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Green energy in the United States
In the United States, green pricing programs have existed since 1993. Dozens of regulated utilities offer a variety of options to 'buy' additional green energy. Typically, 1 to 3% of their customers sign up for such a program. Many programs are limited and have customer waiting lists.
State by state, the electricity markets are being deregulated. In 1997, California became the first state to approve state-wide restructuring of the market. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts followed suit, and approx. 15 states have adopted timetables for deregulation.
In the new competition, green energy products play an important role. In many cases these products are offered by new green energy companies. 20 to 30% of residential customers chose green energy in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, saving money compared to their previous regulated price, but paying substantially more than the cheapest offer.
These developments have prompted a call for disclosure and seals of approval. The Green Power Board, consisting of individuals from various stakeholders, together with the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions, has developed the Green-e Program. This renewable energy branding scheme allows products to use the Green-e logo if they meet a set of requirements. The product has to contain at least 50% renewables, and the fossil portion must have relatively low air pollutant emissions. At the moment households in California and Pennsylvania can choose from a number of Green-e products.
For an overview of Green Pricing programmes in the United States, refer to: http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/summary.shtml
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