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My power provider has a scheme (I forget the name) where basically your entire electricity bill goes to "green" electricity producers. The logic is that you can
by StavrosK 6y ago
My power provider has a scheme (I forget the name) where basically your entire electricity bill goes to "green" electricity producers. The logic is that you can't control where your electricity comes from, but you can easily control where your money goes.
That way, no matter where you get your power from, all your money goes to green sources.
- pjerem 6y agoI don’t know where you are living but this method had issues when different networks are involved. One example of this is Norway vs Europe : Norway is interconnected with the rest of the Europe for « green electricity » market but doesn’t share the electric grid of the rest of Europe. The consequences is that any European can buy « green contracts » that pays Norway renewable industry. Sounds ok as an European. But now, by this market rules, a Norwegian citizen that doesn’t pay the « green premium » is considered consuming non renewable electricity even if he have no physical way to consume non renewable. And as a Norwegian citizen, it can be difficult to understand the incentive to pay more while knowing your electricity is physically constrained to be only from renewable sources. As a French I have a similar problem : why should I pay a premium to get CO2-free energy while knowing my country spent billions of public money (which I’m really glad) to be self sufficient with nuclear power plants ? And since nuclear is not a renewable energy, I have no way if I wanted to pay a « premium » that would help fund nuclear energy even if I politically support it as en important ally against global warming.
- teachingassist 6y agoI understood a problem that energy providers are investing some minimum (perhaps only the legal minimum) into green provision, an amount that they would have anyway. And, selling this onwards as a premium to the end user without actually changing their behaviour. Since you get the same service (your power ultimately comes from the same grid), it's a pure price discrimination strategy. [This is maybe a general restatement of pjerem's sibling comment] I do pay this premium, but I mostly feel cheated by it.
- imtringued 6y agoIf the CO2 price was sufficiently high it would be cheaper to go with the green plan.
- teachingassist 6y agoI am doubtful: my electricity as a residential consumer ultimately comes from the same grid, so my CO2 cost is the same, whether I choose the green plan or not.
- KoftaBob 6y agoThis is how it works in Massachusetts, it's pretty cool to be able to select a renewable energy power producer hooked up to the state's grid to receive your electric bill money.