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Green Power – What is it? Where do you get it?

What is Green Power?

Green Power is electricity that is generated without the use of fossil fuel, nuclear energy or large scale water power sources. Instead, this electricity is generated using biomass, wind, landfill, small scale water power, or solar technologies.

Why do we need it? Generation of electricity from traditional sources causes significant environmental issues. Electricity generated from fossil fuels, coal, oil or natural gas, produces an amazing amoung of air pollution. Nuclear power generation produces highly radioactive nuclear waste which is just being stored right now because no disposal system has been agreed to. Large scale hydroelectric sources involve damming of rivers, interruption of lake and river ecosystems and often create resevoirs that flood valuable land.

While you can't buy the specific electrons that are energized by the green generation, you can cause green generation to comprise more of the total power pool. The electricity in North America can be viewed as a pool of water. Your use of electricity is similar to taking a thimble of water out of the pool. In order for that thimble to be there, the electric power producers must produce a thimble (and guess when you'll need it). If your thimble is green power, the pool is a little greener. (Not the most pleasing analogy, I agree) While that thimble is not very significant, if thousands of people and businesses also buy green power, the thimbles add up to buckets, barrels, and maybe an entire pool. Fossil and nuclear power will then be displaced by Green Power.

Green Power in North America

The federal, state and provincial energy ministries and departments are developing certification and labeling procedures right now. Green Power is available now in Ontario, Alberta, California, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

The Green Power Controversy

Not surprisingly, there are a number of disagreements about what should be called "green power". The opinion ranges from nuclear power advocates that state that nuclear generation does not pollute, through to people who think that any power generated using a dam without a fish ladder cannot be called green.

However, there's a reasonable consensus that green power is generation from renewable resources. This includes solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and small scale hydro sources.

The Price of Green Power

Right now in most jurisdictions, you will have to pay a premium for green power, and that will likely always be the case. That seems to be for a number of reasons, some inherent to green power and some market based. In general, recognition of green power technology is lower than other sources, and green power is not as reliable as non-green sources since it often only works in certain geographic areas, certain times of the day or certain times of the year. For example, you need falling water for hydroelectric power, windy conditions for wind power, quite a bit of sunlight for the most economic solar power, and underground volcanic activity for geothermal.

However, possibly a greater reason is the lack of economies of scale in the current market. This is changing. Once a large number of people start to purchase green power, the prices should come down, as they have done with consumer electronics.

The exception to the premium price is California, where there are substantial subsidies for green power.

Join a Green Power Pool

We will notify you when Green Power becomes available for purchase in your area. In the meantime, please continue to contribute to cleaner air any way you can. Please fill out the information below:

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