George Pataki issued an executive order calling 

for state agencies to obtain 10% of their electricity needs from renewable sources (such as wind, 

solar, biomass, geothermal, and fuel cells) by 2005, with the percentage increasing to 20% by 

68
2010. The order applies to state buildings and those of quasi-independent organizations such as 

the State University of New York and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 

Pennsylvania— In October 2004, the State of Pennsylvania announced that it would triple the 

amount of wind energy it purchases as a component of a plan to obtain 10% of its electricity 

needs from in-state energy sources. Under four-year contracts with Community Energy Inc. and 

Strategic Energy LLC, the state is purchasing 100 million kWh annually, or 10% of the state 

government’s electricity needs, from wind energy (35%), waste coal (10%), and low-impact, 

run-of-river hydroelectric energy (55%), at an average rate premium of 0.34¢/kWh. Initially, the 

state purchased renewable energy for 5% of its electricity needs, under a contract signed in 2002. 

Rhode Island—In April 2004, Governor Donald Carcieri announced that the Rhode Island State 

Energy Office committed to purchase enough green power to meet all of the electricity needs of 

the State House for the next five years. The purchase was estimated to cost about $210,000, 

which is to be paid through funds from the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund. In April 2005, 

the State Energy Office issued a competitive solicitation for the renewable energy supply. 

Tennessee—In May 2002, Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist announced that all state 

buildings in Nashville, including the governor's mansion, were obtaining a portion of their power 

from renewable sources, making Tennessee the first state government in the Southeast to 

purchase green power. The power is supplied by Nashville Electric Service through the utility's 

participation in the Tennessee Valley Authority's Green Power Switch program, which uses 

wind, landfill-methane, and solar resources. The state purchases totaled about 720,000 kWh 

annually at an extra cost of $19,000 per year. 

In May 2005, Governor Phil Bredesen announced plans for all state parks in Tennessee to 

purchase renewable energy, where available. Forty-four of the 54 state parks have access to 

green power through the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Green Power Switch program and have 

committed to collectively purchase nearly 2.1 million kWh annually. The combined park 

purchases will cost $55,152 annually but will be offset by more than $190,000 in expected 

savings achieved through energy efficiency measures, such as lighting and cooling 

improvements. The State of Tennessee also purchases green power for the Executive Residence 

and state buildings in downtown Nashville. Supporting greater use of renewable energy was a 

recommendation of the Governor’s Interagency Workgroup on Air Quality. 

Wisconsin—In August 2005, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle unveiled a broad package of 

legislation and executive orders to support conservation and sustainable use of the state’s natural 

resources, including a call for state agencies to purchase 10% of their power needs from 

renewable energy sources by 2006, increasing to 10% by 2010. The action was recommended by 

the Governor’s Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables in July 2004. 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed into law by President Bush on August 8, calls for the 

energy secretary to “ensure that, to the extent economically feasible and technically practicable,” 

3% of the electric energy consumed by the federal government in fiscal years 2007 through 2009 

69
be derived from renewable sources, increasing to 5% in fiscal years 2010 through 2012, and 

7.5% by 2013 and each fiscal year thereafter. The new law replaces Executive Order 13123, 

issued in 1999, which established a goal for federal agencies to obtain 2.5% of their electricity 

from renewable energy sources by 2005. 

Dyess Air Force Base—In early 2003, Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, contracted with 

TXU Energy to purchase wind power to meet the entire electricity requirements of the base. 

Under the two-year agreement, Dyess purchased approximately 78 million kWh of wind power 

each year. Dyess offset the extra cost of the wind power with savings realized in the state's 

competitive retail electricity market.

Fairchild AFB—Under the agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration announced in 

March 2004, Fairchild Air Force Base, outside of Spokane, Washington, committed to purchase 

renewable energy to meet the entire electricity load of the military base. Under the contract, 

Fairchild purchased 65.7 million kWh of green power from wind (99%) and small hydro (1%) 

projects in the region. The bulk of the purchase was in the form of renewable energy certificates, 

with the remainder made up of delivered energy. 

General Services Administration— Under the three-year contract with Green Mountain Energy 

initiated in the fall of 2002, the General Services Administration (GSA) committed to purchase 

100% renewable electricity service for the Liberty Bell Pavilion at Independence National 

Historical Park and other federal government-operated facilities in Philadelphia. The purchase 

amounted to 3.7 million kWh of green power annually. 

In 2002, GSA also entered into a contract to purchase green power to meet the entire electricity 

needs of two of its buildings in New York – the Binghamton Federal Building and the Pirnie 

Federal Building in Utica. Under a three-year contract with Select Energy, GSA has purchased 

1.1 million kWh of wind energy annually at a premium of 1.75¢/kWh. The wind energy is 

supplied from the Fenner wind farm in New York. This contract was renewed for another year in 

2005. 

In November 2003, GSA also contracted with Pepco Energy Services (PES) to supply electricity 

generated from renewable sources to the U.S. departments of Interior, Labor, and Transportation. 

Under the contract, PES supplied more than 10 million kWh of Green-e certified power to the 

three federal agencies through May 2004. One-fourth of the green energy was supplied from

regional wind farms with the remainder from landfill-gas projects. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory—In 2000, the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory (ORNL) began purchasing green power from the Tennessee Valley 

Authority (TVA) to meet a portion of its electricity needs. Under the agreement, the laboratory 

became one of the first industrial participants in TVA's Green Power Switch program. ORNL 

purchased 375 blocks, or 675,000 kWh annually, at an extra cost of $18,000 per year. 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—In January 2004, the Pacific Northwest National 

Laboratory (PNNL) entered into agreements to purchase green power for all of the electricity 

used at its Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington. When added to preexisting 

70
purchases for its main campus in Richland, Washington, PNNL purchases 12 million kWh of 

green power annually, representing 15% of the laboratory’s total electricity needs. The purchases 

are made from the Clallam County Public Utility District and the City of Richland. PNNL is a 

U.S. Department of Energy research laboratory operated by Battelle. 

U.S. Department of Energy—As of October 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 

began purchasing 152 million kWh of green power, or enough to supply 3% of the total 

electricity needs of its facilities throughout the country. 

In August 2005, the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) announced that 10 entities of 

the U.S. Department of Energy, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, have 

teamed with the Fort Carson Army Base to purchase 117,825 MWhs of renewable energy 

certificates (RECs) annually for the next five years. The RECs will come from a combination of

biomass generation from sawmill plants in California, and wind projects in California and 

Nebraska, and will be supplied by Sterling Planet, a national RECs marketer based in Norcross, 

Georgia. WAPA coordinated the requests for proposal for all of the agencies and also committed 

to purchase a portion of the RECs. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—As of August 2005, the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) had entered into contracts to purchase about 250 million kWh of green 

power to supply about 80% of the electricity needs of its facilities nationally. EPA has 

dramatically increased its renewable energy purchases in the past few years. For example, in 

June 2004, EPA facilities were purchasing about 130 million kWh of green power annually, or

the equivalent of 46% of the electricity consumed at all EPA facilities nationwide; and, in fiscal 

year 2003, EPA purchased approximately 30 million kWh of green power. 

In 2001, EPA founded the Green Power Partnership to help build demand for green power 

among commercial and industrial electricity customers. As of September 2005, more than 600 

companies and organizations had joined the Partnership Program, with collective purchases of 

about 2.9 billion kWh of green power annually. 

PROGRAMS SUPPORTING LARGE GREEN POWER PURCHASERS 

Green Power Market Development Group—Formed in 2000, the Green Power Market 

Development Group (GPMDG) is a commercial and industrial partnership of more than a dozen 

companies dedicated to building corporate markets for green power. In December 2004, the 

group announced 67 MW of renewable energy purchases following 97 MW of renewable energy 

commitments in September 2003. The group’s goal is to develop 1,000 MW of new, costcompetitive green power by 2010. The diverse group of businesses, which represent an estimated 

8% of total U.S. corporate energy use, includes DuPont, General Motors, IBM, Interface, 

Johnson & Johnson, Kinko’s, and Pitney Bowes. More recently, Dow Chemical Company, 

Staples Inc., and Starbucks have joined the group.

71
U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership — In 2001, EPA founded the Green Power Partnership to 

help build demand for green power among commercial and industrial electricity customers. As of 

September 2005, more than 600 organizations had joined the program as partners, including 

Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations and universities. Collectively, 

these program partners purchase about 2.9 billion kWh of green power annually (see Appendix 

B for the list of the top 25 green power partners as of October 2005). 

72
References

Amato, Anthony 2005. Email communication, ERG (contractor for U.S. EPA), Boston, MA, 

September 26, 2005. 

Bird, L. and E. Brown, 2005. Trends in Utility Green Pricing Programs (2004), NREL/TP-620-

38800 Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, September. 

Bird, L. and K. Cardinal, 2004. Trends in Utility Green Pricing Programs (2003), NREL/TP620-36833 Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, September. 

Bird, L. and B. Swezey, 2005. “Estimates of New Renewable Energy Capacity Serving U.S. 

Green Power Markets” National Renewable Energy Laboratory, September. 

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/tables/new_gp_cap.shtml

Bird, L. and B. Swezey, 2004. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report 

(Seventh Edition), NREL/TP-620-36823. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 

September. http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/pdfs/36823.pdf 

Bird, L. and B. Swezey, 2003. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report (6th

Edition), NREL/TP-620-35119. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, October. 

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/pdfs/35119.pdf

Center for Resource Solutions, 2002. Green-e Verification Report, 2001 http://www.greene.org/what_is/standard/verification.html 

Center for Resource Solutions, 2001. Green-e Verification Report, 2000 http://www.greene.org/what_is/standard/verification.html

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2004. Renewable Energy Annual 2003, 

DOE/EIA-0603(2003), December. 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/rea_data/rea_sum.html 

Holt, E.A., and M. Holt, 2004. Green Pricing Resource Guide (2nd Edition), Ed Holt & 

Associates, Inc., Harpswell, Maine. Prepared for the American Wind Energy Association, 

Washington DC, September. 

http://www.awea.org/greenpower/greenPricingResourceGuide040726.pdf

Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, 2005. Electric Shopping Statistics, July 1, 2005, 

accessed October 10, 2005: http://www.oca.state.pa.us/cinfo/instat.htm

Public Utility Commission of Texas, 2005. Report Card on Competition, August 2005 accessed 

October 10, 2005: http://www.puc.state.tx.us/electric/reports/RptCard/rptcrd/aug05rptcrd.pdf

Swezey, B. and L. Bird, 2000. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report (5th

Edition), NREL/TP-620-28738. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, August. 

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resources/pdfs/28738.pdf 

73
Swezey, B. and L. Bird, 2001. Utility Green Pricing Programs: What Defines Success?

NREL/TP-620-29831. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, August. 

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/29831.pdf 

Wiser, R., M. Bolinger, E. Holt, and B. Swezey, 2001. Forecasting the Growth of Green Power 

Markets in the United States. NREL/TP-620-30101. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory, August 2001. http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/30101.pdf

74
Appendix A – Tables of Green Power Product Offerings 

Table A-1: Utilities Offering Green Pricing Programs in 2004 

Investor-Owned Utilities 

Alabama Power Company 

Alliant Energy

Arizona Public Service 

Avista Utilities 

Central Vermont Public Service 

Dominion NC Power 

Duke Power 

El Paso Electric 

Florida Power & Light Company 

Green Mountain Power 

Gulf Power 

Hawaiian Electric 

Idaho Power Company

Indianapolis Power & Light Company

Madison Gas & Electric 

MidAmerican Energy

Minnesota Power 

Northwestern Energy

OG&E Electric Services 

Otter Tail Power Company 

PacifiCorp* 

Portland General Electric 

Progress Energy

PSI Energy/Cinergy

Public Service of New Mexico 

Puget Sound Energy

Tampa Electric Company

Tucson Electric Power Company 

UniSource Energy Services 

Upper Peninsula Power Company 

We Energies 

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation 

Xcel Energy

Electric Cooperatives

Basin Electric Power Cooperative*

Boone Electric Cooperative 

Corn Belt Power Cooperatives 

Dairyland Power Cooperative* 

Deseret Power 

East Kentucky Power Cooperative* 

Farmers Electric Cooperative 

Georgia Electric Membership Corporation* 

Great River Energy* 

Holy Cross Energy

Hoosier Energy*

Lower Valley Energy

Midstate Electric Cooperative 

Minnkota Power Cooperative* 

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative

Oregon Trail Electric CooperativePNGC Power* 

Park Electric Cooperative 

Peninsula Light Company 

Southern Montana Electric G&T Cooperative 

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Assoc.* 

Vigilante Electric Cooperative 

Wabash Valley Power Association* 

Western Farmers Electric Cooperative 

Yampa Valley Electric Association

Federal

Tennessee Valley Authority*

Municipals/Other Public Utilities

City of Alameda 

AMP Ohio 

Anaheim Public Utilities 

City of Ashland 

Austin Energy

Benton County PUD 

City of Bowling Green 

Burbank Water and Power 

Cedar Falls Utilities 

Chelan County PUD 

Clallum County PUD 

Clark Public Utilities 

Colorado Springs Utilities 

Concord Municipal Light Plant 

Cowlitz PUD 

ElectriCities 

Emerald People’s Utility District 

Eugene Water & Electric Board 

Gainsville Regional Utilities 

Grant County PUD 

Grays Harbor PUD 

Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities* 

Keys Energy Services 

Lansing Board of Water and Light

Lewis County PUD 

Lincoln Electric System 

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 

Mason County PUD No. 3 

Missouri River Energy Services* 

Moorhead Public Service 

Muscatine Power and Water 

City of New Smyrna Beach 

Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority

Omaha Public Power District 

Pacific County PUD #2 

Pasadena Water & Power 

City of Palo Alto Utilities 

Platte River Power Authority*

Roseville Electric

Sacramento Municipal Utility District 

City of St. Charles 

Salt River Project 

City Public Service of San Antonio 

Santee Cooper* 

Seattle City Light

Silicon Valley Power

Snohomish County PUD 

Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency*

City Utilities of Springfield 

Tacoma Power 

City of Tallahassee 

Traverse City Light & Power 

Waverly Light & Power 

Wisconsin Public Power Inc.* 

*denotes program offered through multiple utilities or 

distribution cooperatives

75
Table A-2: Utility Green Pricing Programs by State, October 2005 

Program 

State Utility Name Name Type Start Date Premium 

AK Golden Valley Electric Association Sustainable Natural 

Alternative Power 

(SNAP)

various local 

projects 

2005 Contribution

AL Alabama Power Company Renewable Energy Rate biomass co-firing 2003 6.0¢/kWh 

AL TVA: City of Athens Electric Department, Cullman 

Electric Coop, Cullman Power Board, Decator Utilities, 

Florence Utilities, Hartselle Utilities, Huntsville, Joe 

Wheeler EMC, Muscle Shoals Electric Board, 

Scottsboro Electric Power Board, Sheffield Utilities,

Tuscumbia Electric Department

Green Power Switch landfill gas, PV, 

wind 

2000 2.67¢/kWh

AZ Arizona Public Service APS Solar Partners 

Program

central PV 1997 17.6¢/kWh 

AZ Salt River Project EarthWise Energy central PV, wind,

landfill gas, small

hydro, geothermal 

1998/ 

2001 

3.0¢/kWh 

AZ Tucson Electric GreenWatts landfill gas, PV 2000 10¢/kWh 

AZ UniSource Energy Services GreenWatts PV 2004 10¢/kWh

CA Anaheim Public Utilities Green Power for the 

Schools

PV 2002 Contribution

CA Anaheim Public Utilities Green Power for the 

Grid

wind, landfill gas 2002 1.5¢/kWh 

CA Burbank Water and Power Clean Green Support various 2001 1.0¢/kWh

CA Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Green Power for a 

Green LA

wind, landfill gas 1999 3.0¢/kWh 

CA PacifiCorp: Pacific Power Blue Sky Block wind 2000 1.95¢/kWh

CA Palo Alto Utilities/3 Phases Energy Services Palo Alto Green wind, PV 2003 1.5¢/kWh 

CA Pasadena Water & Power Green Power wind 2003 2.5¢/kWh

CA Roseville Electric RE Green Energy geothermal, PV 2000 1.0¢/kWh 

CA Sacramento Municipal Utility District Greenergy wind, landfill gas, 

hydro, PV 

1997 1.0¢/kWh or

$6/month 

CA Silicon Valley Power / 3 Phases Energy Services Santa Clara Green 

Power

wind, PV 2004 1.5¢/kWh 

CO Colorado Springs Utilities Green Power wind 1999 3.0¢/kWh

CO Holy Cross Energy Wind Power Pioneers wind 1998 2.5¢/kWh

CO Holy Cross Energy Local Renewable

Energy Pool

small hydro, PV 2002 3.3¢/kWh 

CO Platte River Power Authority: Estes Park, Fort Collins 

Utilities, Longmont Power & Communications, 

Loveland Water & Light

Wind Energy Premium wind 1999 1.0¢/kWh -

2.5¢/kWh 

CO Tri-State Generation & Transmission: Carbon Power, 

Chimney Rock, Gunnison County Electric, Kit Carson 

Electric, La Plata Electric, Mountain Parks Electric, 

Mountain View Electric, New Mexico, Northwest 

Rural, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, Public 

Power District, San Isabel Electric, San Luis Valley 

Rural Electric Coop, San Miguel Power, Sangre, 

Springer Electric, United Power, White River (18 of 44 

coops offer program)

Renewable Resource 

Power Service

wind, hydro 1998 2.5¢/kWh 

CO Xcel Energy Renewable Energy

Trust

PV 1993 Contribution

CO Xcel Energy WindSource wind 1997 0.97¢/kWh

CO Yampa Valley Electric Association Wind Energy Program wind 1999 3.0¢/kWh

76
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

FL City of Tallahassee/Sterling Planet Green for You biomass, PV 2002 1.6¢/kWh 

FL City of Tallahassee/Sterling Planet Green for You PV only 2002 11.6¢/kWh 

FL Florida Power & Light / Green Mountain Energy Sunshine Energy biomass, wind, PV 2004 0.975¢/kWh

FL Gainesville Regional Utilities GRUgreen Energy landfill gas, wind, 

PV 

2003 2.0¢/kWh

FL Keys Energy Services / Sterling Planet GO GREEN: Florida 

Ever Green

solar hot water,

PV, biomass 

2004 2.75¢/kWh

FL Keys Energy Services / Sterling Planet GO GREEN: USA

Green

wind, biomass,PV 2004 1.60¢/kWh 

FL Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Tampa Electric's 

Renewable Energy

Program

PV, landfill gas, 

biomass co-firing 

2000 5.0¢/kWh

FL Utilities Commission City of New Smyrna Beach Green Fund local PV projects 1999 Contribution

GA Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (16 of 42

coops offer program): Carroll EMC, Coastal Electric, 

Cobb EMC, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Flint Energies, 

GreyStone Power, Habersham EMC, Irwin EMC, 

Jackson EMC, Jefferson Energy, Lamar EMC, 

Ocmulgee EMC, Sawnee EMC, Snapping Shoals 

EMC, Tri-County EMC, Walton EMC of Monroe

Green Power EMC landfill gas 2001 2.0¢/kWh3.3¢/kWh 

GA Georgia Power Green Energy landfill gas 2005 5.5¢/ kWh 

GA TVA: Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership 

Corporation, North Georgia Electric Membership 

Corporation

Green Power Switch landfill gas, PV, 

wind 

2000 2.67¢/ kWh

HI Hawaiian Electric Sun Power for Schools PV in schools 1997 Contribution

ID Avista Utilities Buck-A-Block wind 2002 0.33¢/kWh

ID Idaho Power Green Power Program various 2001 Contribution

ID PacifiCorp: Utah Power Blue Sky wind 2003 1.95¢/kWh

ID Vigilante Electric Cooperative Alternative Renewable 

Energy Program

wind, PV, hydro 2003 1.1¢/kWh 

IL CCS/Soyland and Community Energy, Inc (8 of 11

coops offer program): Adams Electric Co-op, ColesMoultrie Electric, Eastern Illini Electric, McDonough 

Power, Menard, Rural Electric Convenience Co-op,

Shelby Electric, Spoon River Electric Co-op

EcoEnergy wind 2005 3.0¢/kWh

IL City of Naperville / Community Energy Renewable Energy

Option

wind, small hydro, 

PV 

2005 2.5¢/kWh

IL City of St. Charles/ComEd and Community Energy TBD wind, landfill gas 2003 Contribution

IL Dairyland Power Cooperative: Jo-Carroll 

Energy/Elizabeth

Evergreen Renewable 

Energy Program

wind 1997 1.5¢/kWh

IN Hoosier Energy (5 of 17 coops offer program):

Southeastern Indiana REMC, South Central Indiana 

REMC, Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC,

Decatur County REMC, Daviess-Martin County REMC

EnviroWatts landfill gas 2001 2.0¢/kWh4.0¢/kWh 

IN Indianapolis Power & Light Elect Plan Green Power 

Program

geothermal 1998 0.9¢/kWh

IN PSI Energy/Cinergy Green Power Rider wind, PV, landfill 

gas, digester gas 

2001 Contribution

77
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

IN Wabash Valley Power Association (7 of 27 coops offer 

program): Boone REMC, Hendricks Power 

Cooperative, Kankakee Valley REMC, Miami-Cass 

REMC, Tipmont REMC, White County REMC, 

Northeastern REMC

EnviroWatts landfill gas 2000 0.9¢/kWh1.0¢/kWh 

IA Alliant Energy Second Nature landfill gas, wind 2001 2.0¢/kWh 

IA Basin Electric Power Cooperative: Lyon Rural, 

Harrison County, Nishnabotna Valley Cooperative, 

Northwest Rural Electric Cooperative, Western Iowa

Prairie Winds wind 2000 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

IA Cedar Falls Utilities Harvest the Wind wind 2000 2.5¢/kWh

IA Corn Belt Power Cooperatives (5 of 11 co-ops): Butler 

County REC, Franklin REC, Grundy County REC, 

Humboldt County REC, Sac County REC

Energy Wise 

Renewables

wind 2003 1.5¢/kWh

IA Dairyland Power Cooperative: AllamakeeClayton/Postville, Hawkeye Tri-County/Cresco, 

Heartland Power/Thompson & St. Ansgar

Evergreen Renewable 

Energy Program

wind 1997 3.0¢/kWh

IA Farmers Electric Cooperative Green Power Project biodiesel, wind 2004 Contribution

IA Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (80 of 137 

participating) Afton, Algona, Alta Vista, Aplington, 

Auburn, Bancroft, Bellevue, Bloomfield, Breda, 

Brooklyn, Buffalo, Burt, Callender, Carlisle, Cascade, 

Coggon, Coon Rapids, Corning, Corwith, Danville, 

Dayton, Durant, Dysart, Earlville, Eldridge, Ellsworth, 

Estherville, Fairbank, Farnhamville, Fontanelle, Forest 

City, Gowrie, Grafton, Grand Junction, Greenfield, 

Grundy Center, Guttenberg, Hopkinton, Hudson, 

Independence, Keosauqua, La Porte City, Lake Mills, 

Lake View, Laurens, Lenox, Livermore, Maquoketa, 

Marathon, McGregor, Milford, Montezuma, Mount 

Pleasant, Neola, New Hampton, Ogden, Orient, 

Osage, Panora, Pella, Pocahontas, Preston, Readlyn, 

Rockford, Sabula, Sergeant Bluff, Sibley, Spencer, 

Stanhope, State Center, Stratford, Strawberry Point,

Stuart, Tipton, Villisca, Vinton, Webster City, West 

Bend, West Liberty, West Point, Westfield, 

Whittemore, Wilton, Winterset

Green City Energy wind, biomass, PV 2003 Varies by

utility

IA MidAmerican Energy Renewable Advantage wind 2004 Contribution

IA Missouri River Energy Services (MRES): Alton, 

Atlantic, Denison, Fontanelle, Hartley, Hawarden, 

Kimballton, Lake Park, Manilla, Orange City, Paullina, 

Primghar, Remsen, Rock Rapids, Sanborn, Shelby, 

Sioux Center, Woodbine

RiverWinds wind 2003 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

IA Muscatine Power and Water Solar Muscatine PV 2004 Contribution

IA Waverly Light & Power Green Power Choice wind 2003 Contribution

IA Waverly Light & Power Iowa Energy Tags wind 2001 2.0¢/kWh

KY East Kentucky Power Cooperative: Blue Grass 

Energy, Clark, Cumberland, Fleming, Grayson, Intercounty Energy, Jackson, Licking, Mason, Nolin, Owen

Electric, Salt River, Shelby, South Kentucky

EnviroWatts landfill gas 2002 2.75¢/kWh 

KY TVA: Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, Franklin 

Electric Plant Board

Green Power Switch landfill gas, PV, 

wind 

2000 2.67¢/kWh

MA Concord Municipal Light Plant (CMLP) Green Power hydro 2004 3.0¢/kWh

MI Consumers Energy Green Generation wind, landfill gas 2005 1.67¢/kWh 

MI Lansing Board of Water and Light GreenWise Electric 

Power

landfill gas, small

hydro 

2001 3.0¢/kWh

78
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

MI Traverse City Light and Power Green Rate wind 1996 1.5¢/kWh

MI Upper Peninsula Power Company NatureWise wind, landfill gas 

and animal waste 

methane 

2004 4.0¢/kWh

MI We Energies Energy for Tomorrow wind, landfill gas, 

hydro 

2000 2.0¢/kWh

MN Alliant Energy Second Nature landfill gas, wind 2002 2.0¢/kWh 

MN Basin Electric Power Cooperative: Minnesota Valley 

Electric Coop, Sioux Valley Southwestern

Prairie Winds wind 2002 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

MN Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency Green Energy Program wind, landfill gas n/a 1.5¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

MN Dairyland Power Cooperative: Freeborn-Mower 

Cooperative / Albert Lea, People's / Rochester, TriCounty / Rushford

Evergreen Renewable 

Energy Program

wind 1997 1.5¢/kWh

MN Great River Energy (all 28 coops offer program): 

Agralite, Arrowhead, BENCO Electric, Brown County

Rural Electric, Connexus Energy, Co-op Light & 

Power, Crow Wing Power, Dakota Electric 

Association, East Central Electric Association, 

Federated Rural Electric, Goodhue County, Itasca 

Mantrap Cooperative, Kandiyohi Power Cooperative, 

Lake Country Power, Lake Region Electric 

Cooperative, McLeod Cooperative Power, Meeker

Cooperative Light & Power, Mille Lacs Electric 

Cooperative, Minnesota Valley, Nobles Cooperative 

Electric, North Itasca, Redwood Electric Cooperative, 

Runestone Electric, South Central Electric Association 

, Stearns Electric, Steele-Waseca, Todd-Wadena , 

Wright-Hennepin Electric

Wellspring Renewable 

Wind Energy Program

wind 1998 1.45¢/kWh2.0¢/kWh 

MN Minnesota Power WindSense wind 2002 2.5¢/kWh

MN Minnkota Power Cooperative: Beltrami, Clearwater 

Polk, North Star, PKM, Red Lake, Red River, Roseau, 

Wild Rice, Thief River Falls

Infinity Wind Energy wind 1999 1.5¢/kWh

MN Missouri River Energy Services (39 of 55 munis offer 

program): Adrian, Alexandria, Barnesville, Benson, 

Breckenridge, Detroit Lakes, Elbow Lake, Henning, 

Jackson, Lakefield, Lake Park, Luverne, Madison, 

Moorhead, Ortonville, St. James, Sauk Centre, 

Staples, Wadena, Westbrook, Worthington

RiverWinds wind 2002 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

MN Moorhead Public Service Capture the Wind wind 1998 1.5¢/kWh

MN Otter Tail Power Company TailWinds wind 2002 2.6¢/kWh

MN Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (all 18

offer program): Fairmont Public Utilities, Wells Public 

Utilities, Austin Utilities, Preston Public Utilities, Spring 

Valley Utilities, Blooming Prairie Public Utilities, 

Rochester Public Utilities, Owatonna Public Utilities,

Waseca Utilities, St. Peter Municipal Utilities, Lake 

City Utilities, New Prague Utilities Commission, 

Redwood Falls Public Utilities, Litchfield Public 

Utilities, Princeton Public Utilities, North Branch Water

and Light, Mora Municipal Utilities, Grand Marais 

Public Utilities

SMMPA Wind Power wind 2000 1.0¢/kWh

MN Xcel Energy WindSource wind 2003 2.0¢/kWh

MS TVA: City of Oxford, North East Mississippi Electric 

Power Asssociation, Starkville Electric System

Green Power Switch landfill gas, PV, 

wind 

2000 2.67¢/kWh

MO Boone Electric Cooperative Renewable Choice wind 2003 2.0¢/kWh

MO City Utilities of Springfield WindCurrent wind 2000 5.0¢/kWh

79
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

MT Basin Electric Power Cooperative: Lower Yellowstone Prairie Winds wind 2000 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

MT Northwestern Energy E+ Green wind, PV 2003 2.0¢/kWh 

MT Park Electric Cooperative Green Power Program wind, hydro 2002 1.2¢/kWh

MT Southern Montana Electric Generation and 

Transmission Cooperative (5 co-ops): Fergus Electric, 

Yellowstone Valley, Bear Tooth Electric, Mid 

Yellowstone, and Tongue River

Environmentally

Preferred Power

wind, hydro 2002 1.05¢/kWh 

MT Vigilante Electric Cooperative Alternative Renewable 

Energy Program

wind, hydro, PV 2003 1.1¢/kWh 

NE Lincoln Electric System LES Renewable Energy

Program

wind 1998 4.3¢/kWh

NE Omaha Public Power District Green Power Program landfill gas, wind 2002 3.0¢/kWh 

NE Tri-State: Chimney Rock Public Power District, 

Northwest Rural Public Power District

Renewable Resource 

Power Service

wind, landfill gas 2001 2.5¢/kWh 

NM El Paso Electric Renewable Energy

Tariff

wind 2003 3.19¢/kWh

NM Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities Green Power wind 2005 1.8¢/kWh

NM Public Service of New Mexico PNM Sky Blue wind 2003 1.8¢/kWh

NM Tri-State: Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Renewable Resource 

Power Service

wind, landfill gas 2001 2.5¢/kWh 

NM Xcel Energy WindSource wind 1999 3.0¢/kWh

NC Dominion North Carolina Power NC GreenPower biomass, wind, 

solar

2003 4.0¢/kWh

NC Duke Power NC GreenPower biomass, wind, 

solar

2003 4.0¢/kWh

NC ElectriCities: City of High Point, City of Laurinburg,

City of Newton, City of Shelby, City of Statesville, 

town of Apex, Town of Granite Falls

NC GreenPower biomass, wind, 

solar

2003 4.0¢/kWh

NC NC Electric Cooperatives (15 of 27 cooperatives offer 

the program): Albemarle EMC, Blue Ridge Electric 

Membership Corp., Brunswick Electric Membership 

Corp., Carteret Craven Electric Coop., EdgecombeMartin County Electric Membership Corp., 

EnergyUnited, Four County Electric Membership 

Corp., Haywood Electric Membership Corp., JonesOnslow Electric Membership Corp., Pee Dee Electric 

Membership Corp., Piedmont Electric Membership 

Corp., Randolph Electric Membership Corp., Roanoke 

Electric Membership Corp., Tri-County Electric 

Membership Corp., Wake Electric Membership Corp.

NC GreenPower biomass, wind, PV 2003 4.0¢/kWh 

NC Progress Energy / CP&L NC GreenPower biomass, wind, 

solar

2003 4.0¢/kWh

NC TVA: Mountain Electric Cooperative Green Power Switch landfill gas, PV, 

wind 

2000 2.67¢/kWh

ND Basin Electric Power Cooperative (49 coops offer 

program in 5 states): Oliver Mercer Electric Coop, 

Mor-gran-sou Electric Coop, KEM Electric Coop, 

North Central Electric Coop, Verendrye, Capital , 

Northern Plains, Dakota Valley, Burke Divide, Montrail 

Williams, McKenzie Electric Coop, West Plains, Slope 

Electric Coop

PrairieWinds wind 2000 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

80
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

ND Minnkota Power Cooperative: Cass County Electric, 

Cavalier Rural Electric, Nodak Electric, Northern 

Municipal Power Agency (12 municipals)

Infinity Wind Energy wind 1999 1.5¢/kWh

ND Missouri River Energy Services: City of Lakota RiverWinds wind 2002 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

OH American Municipal Power-Ohio / Green Mountain

Energy: City of Bowling Green, Cuyahoga Falls, 

Wyandotte

Nature's Energy small hydro, 

landfill gas, wind 

2003 1.3¢/kWh1.5¢/kWh 

OK OG&E Electric Services OG&E Wind Power wind 2003 2.0¢/kWh

OK Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority: Tonkawa, Altus, 

Frederick, Okeene, Prague Municipal Utilities and 

Edmond Electric

Pure & Simple wind 2004 1.8¢/kWh

OK Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (19 of 19): 

Alfalfa Electric Cooperative, Caddo Electric 

Cooperative, Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative, 

Choctaw Electri Cooperative, Cimmaron Electric 

Cooperative, Cotton Electric Cooperative, East 

Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, Harmon 

Electric Cooperative, Kay Electric Cooperative, 

Kiamichi Electric Cooperative, Kiwash Electric 

Cooperative, Northfork Electric Cooperative, 

Northwestern Electric Cooperative, Oklahoma Electric 

Cooperative, People's Electric Cooperative, Red River 

Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Rural Electric 

Cooperative, Southeastern Electric Cooperative, 

Southwest Rural Electric Cooperative

WindWorks wind 2004 0.5¢/kWh

OR City of Ashland/Bonneville Environmental Foundation Renewable Pioneers PV, wind 2003 2.0¢/kWh 

OR Columbia River PUD Choice Energy wind 2005 2.0¢/kWh

OR Emerald People's Utility District/Green Mountain 

Energy

Choose Renewable 

Electricity

wind, geothermal 2003 1.2¢/kWh 

OR Eugene Water & Electric Board EWEB Wind Power wind 1999 0.71¢/kWh

OR Midstate Electric Cooperative EnvironmentallyPreferred Powerwind, small hydro 1999 2.5¢/kWh 

OR Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Green Power wind 2002 1.5¢/kWh

OR PacifiCorp: Pacific Power Blue Sky QS

(Commercial Only)

wind 2004 Sliding scale

depending 

on size 

OR PacifiCorp: Pacific Power Blue Sky Block wind 2000 1.95¢/kWh

OR PacifiCorp: Pacific Power / 3 Phases Energy Services Blue Sky Usage wind, biomass, PV 2002 0.78¢/kWh 

OR PacifiCorp: Pacific Power / 3 Phases Energy Services Blue Sky Habitat wind, biomass, PV 2002 0.78¢/kWh + 

$2.50/mo. 

donation 

OR Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative: Central 

Electric Cooperative, Clearwater Power, Consumers 

Power, Douglas Electric Cooperative, Umatilla Electric 

Cooperative (5 of 16 coops offer program)

Green Power landfill gas 1998 1.8¢/kWh4.0¢/kWh 

OR Portland General Electric / Green Mountain Energy Green Source existing 

geothermal, wind

2002 0.8¢/kWh

OR Portland General Electric / Green Mountain Energy Healthy Habitat existing 

geothermal, wind

2002 0.8¢/kWh +

$2.50/mo. 

donation 

81
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

OR Portland General Electric Company Clean Wind for Medium 

to Large Commercial & 

Industrial Accounts

wind 2003 1.35¢/kWh1.7¢/kWh 

OR Portland General Electric Company Clean Wind Power wind 2002 1.75¢/kWh

SC Santee Cooper, Aiken Electric Cooperative, Berkeley

Electric Cooperative, Edisto Electric Cooperative, 

Fairfield Electric Cooperative, Horry Electric 

Cooperative, Laurens Electric Cooperative, Lynches 

River Electric Cooperative, Marlboro Electric 

Cooperative, Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, 

Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Pee Dee Electric 

Cooperative, Santee Electric Cooperative, Tri-County

Electric Cooperative, York Electric Cooperative

Green Power Program landfill gas 2001 3.0¢/kWh 

SD Basin Electric Power Cooperative: Bon HommeYankton Electric Assn., Central Electric Cooperative 

Association, Charles Mix Electric Association, City of 

Elk Point, Clay-Union Electric Corporation, CodingtonClark Electric Cooperative, Dakota Energy

Cooperative, Douglas Electric Cooperative, FEM 

Electric Association, H-D Electric Cooperative, 

Kingsbury Electric Cooperative, Lyon-Lincoln Electric 

Cooperative, McCook Electric Cooperative, Northern 

Electric Cooperative, Oahe Electric Cooperative, 

Renville-Sibley Coop. Power Assn., Sioux Valley

Southwestern Electric Coop, Southeastern Electric 

Coop, Union County Electric Cooperative, Whetstone 

Valley Electric Cooperative, Black Hills Electric Coop, 

LaCreek Electric Coop, West River Power 

Association, Butte Electric Coop, Cherry Todd Electric 

Coop, Moreau Grand, Grand Electric Cooperative, 

Rosebud

Prairie Winds wind 2000 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

SD Missouri River Energy Services: City of Vermillion RiverWinds wind 2002 1.0¢/kWh2.5¢/kWh 

TN TVA: Alcoa Electric Department, Appalachian Electric 

Cooperative, Athens Utility Board, Bristol Tennessee 

Electric System, Caney Fork Electric Cooperative, 

City of Maryville Electric Department, Clarksville 

Department of Electricity, Cleveland Utilities, Clinton 

Utilities Board, Cookeville Electric Department, 

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, 

Dickson Electric Department, Duck River Electric 

Membership Corporation, Elizabethton Electric 

System, EPB (Chattanooga), Erwin Utilities, 

Fayetteville Public Utilities, Gibson Electric 

Membership Corporation, Greeneville Light and 

Power System, Harriman Utility Board, Johnson City

Power Board, Jackson Energy Authority, Knoxville 

Utilities Board, Lafollette Utilities Board, 

Lawrenceburg Power System, Lenoir City Utilities 

Board, Loudon Utilities, McMinnville Electric System, 

Memphis Light, Gas & Water, Meriwhether Lewis 

Electric Cooperative, Middle Tennessee Electric 

Membership Corporation, Morristown Power System, 

Mountain Electric Cooperative, Murfreesboro Electric 

Department, Nashville Electric Service, Newport 

Utilities, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Paris Board 

of Public Utilities, Plateau Electric Cooperative, Powell 

Valley Electric Cooperative, Pulaski Electric System, 

Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative, Sevier 

County Electric System, Springfield Department of 

Electricity, Sweetwater Utilities Board, Tullahoma 

Utilities Board, Upper Cumberland Electric 

Membership Corporation, Volunteer Energy

Green Power Switch landfill gas, PV, 

wind 

2000 2.67¢/kWh

82
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

TX Austin Energy (City of Austin) GreenChoice wind, landfill gas, 

hydro 

2000/1997 0.5¢/kWh

TX City Public Service of San Antonio Windtricity wind 2000 3.0¢/kWh

TX El Paso Electric Company Renewable Energy

Tariff

wind 2001 1.92¢/kWh

UT City of St. George Clean Green Power wind, small hydro 2005 2.95¢/kWh 

UT Deseret Power GreenWay various 2004 1.95¢/kWh

UT Pacificorp: Utah Power Blue Sky wind 2000 1.95¢/kWh

VT Central Vermont Public Service CVPS Cow Power biogas 2004 4.0¢/kWh

VT Green Mountain Power CoolHome / 

CoolBusiness

wind, biomass 2002 Contribution

WA Avista Utilities Buck-A-Block wind 2002 0.33¢/kWh

WA Benton County Public Utility District Green Power Program landfill gas, wind 1999 Contribution

WA Chelan County PUD Sustainable Natural 

Alternative Power 

(SNAP)

PV, wind, micro 

hydro 

2001 Contribution

WA Clallam County PUD Clallam County PUD 

Green Power Program

landfill gas 2001 0.7¢/kWh 

WA Clark Public Utilities Green Lights PV, wind 2002 1.5¢/kWh 

WA Cowlitz PUD Renewable Resource 

Energy

wind, PV 2002 2.0¢/kWh 

WA Grant County PUD Alternative Energy

Resources Program

wind 2002 2.0¢/kWh

WA Grays Harbor PUD Green Power wind 2002 3.0¢/kWh

WA Lewis County PUD Green Power Energy

Rate

wind 2003 2.0¢/kWh

WA Mason County PUD No. 3 Mason Evergreen 

Power

wind 2003 2.0¢/kWh

WA Orcas Power & Light Go Green wind, hydro 1999 3.5¢/kWh 

WA Pacific County PUD Green Power landfill gas 2002 1.05¢/kWh 

WA Pacificorp: Pacific Power Blue Sky wind 2000 1.95¢/kWh

WA Peninsula Light Green by Choice wind, hydro 2002 2.8¢/kWh 

WA Puget Sound Energy Green Power Plan wind, PV, biogas 2002 2.0¢/kWh 

WA Seattle City Light Green UP (C&I only) wind 2005 1.5¢/kWh

WA Seattle City Light Seattle Green Power PV, biogas 2002 Contribution

WA Snohomish County Public Utility District Planet Power wind 2002 2.0¢/kWh

WA Tacoma Power EverGreen Options small hydro, wind 2000 1.5¢/kWh 

WI Alliant Energy Second Nature wind, landfill gas 2000 2.0¢/kWh 

WI Dairyland Power Cooperative: Barron Electric, 

Bayfield/ Iron River, Chippewa / Cornell Valley, Clark / 

Greenwood, Dunn / Menomonie, Eau Claire / Fall 

Creek, Jackson / Black River Falls, Jump River / 

Ladysmith, Oakdale, Pierce-Pepin / Ellsworth, PolkBurnett / Centuria, Price / Phillips, Richland, Riverland 

/ Arcadia, St. Croix / Baldwin, Scenic Rivers / 

Lancaster, Taylor / Medford, Vernon / Westby

Evergreen Renewable 

Energy Program

wind 1998 1.5¢/kWh

WI Great River Energy: Head of the Lakes Wellspring Renewable 

Wind Energy Program

wind 1997 1.45¢/kWh2.0¢/kWh 

WI Madison Gas & Electric Wind Power Program wind 1999 3.3¢/kWh

WI We Energies Energy for Tomorrow landfill gas, hydro, 

wind 

1996 2.04¢/kWh

83
State Utility Name Program Type Start Date Premium 

WI Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (34 of 37 munis offer 

program): Algoma, Cedarburg, Florence, Kaukauna, 

Muscoda, Stoughton, Reedsburg, Oconomowoc, 

Waterloo, Whitehall, Columbus, Hartford, Lake Mills, 

New Holstein, Richland Center, Boscobel, Cuba City, 

Hustisford, Sturgeon Bay, Waunakee, Lodi, New

London, Plymouth, River Falls, Sun Prairie, Waupun, 

Eagle River, Jefferson, Menasha, New Richmond, 

Prairie du Sac, Slinger, Two Rivers, Westby

Renewable Energy

Program

small hydro, wind, 

biogas 

2001 2.0¢/kWh

WI Wisconsin Public Service NatureWise wind, landfill gas, 

biogas 

2002 1.86¢/kWh

WI Wisconsin Public Service Solar Wise for Schools PV in schools 1996 Contribution

WY Lower Valley Energy Green Power wind 2003 1.17¢/kWh

WY Pacificorp: Pacific Power Blue Sky wind 2000 1.95¢/kWh

WY Tri-State: Carbon Power & Light Renewable Resource 

Power Service

wind, landfill gas 2001 2.5¢/kWh 

WY Yampa Valley Electric Association Wind Energy Program wind 1999 3.0¢/kWh

84
Table A-3: Retail Green Power Product Offerings in Competitive Electricity Markets, 

October 2005

State Company Product Name Residential 

Price Premium1

Fee Resource Mix2 Certification 

CT Community Energy (CT

Clean Energy Options 

Program)

CT Clean Energy

Options 50% or 100% 

of usage

1.1¢/kWh — 50% new wind, 50% 

landfill gas 

— 

CT Levco 100% Renewable 

Electricity Program

0.0¢/kWh — 98% waste-to-energy

and hydro (Class II), 

2% new solar, wind, 

fuel cells, and landfill 

gas 

— 

CT Sterling Planet (CT 

Clean Energy Options 

Program)

Sterling Select 50% or 

100% of usage

1.15¢/kWh — 33% new wind, 33% 

existing small low

impact hydro, 34%

new landfill gas 

— 

DC PEPCO Energy Services 

(3)

Green Electricity 10%, 

51% or 100% of usage

1.35¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— landfill gas —

DC PEPCO Energy Services 

(3)

NewWind Energy 51% 

or 100% of usage

2.05¢kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— new wind —

DC Washington Gas Energy

Services / Community

Energy

New Wind Energy (5%, 

10%, 25%, 50%, or 

100% of usage)

2.5¢/kWh — new wind —

ME Maine Renewable 

Energy/Maine Interfaith 

Power & Light (4)

Maine Clean Power 2.37¢/kWh — 100% low impact

hydro 

— 

ME Maine Renewable 

Energy/Maine Interfaith 

Power & Light (4)

Maine Clean Power 

Plus

2.87¢/kWh — 80% low impact hydro, 

20% wind 

— 

MD PEPCO Energy Services 

(5)

Green Electricity 10%, 

51% or 100% of usage 

2.75¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— landfill gas —

MD PEPCO Energy Services 

(5)

NewWind Energy 51% 

or 100% of usage

3.35¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— new wind —

MD PEPCO Energy Services 

(5)

Non-residential product NA — 50% to 100% eligible 

renewables 

Green-e 

MD Washington Gas Energy

Services / Community

Energy

New Wind Energy 2.5¢/kWh — new wind (5%, 10%, 

25%, 50%, or 100% of 

usage) or 100 kWh 

blocks 

— 

MA Cape Light Compact (6) Cape Light Compact 

Green 50% or 100%

1.768¢/kWh (for

100% usage) 

— 75% small hydro, 24% 

new wind or landfill 

gas, 1% new solar 

— 

MA Massachusetts 

Electric/Nantucket 

Electric/Community

Energy

New Wind Energy 50% 

or 100% of usage

2.4¢/kWh — 50% small hydro, 50% 

new wind 

Green-e 

85
State Company Product Name Residential 

Price Premium1

Fee Resource Mix2 Certification 

MA Massachusetts 

Electric/Nantucket 

Electric/Mass Energy

Consumers Alliance

New England 

GreenStart 50% or 

100% of usage

2.4¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— 75% small hydro, 19% 

biomass, 5% wind, 1% 

solar (≥25% of total is 

new)

— 

MA Massachusetts 

Electric/Nantucket 

Electric/Sterling Planet

Sterling Premium 50% 

or 100% of usage

1.35¢/kWh — 50% small hydro, 30% 

bioenergy, 15% wind, 

5% new solar 

Environmental 

Resources 

Trust 

NJ Green Mountain Energy

Company (7)

Enviro Blend 1.0¢/kWh $3.95/mo. 5% new wind, 0.4% 

solar, 44.6% captured 

methane, 50% large 

hydro 

— 

NJ PSE&G/JCP&L/ 

Community Energy

Clean Power Choice 

Program

1.3¢/kWh — 50% wind, 49% low

impact hydro, 1% solar 

— 

NJ PSE&G/JCP&L/ Green 

Mountain Energy

Clean Power Choice 

Program

0.9¢/kWh — 50% wind, 50% low

impact hydro 

— 

NJ PSE&G/JCP&L/ JerseyAtlantic WindClean Power Choice 

Program

2.9¢/kWh — 50% wind, 50% low

impact hydro 

— 

NJ PSE&G/JCP&L/ JerseyAtlantic WindClean Power Choice 

Program: New Jersey

Wind Energy

5.5¢/kWh — 100-kWh new wind —

NJ PSE&G/JCP&L/ Sterling 

Planet

Clean Power Choice 

Program

1.2¢/kWh — 33% wind, 33% small 

hydro, 34% bioenergy

Environmental 

Resources 

Trust 

NY ConEdison Solutions (8) 

/ Community Energy

GREEN Power 0.5¢/kWh — 25% new wind, 75% 

small hydro 

Green-e 

$.10/day for 

100kWh 

NY ECONnergy Keet It Clean

$.20/day for 

200kWh 

— 100% new wind —

NY Energy Cooperative of 

New York (9)

Renewable Electricity 0.5¢/kWh to 

0.75¢/kWh 

— 25% new wind, 75% 

existing landfill gas 

— 

NY Long Island Power 

Authority / Community

Energy

New Wind Energy 2.5¢/kWh — new wind —

NY Long Island Power 

Authority / Community

Energy

New Wind Energy and 

Water

1.3¢/kWh — 60% new wind, 40% 

small hydro 

— 

NY Long Island Power 

Authority / EnviroGen

Green Power Program 1.0¢/kWh — 75% landfill gas, 25% 

small hydro 

— 

NY Long Island Power 

Authority / Sterling Planet

New York Clean 1.0¢/kWh — 55% small hydro, 35% 

bioenergy, 10% wind 

— 

NY Long Island Power 

Authority / Sterling Planet

Sterling Green 1.5¢/kWh — 40% wind, 30% small 

hydro, 30% bioenergy

— 

NY NYSEG/Community

Energy

Catch the Wind/New

Wind Energy

2.5¢/kWh — 100-kWh blocks of 

new wind 

— 

NY Niagara Mohawk / 

Community Energy

60% New Wind Energy

and 40% Small Hydro

1.0¢/kWh — 60% new wind, 40% 

hydro 

— 

NY Niagara Mohawk / 

Community Energy

NewWind Energy 2.0¢/kWh — new wind —

86
State Company Product Name Residential 

Price Premium1

Fee Resource Mix2 Certification 

NY Niagara Mohawk / 

EnviroGen

Think Green! 1.0¢/kWh — 75% landfill gas, 25% 

hydro 

— 

NY Niagara Mohawk / 

Sterling Planet

Sterling Green 1.5¢/kWh — 40% wind, 30% small 

hydro, 30% bioenergy

Environmental 

Resources 

Trust 

NY Niagara Mohawk/Green

Mountain Energy

Green Mountain 

Energy Electricity

1.3¢/kWh — 50% small hydro, 50% 

wind 

Green-e 

NY Rochester Gas & 

Electric/Community

Energy

Catch the 

Wind/NewWind Energy

2.5¢/kWh — 100-kWh blocks of 

new wind 

— 

NY Suburban Energy

Services /Sterling Planet

Sterling Green 

Renewable Electricity

1.5¢/kWh — 40% new wind, 30% 

small hydro, 30%

bioenergy

— 

PA Energy Cooperative of 

Pennsylvania (10)

EcoChoice 100 2.78¢/kWh — 89% landfill gas, 10% 

wind, 1% solar 

Green-e 

PA Energy Cooperative of 

Pennsylvania (10)

Wind Energy 2.5¢/kWh — wind —

PA PECO

Energy/Community

Energy (10)

PECO Wind 2.54¢/kWh — 100-kWh blocks of 

new wind 

— 

PA PEPCO Energy Services 

(10)

Green Electricity 10%, 

51% or 100% of usage

3.7¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— 100% renewable —

PA PEPCO Energy Services 

(10)

NewWind Energy 51% 

or 100% of usage

4.48¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— 100% new wind —

RI Narragansett Electric / 

Community Energy, Inc.

NewWind Energy 50% 

or 100% of usage

2.0¢/kWh — 50% small hydro, 50% 

new wind 

Green-e 

RI Narragansett Electric / 

People's Power & Light

New England 

GreenStart RI 50% or 

100% of usage

1.5¢/kWh — 69% small hydro, 30% 

new wind, 1% new

solar

Green-e 

RI Narragansett Electric / 

Sterling Planet

Sterling Supreme 100% 1.98¢/kWh — 40% small hydro, 25% 

biomass, 25% new

solar, 10% wind 

Environmental 

Resources 

Trust 

TX Gexa Energy (11) Gexa Green -1.1¢/kWh — 100% renewable —

TX Green Mountain Energy

Company (11)

100% Wind Power: 

Reliable Rate or Monthto-Month

1.46¢/kWh $5.34/mo. wind —

TX Green Mountain Energy

Company (11)

Pollution Free: Reliable 

Rate or Month-toMonth 

-0.03¢/kWh $5.34/mo. wind and hydro — 

TX Reliant Energy (11) Renewable Plan -1.1¢/kWh — wind —

VA PEPCO Energy Services 

(12)

Green Electricity 10%, 

51% or 100% of usage

4.53¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— landfill gas —

VA PEPCO Energy Services 

(12)

NewWind Energy 51% 

or 100% of usage

5.33¢/kWh (for 

100% usage) 

— new wind —

VA Washington Gas Energy

Services / Community

Energy

New Wind Energy

Certificates

2.5¢/kWh — 100 kWh blocks of 

new wind 

— 

87
1

 Prices updated as of July 2005 and may also apply to small commercial customers. Prices may differ for large 

commercial/industrial customers and may vary by service territory. 2

 New is defined as operating or repowered after January 1, 1999 based on the Green-e TRC certification standards. 3

 Offered in PEPCO service territory. Product prices are for renewal customers based on annual average costs for 

customers in PEPCO's service territory (6.8¢/kWh). 4

 Price premium is for Central Maine Power service territory based on standard offer of 7.13¢/kWh. 5

 Product offered in Baltimore Gas and Electric and PEPCO service territories. Price is for PEPCO service territory based 

on price to compare of 6.55¢/kWh. 6

 Price premium is based on a comparison to the Cape Light Compact's standard electricity product. 7

 Green Mountain Energy offers products in Conectiv, JCPL, and PSE&G service territories. Product prices are for 

PSE&G (price to compare of 6.503¢/kWh). 8

 Price premium is based on a comparison to ConEdison Solutions' standard electricity product in the ConEdison service 

territory. 

9

 Price premium is for Niagara Mohawk service territory. Program only available in Niagara Mohawk service territory. 

Premium varies depending on energy taxes and usage. 10 Product prices are for PECO service territory (price to compare of 6.21¢/kWh). 11 Product prices are based on price to beat of 12.1¢/kWh for TXU service territory (specifically Dallas, Texas) (Except 

where noted). Except for Gexa Green, which is listed in price per kWh, prices based on 1000 kwh of usage monthly, and 

include monthly fees. 12 Products are available in Dominion Virginia Power service territory

88
Table A-4: Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Retail Products, October 2005 

Certificate Marketer Product Name 

Renewable 

Resources 

Location of 

Renewable 

Resources 

Residential 

Price 

Premiums* Certification 

3 Phases Energy Services Green Certificates 100% new wind Nationwide 2.0¢/kWh Green-e 

Blue Sky Energy Corp Greener ChoiceTM 

Green Tags

Landfill Gas Utah 1.95¢/kWh — 

Bonneville Environmental 

Foundation

Green Tags ≥98% new wind, ≤1% 

new solar, ≤1% new

biomass 

Washington, 

Oregon, Wyoming, 

Montana, Alberta

2.0¢/kWh Green-e

Clean and Green Clean and Green

Membership

100% new wind National 3.0¢/kWh Green-e

Clean Energy

Partnership/Community

Energy

Mid Atlantic Wind 100% new wind Mid Atlantic 2.0¢/kWh Green-e 

Clean Energy

Partnership/Sterling Planet

National New Clean 

Energy MIx

24% wind, 25% 

biomass, 50% landfill 

gas, 1% solar 

National 0.6¢/kWh Environmental

Resources Trust 

Clean Energy

Partnership/Sterling Planet

National and 

Regional New Wind

100% new wind National 1.0¢/kWh Environmental 

Resources Trust 

Community Energy New Wind Energy 100% new wind Colorado, Illinois, 

New York, 

Pennsylvania, West 

Virginia 

2.0¢/kWh - 

2.5¢/kWh 

Green-e 

Conservation Services 

Group

ClimateSAVE 95% new wind, 5%

new solar 

Kansas (wind), 

New York (solar)

1.65¢/kWh - 

1.75¢/kWh 

Green-e 

EAD Environmental 100% Wind Energy

Certificates

100% new wind Not specified 1.5¢/kWh — 

EAD Environmental Home Grown Hydro 

Certificates

100% small hydro 

(<5MW)

New England 1.2¢/kWh — 

Green Mountain Energy TBD (Pennsylvania 

REC product)

100% wind National 1.7¢/kWh2.0¢/kWh — 

Maine Interfaith Power & 

Light/BEF

Green Tags 

(supplied by BEF)

≥98% new wind, ≤1% 

new solar, ≤1% new

biomass 

Washington, 

Oregon, Wyoming, 

Montana, Alberta

2.0¢/kWh —

Mass Energy Consumers 

Alliance

New England Wind 100% new wind Massachusetts 5.0¢/kWh — 

NativeEnergy CoolHome New biogas and new

wind 

Vermont and 

Pennsylvania 

(biomass), South 

Dakota (wind) 

0.8¢/kWh - 

1.0¢/kWh 

** 

NativeEnergy WindBuilders 100% new wind South Dakota ~1.2¢/kWh, 

$12 per ton of 

CO2 avoided 

** 

Renewable Choice Energy American Wind 100% new wind Nationwide 2.0¢/kWh Green-e 

Renewable Ventures PVUSA Solar Green 

Certificates

100% solar California 3.3¢/kWh Green-e 

89
Certificate Marketer Product Name 

Renewable 

Resources 

Location of 

Renewable 

Resources 

Residential 

Price 

Premiums* Certification 

SKY energy, Inc. Wind-e Renewable 

Energy

100% new wind Nationwide 2.4¢/kWh Green-e 

Sterling Planet Green America 45% new wind, 50% 

new biomass, 5% 

new solar 

Nationwide 1.6¢/kWh Green-e

TerraPass Inc. TerraPass Various (including 

efficiency and CO2 

offsets) 

Nationwide ~$11/ton CO2 —

Waverly Light & Power Iowa Energy Tags 100% wind Iowa 2.0¢/kWh — 

WindCurrent Chesapeake 

Windcurrent

100% new wind Mid-Atlantic States 2.5¢/kWh Green-e 

Premium may also apply to small commercial customers. Large users may be able to negotiate price premiums. 

Most product prices are as of July 2005. 

** The Climate Neutral Network certifies the methodology used to calculate the CO2 emissions offset. 

NA = Not applicable.

90
Appendix B 

Table B-1: EPA Green Power Partnership Top 25 Partners by Size of Purchase, 

October 2005

Rank Purchaser

Annual Purchase 

(MWh) 

1. U.S. Air Force 321,416 

2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 246,809 

3. Johnson & Johnson 241,398 

4. U.S. Department of Energy 152,000 

5. The World Bank 85,000 

6. Safeway Inc. 78,000

7. U.S. General Services Administration/Region 2 76,185 

8. Whole Foods Market 71,428 

9. City of San Diego, CA 69,843 

10. HSBC North America 68,181 

11. New Jersey Consolidated Energy Savings Program 55,624 

12. Advanced Micro Devices/Austin, TX Facilities 52,448 

13. WhiteWave Foods 49,500

14. Austin (TX) Independent School District 48,827 

15 Staples 48,283

16. Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. 45,000 

17. The Tower Companies 41,000

18. U.S. Army/Fort Carson 40,000 

19. University of Pennsylvania 40,000

20. Montgomery County, MD 38,412

21 Hyatt Regency/Reunion & DFW Airport Hotels 35,300 

22. Western Washington University 35,000 

23. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 34,800 

24. FedEx Kinko’s 29,300

25. East Bay Municipal Utility District/Main WWT Plant 26,000 

 Source: U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top25.htm 

91
Appendix C 

Table C-1: Estimated U.S. Green Power Customers by State and Customer Class 

Participating Customers 

2003P 2002 

State 

Electric 

Industry

Participants 

2003P Residential 

NonResidential Total Total

Alabama.............................................

Alaska ................................................

Arizona............................................. 2 5,838 96 5,934 4,039

Arkansas............................................

California............................................ 8 60,626 1,653 62,279 55,631

Colorado ............................................ 18 43,418 776 44,194 39,191

Connecticut........................................ 1,056

Delaware............................................ 8

District of Columbia............................ 2 4,612 212 4,824 1,686 

Florida................................................ 1 206 12 218 146

Georgia .............................................. 11 3,881 14 3,895 418

Hawaii ................................................ 3 3,551 28 3,579 3,040

Idaho.................................................. 4 2,437 71 2,508 2,090

Illinois................................................. 1 8 8 8

Indiana ............................................... 9 1,075 16 1,091 708

Iowa ................................................... 30 5,756 29 5,785 4,403

Kansas...............................................

Kentucky ............................................ 5 115 3 118 6

Louisiana............................................

Maine ................................................. 1 5 5 47

Maryland ............................................ 2 14,205 151 14,356 2,553

Massachusetts................................... 1 1 1

Michigan............................................. 6 1,285 61 1,346 1,189

Minnesota .......................................... 76 19,805 450 20,255 7,922

Mississippi.......................................... 1 7 7

Missouri.............................................. 4 261 261 136

Montana............................................. 4 48 1 49 241

Nebraska............................................ 4 4,086 85 4,171 4,809

Nevada............................................... 1 284 1 285 241

New Hampshire .................................

New Jersey ........................................ 1 1,731 85 1,816 2,226 

New Mexico ....................................... 5 5,610 164 5,774 629 

New York ........................................... 2 133 1 134 

North Carolina.................................... 9 3,747 166 3,913 

North Dakota...................................... 9 1,771 21 1,792 670 

Ohio ................................................... 1 387,938 40,911 428,849 356,309

Oklahoma........................................... 1 6,712 46 6,758

Oregon............................................... 12 37,173 4,966 42,139 35,674

Pennsylvania...................................... 3 74,583 93 74,676 92,722

Rhode Island......................................

South Carolina ................................... 4 1,506 219 1,725 1,152 

South Dakota ..................................... 12 613 11 624 R

513 

Tennessee ......................................... 1 1 1

Texas ................................................. 4 65,618 2,993 68,611 47,638

Utah ................................................... 1 12,264 3,216 15,480 8,924

Vermont .............................................

Virginia............................................... 2 4,624 15 4,639 2,394

Washington........................................ 18 16,406 452 16,858 11,003

West Virginia......................................

Wisconsin........................................... 50 26,158 437 26,595 20,913

Wyoming............................................ 5 1,488 85 1,573 1,215

Total .................................................. 308 819,579 57,547 877,126 R

711,550 

P = Preliminary; R = Revised 

Note: Electric industry participants include the following respondent types: Federal, state, municipal, investor-owned, and 

cooperative utilities; municipal marketing authorities; and power marketers (or energy service providers). Non-residential 

may include some customers for which no customer class is specified. Blank cells indicate no date was reported for the 

state or the number of customers in a class was zero. Totals may not equal the sum of the components due to 

independent rounding. Source: Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861, “Annual Electric Power Industry

Report.” 

Source: EIA Renewable Energy Annual 2003, DOE/EIA-0603(2003), December 2004.

92
F1147-E(12/2004) 

REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved 

OMB No. 0704-0188

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PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ORGANIZATION.

1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY)

October 2005 

2. REPORT TYPE

Technical Report 

3. DATES COVERED (From - To)

5a. CONTRACT NUMBER

DE-AC36-99-GO10337 

5b. GRANT NUMBER

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report 

(Eighth Edition) 

5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER

5d. PROJECT NUMBER

NREL/TP-620-38994 

5e. TASK NUMBER

ASG5.1003 

6. AUTHOR(S)

Lori Bird and Blair Swezey 

5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

1617 Cole Blvd. 

Golden, CO 80401-3393 

8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 

REPORT NUMBER

NREL/TP-620-38994 

10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S)

NREL 

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)

11. SPONSORING/MONITORING 

AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

12. DISTRIBUTION AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

National Technical Information Service 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

14. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 Words)

Voluntary consumer decisions to purchase electricity supplied by renewable energy sources represent a powerful 

market support mechanism for renewable energy development. Beginning in the early 1990s, a small number of U.S. 

utilities began offering “green power” options to their customers. Since then, these products have become more 

prevalent, both from utilities and in states that have introduced competition into their retail electricity markets. Today, 

more than 50% of all U.S. consumers have an option to purchase some type of green power product from a retail 

electricity provider. This report provides an overview of green power marketing activity in the United States. The first 

section provides an overview of green power markets, consumer response, and recent industry trends. The second 

section provides brief descriptions of utility green pricing programs. The third section describes companies that 

actively market green power in competitive markets and those that market renewable energy certificates nationally or 

regionally. The final section provides information on a select number of large, nonresidential green power 

purchasers, including businesses, universities, and government agencies. 

15. SUBJECT TERMS

Green power; green power marketing; green tags; voluntary markets; renewable energy markets; utilities; electricity 

customers; energy industry trends; renewable energy certificates; RECs; green power products; consumer response; 

utility green pricing programs; Lori Bird; Blair Swezey 

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a. REPORT 

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b. ABSTRACT 

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