A number of topics and suggestions for improving the program were made at this meeting. The program will be one year old on April 17, 2001. The Company has promoted the Blue Sky program with various media advertisements, bill stuffers, and an occasional telemarketing campaign. The recent promotional efforts have increased participation rates among residential customers, but business customer participation in Utah is lagging. The current price of conventional generation indicates little or no need for a renewable premium.
Wind power is an economical resource today compared to purchases of power on the wholesale market.
However, current wholesale prices are not expected to remain high over the life of the resources or length of the contracts signed to secure the renewable resources. The Company anticipates that the premium may have to be adjusted periodically as more information is garnered about future prices of conventional generation resources. The Company stated that it does not anticipate an increase will be pursued in the near future. The appropriate allocation of the marketing costs of the program was brought up. The Company was reminded that a majority of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resource Task Force recommended, in its report to the Commission, that there be a sharing of marketing costs between participants, general ratepayers, and stockholders.