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Top Ten Utility Green Power Programs
(as of December 2015)
Which utilities are having the greatest success with their green power programs? NREL has compiled extensive data on utility green power programs and produced the following "Top Ten" lists of program characteristics and results: total sales of renewable energy to program participants, total number of customer participants, the percentage of customer participation, and green power sales as a percentage of total utility retail electricity sales.
Previous Top Ten Lists - December 2014, December 2013, December 2012, December 2010, December 2009, December 2008, December 2007, December 2006, December 2005, December 2004, December 2003, December 2002, December 2001, June 2001, November 2000, April 2000
The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released its assessment of leading utility green power programs. Using information provided by utilities, NREL has developed "Top 10" rankings of utility green power programs for 2015 in the following categories: total sales of renewable energy to program participants, total number of customer participants, participation rate (the percentage of utility customers that participated in green pricing programs), and sales rate (green pricing sales as a percentage of total utility sales).
Ranked by renewable energy sales (megawatt-hours/year), Portland General Electric remained in the top spot by selling over 1.3 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy through its voluntary green power program. Indianapolis Power & Light Co (IPL) and Silicon Valley Power were new to the top renewable energy sales with 182,496 (9th) and 179,621 (10th) MWh, respectively. Green power sales of the top 10 utility programs exceeded 5 million MWh in 2015, up from 4.68 million MWh in 2014.
Portland General Electric's Green Source program achieved the highest participation rate (14.65% of eligible customers), followed by Farmers Electric Cooperative - Kalona (11.93%) and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (11.75%). Alameda Municipal Power and Stoughton Utilities were new to the top participation rate list with 6.44% (8th) and 5.14 % (10th). Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp and Xcel Energy remained in the top 3 in terms of total number of participants. Total green power program participants in the top 10 programs totaled 543,382, increasing from 526,733 in 2014. National Grid and We Energies were new to the top participants list with 16,276 (9th) and 15,595 (10th) customers, respectively.
Top Green Power Program Participants (as of December 2015)
Rank | Utility | Green Power Participants |
1 | Portland General Electric | 128,983 |
2 | PacifiCorp | 106,655 |
3 | Xcel Energy | 96,635 |
4 | Sacramento Municipal Utility District | 71,875 |
5 | Puget Sound Energy | 43,365 |
6 | Dominion Virginia Power | 26,974 |
7 | Consumers Energy Company | 19,618 |
8 | Iberdrola: New York State Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas & Electric | 17,407 |
9 | National Grid | 16,276 |
10 | We Energies | 15,595 |
Top Green Power Participation Rate
(as of December 2015)
Rank | Utility | Participation Rate |
1 | Portland General Electric (Green Source) | 14.65% |
2 | Farmers Electric Cooperative - Kalona | 11.93% |
3 | Sacramento Municipal Utility District | 11.75% |
4 | PacifiCorp - Oregon (Blue Sky Usage, Block and Habitat) | 9.46% |
5 | River Falls Municipal Utilities | 8.58% |
6 | Silicon Valley Power | 7.94% |
7 | Madison Gas & Electric Company | 7.16% |
8 | Alameda Municipal Power | 6.44% |
9 | Naperville Public Utilities - Electric | 5.97% |
10 | Stoughton Utilities | 5.14% |
Note: Other PacifiCorp programs have rates of 8.98%: Pacific Power (CA, OR, WA) - residential only; 7.91%: Pacific Power - Usage, Habitat, Block (PP system wide - OR; WA; CA); 7.37%: Pacific Power-Blue Sky Usage & Habitat; 5.83%: PacifiCorp PP & RMP.
Top Green Power Sales (as of December 2015)
Rank | Utility | Sales (MWh/year) |
1 | Portland General Electric | 1,356,388 |
2 | PacifiCorp | 716,849 |
3 | Austin Energy | 637,462 |
4 | Sacramento Municipal Utility District | 629,625 |
5 | Puget Sound Energy | 482,772 |
6 | Dominion Virginia Power | 345,223 |
7 | Xcel Energy | 340,973 |
8 | Tennessee Valley Authority | 202,195 |
9 | Indianapolis Light and Power Company | 182,496 |
10 | Silicon Valley Power | 179,621 |
Top Green Power Sales Rate (as of December 2015)
Rank | Utility | Sales Rate |
1 | Portland General Electric (Green Source) | 10.47% |
2 | Sacramento Municipal Utility District | 6.01% |
3 | Silicon Valley Power | 5.64% |
4 | PacifiCorp (Blue Sky Usage & Habitat) | 5.30% |
5 | Edmond Electric/City of Edmond | 5.15% |
6 | Austin Energy | 4.56% |
7 | Waterloo Utilities | 4.37% |
8 | River Falls Municipal Utilities | 3.76% |
9 | Madison Gas and Electric Company | 3.11% |
10 | Stoughton Utilities | 2.69% |
Note: Portland General Electric's Commercial & Industrial Clean Wind program has a rate of 5.92%; PacifiCorp's Usage, Habitat and Block (Oregon) program a rate of 4.09%.
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