Community Toolkit > Energy > Green Power > Purchasing Options

Green Power Purchasing Options

Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

Project Outline:

Green Power is a marketing term for electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydro. Green Power is sold to support the development of new renewable energy sources. Products made with green power always contain a higher percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources than conventional electrical service.

Renewable Energy Certificates/REC’s:

If Green Power is not available for direct purchase in your area, you can also purchase Renewable Energy Certificates to offset your emissions. A complete list of organizations offering such certificates in your state can be found by visiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Locator. Also listed are retail Green Power providers, if applicable. CA-CP offers a A Consumer's Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers to help you evaluate your choices. A partner of CA-CP in producing RECs and carbon dioxide offsets is NativeEnergy.

Join a Regional Power Co-op

Become a member of a power co-op, which establishes local green power sources and creates green job. Here is the process to follow to become a Local Organizing Council and develop community-owned, community-scale sustainable energy resources for your community. Read more at What is a Power Co-op?

Maine:

In Maine, retail Green Power is available for purchase from Maine Interfaith Power and Light for between 2.37¢ and 2.87¢/kWh in the form of low-impact hydro and wind power.

Vermont:

In Vermont, retail Green Power can be purchased from Central Vermont Public Service through the CVPS Cow Power Program for 4.0¢/kWh in the form of biogas. It can also be purchased through Green Mountain Power’s Cool Home/Cool Business Program, a collaboration with NativeEnergy, in the form of wind and biomass for a contribution or through their Greener Mountain Program, which allows consumers to choose what percentage of their electricity will be generated with renewables.

New Hampshire:

In New Hampshire there are currently no retail Green Power providers. Emissions can be offset by the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates. Visit NativeEnergy's website to learn more.

Process:

• To aid in the process, the EPA has published the comprehensive Guide to Purchasing Green Power which can be downloaded at no cost here. The process suggested, regardless of the type of Green Power being purchased, is the same:

1. Identify key decision makers within your organization or committee.
2. Gather energy data. Figure out the annual electricity consumption for your community’s facilities.  To determine the current environmental impact of your electricity use, enter your usage into the Power Profiler.
3. Outline key objectives. This will help you to determine which Green Power Product is right for your community.
4. Research product options. Review the types of products and the common product considerations to determine which product will best meet your key objectives.
5. Determine scope of purchase. Decide on the appropriate Green Power purchasing scope for your Green Power purchase.
6. Choose the right Green Power for your community! Communities that are ready to make a Green Power commitment can join EPA’s Green Power Partnership which can help lower the costs and increase the value of your Green Power purchase as well as receive technical support and recognition. If you can't buy green power directly through your utility, consult A Consumer's Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers to make sure the RECs or offsets you purchase result in the addition of new green power capacity.

The EPA also provides a Green Power Communications Guide to help explain Green Power and purchasing options to your community. This is useful for public education and support.