Instant Survey: Green Energy Purchases
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI 
on 06.20.06
In many parts of the country, for a small premium you can purchase green energy from the regional utility. Alternatively if your "grid" doesn't offer the option, you can go to a service like CoolWatts to purchase clean green energy credits. Take a look at Renew US to find green energy utilities in your region.
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No, BUT my power comes 100% from hydro.
I live in Boston and the electricity supplier monopoly is NStar. (www.nstaronline.com) They are no longer a producer or electricity, since the deregulation, but they only allow their users to purchase electricity from a small number of actual energy producers. None of their suppliers have renewable energy.
I wrote them about it and their excuse for not providing a green energy option is that there was no demand for it. It's kind of a catch-22. They don't provide green energy because no one is choosing it, but they're not even giving it as a choice. The only way their going to change is if a large number of their customers start writing and calling to demand they supply a renewable energy source choice.
Here in Indianapolis they offer green energy for just pennies more, but you can't do it and another program - having a set rate for a year. I went with the set rate and have been saving over what I used to spend.
I'm from Tasmania(state of Australia) and we have 100% renewable energy(Hydro and Wind)so there is not even the option of non renewabe energy. Tasmania accounts for 60% of Australia's renewable energy. with only a population of half a million people that is pritty sad that we account for that big a percentage. ah and two new wind farm have been scrapt fromt he drawing board due to the anti wind people...grr
Let me think now. . . I produce all my own electricity, wind and solar, this is how I choose to live in harmony with my needs at present. Some other bloke can buy "credits" that offset his consumption of fossil fuel electricity and then say he is "green". Anybody see anything wrong with this yet?? He doesn't reduce his consumption, he just buys more credits. Now it is good that wind and solar power companies produce renewable energy, but isn't the idea to wean us off of fossil fuels all-together? This is not really green folks, it's simply a scam by the big money people to keep burning up the fossil fuels.
I live in Toronto (Canada) and changed to using BullFrog Power a few months ago. It costs about 5 cents/kWh more than non-sustainable power, but I am happy to do so (at least I do not feel so guilty when I forget to turn lights off.) It allows me to concentrate on identifying and reducing other sources of greenhouse gases in my household.