There are policy-makers to influence, regulators to satisfy and consumers to educate. Ultimately, the green power group's success in meeting its goal depends on whether renewable energy is available at a competitive price. The trends are auspicious, supporters say. Natural gas prices have more than doubled in the past year while the cost of green power continues to come down as new sources are brought on line. Deregulation is the most powerful trend working in green power's favor, said Paulos.
Deregulation generally opens the nation's electrical power grids to additional suppliers.
This gives a jolt to a new breed of energy retailers that make their living off the ability of energy consumers to shop around. Deregulation of energy markets has been embraced by a number of states, starting with California in 1996. Wind contributes 5,000 megawatts of electricity in the United States, only about 1 percent of all power production, according to the American Wind Energy Association. But wind is the fastest-growing source of electricity in the Great Plains, the Pacific Northwest and California. The association says 5 percent of the nation's electricity could be generated by wind turbines in 2020.