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Polling supports NPPD plan to acquire more wind power

A customer participating in NPPD’s Deliberative Polling project poses a question about renewable energy to an expert panel. Panel sessions took place in an auditorium, and panelists included senators, industry representatives and environmentalists, among others. (Photo courtesy of Nebraska Public Power District)

Ask a simple question, and get a simple answer. Take a little time to explain the question, as Nebraska Public Power District did in its Deliberative Polling project, and the answer might be a little more complicated but a lot more useful.

As part of its long-term energy supply strategy to meet customers’ future energy needs, Nebraska’s largest public utility plans to add five percent renewable energy to its portfolio by 2010, if it can prove to have significant value compared to cost. Before pursuing that goal, however, NPPD management wanted to find out what the people who owned the system—the ratepayers—thought of the strategy.

Survey method educates, then questions participants
“Past customer surveys indicated support for including renewable energy in our resource mix, but very few customers had signed up for our ‘Prairie Power’ program,” explained Renewable Energy Development Manager Frank Thompson. “That disconnect led us to question our green energy offering.”

Clearly, a survey stuffed in an electric bill couldn’t answer that question, so NPPD began to look for a way to collect more comprehensive data. The information would have to come from a customer sample representative of NPPD’s service area. It would also help if the consumers were knowledgeable about renewable energy.

Deliberative Polling seemed to offer an alternative to conventional surveys. The technique tests participants’ opinions about an issue after they have had a chance to read, think, discuss and ask questions of experts and advocates.

NPPD’s use of the method in planning its energy supply strategy was significant for several reasons. It was the first new deliberative polling data on energy alternatives in five years and the first application by a publicly-owned utility. The poll was also the first of its kind to be conducted in the Midwest and contained the highest rural sampling in such a study.

Recognizing the technique’s potential value in the resource planning process, the U.S. Department of Energy supplied a $55,000 grant through Western to help defray the cost of the in-depth approach. The Nebraska Energy Office and American Public Power Association also contributed to the effort.

Panelists, customers compare renewable energy with fossil fuel electricity
Survey participants were selected through random calling and each completed a questionnaire on electricity issues over the phone. They were then invited to attend a day-long customer meeting to learn more about energy generation alternatives and share their opinions. Two weeks before the meeting, participants received a packet that introduced the issues to be discussed, defined useful terms and explained factors they needed to consider.

The meeting alternated between small and large group sessions. Participants had the opportunity to question an advisory panel that provided diverse perspectives on energy, environment, costs, economic development and political views. Discussions centered on whether NPPD should continue, decrease or expand its commitment to renewable resources.

Specific projects to build 200 MW of wind power by 2010 and five MW of methane generated from animal manure over five years were offered as examples of renewable energy. Participants compared those resources to fossil fuel generation represented by a combined cycle gas plant and a coal plant using “best available control technology.”

Attitudes change as participants learn tradeoffs
With an eight-hour crash course in alternative energy under their belts, participants took another survey. The post-meeting polling showed that 96 percent favored adding 200 MW of wind power to NPPD's generation fuel mix and 37 percent thought the utility should add even more. “The overwhelming support for five percent of NPPD's energy from renewable resources by 'informed' customers was higher than anticipated,” Thompson observed.

Also surprising was the strong preference voiced for blending renewable energy into the resource mix as opposed to marketing green energy as a separate product. “In spite of their support for renewable energy, customers were not willing to sign up for a separate green energy product,” said Thompson. “The polling results put the slow growth of Prairie Power into perspective.”

Pre- and post-event polling allowed NPPD to track shifts in participant’s attitudes. Initially, customers showed the most interest in wind and solar generation. After a discussion of tradeoffs with fellow customers and experts, wind was even more highly rated, but solar dropped considerably. Conservation was seen as an important strategy both before and after the meeting, while methane garnered more support once a variety of options had been examined.

Good publicity fringe benefit to seeking customer input
The Deliberative Polling project proved that both utilities and their ratepayers can benefit from in-depth studies, especially when it comes to far-reaching issues like resource planning. On post-event evaluations, 93 percent of the participants said the experience was valuable. Many commented that they appreciated the opportunity to learn about renewable energy and offer input on their utility’s power resources.

NPPD’s board of directors factored the polling results into its decision to develop a 60-MW wind facility near Ainsworth, Neb. The utility also gained new insight into its green energy marketing program. “When it became clear that our customers wanted renewable energy in the mix, we decided to discontinue ‘Prairie Power’ and save on marketing and administrative costs,” recalled Thompson.

As a bonus, the project resulted in positive publicity for NPPD. The announcement of the project received statewide coverage, and four television stations and eight newspapers did stories on the event. Nebraska Educational Telecommunications recorded the meeting and broadcast a one-hour program on the project at a later date.

Although in-depth polling is too time- and cost-intensive to use frequently, Thompson believes that utilities should consider it an option for large projects and long-term planning. “I think we learned as much from the process as our customers did about energy alternatives,” he said.