Bullfrog Power: Green Electricity
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.22.05
We were so humiliated by Warren's post about practicing what we preach that we signed up for Ontario's new Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog is alternative supplier which adds electricity to the existing grid and delivers through the existing distribution network. They sell 100% green power, 20% from wind and 80% from Brascan's EcoLogo certified hydroelectric sites. The signup process was painless and quick, and while the power is more expensive than our regular power (a mix of hydro, nuclear and coal) it is guaranteed for a year whereas OPG's will go up. And up. Cute bullfrog decal to let our neighbours know of our treehuggerness is a bonus- We will put it on our hummer. ::Bullfrog Power
This is very interesting. We better look into this too!
Very cool, Lloyd. Guess I can't do the same here in Quebec since our "default" utility is Hydro-Quebec and they already get pretty much all their juice from hydro and wind and our rates are already 40-50% lower than the rest of the country ;)
why Scott-- can't you get electricity from the composting poop?
Not bad.
80% Hydro is a bit high in the mix for my personal preference. While it may be considered renewable and this one is apparently a certified product, Hydro is still a major change to the local landscape and natural flow of a river.
It's nice that you live in a deregulated market and can choose your power supplier!
For those who do not have that option you can still purchase %100 wind power renewable energy certificates to offset your local utilities standard power mix. Check out www.3phases.com or others who offer such a service.
I'm from Washington state and for those of you who don't know it, we've got lots of dams along the Columbia river and other tributaries to collect power. In fact, my grandfather designed a fish ladder system to help salmon swim past the dams to their spawning grounds.
It hasn't ever worked though. Fewer and fewer salmon come back to spawn every year, and this year people have gotten pretty panicky about it. Salmon are an important link in our eco system around here, and the dams we built to better serve ourselves hasn't served them well at all. I believe we could do better but heartens me none the less to see you all practicing what you preach.
Hi,
I buy about 300kwh of SelectWindPower a month. That's about 60% of my average electricity purchase. and I plan to buy more.
Select Wind Power
You don't have to live in Ontario (or Alberta, the other deregulated market in Canada) to support wind power. Both the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development (www.ilovewindpower.com) and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (www.b-e-f.org) offer Green Tags that can offset the electricity you use for your computer, or your entire home. Check it out for yourself-- sorry, not very good with html tags!
In New York I have green power from coned solutions (click for link). It's 75% run of the river hydro (lower impact than dams) and 25% wind. You get a $25 rebate and, like Bullfrog, it's set at a fixed rate.
Anyone know of a nationwide resource to point people in the right direction for their city?