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April 2008 - The three large investor-owned utilities in South Carolina—South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), Duke Energy Carolinas, and Progress Energy Carolinas—will be notifying their collective 1.3 million customers of a new green power option this month. Under the new program, administered by the nonprofit Palmetto Clean Energy (PaCE), customers of these three utilities can purchase renewable energy in 100-kWh blocks for a contribution of 4¢/kWh, or $4 per block. The purchases are tax-deductible. The utilities will pass the revenue on to Palmetto Clean Energy, which is being funded with a $10,000 grant from the South Carolina Energy Office and $30,000 in donations from the three utilities. To supply the program, PaCE will procure renewable energy from wind, solar, and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the region. The program is modeled after NC Greenpower, a similar statewide effort launched by multiple utilities in North Carolina in 2003.
News Article - SCE&G to Offer Green Power
South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff Contact: C. Dukes Scott, (803) 737-0805
September 2007 - The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) announced a new green power option for customers of the state's three largest investor-owned utilities—Duke Energy Carolinas, Progress Energy Carolinas, and SCE&G. Under the Palmetto Clean Energy (PaCE) program, customers will be able to purchase renewable energy for their electricity needs in 100 kWh increments each month, starting in January of next year. The price of the green power has yet to be determined, but ORS staff estimate that it will cost consumers about $40 to $50 each month to purchase renewable energy for all of their electricity needs. To supply the program, PaCE will procure power from renewable energy sources in the Southeast such as solar, wind, or biomass. The program is modeled after the NCGreenPower program in neighboring North Carolina and will be managed by a nonprofit group established by the state. Collectively, the three participating utilities serve about 1.3 million consumers in South Carolina.
News Release - ORS Announces Creation of New Green Power Program
News Article - Utilities to sell 'green power'
September 2007 - Progress Energy Florida, which provides electricity and related services to nearly 1.7 million customers, announced a new program designed to help install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on schools throughout the utility's service territory. Customers can take part in SolarWise for Schools if they are enrolled in the company's energy management program, EnergyWise, which enables the utility to temporarily cycle off power to select electrical equipment — such as central heating and air units, water heaters, and pool pumps — during periods of peak electricity demand. In exchange, customers receive monthly credits on their electric bill that can total more than $145 annually. Customers have the option to keep these credits or automatically contribute these monthly savings toward SolarWise for Schools. Currently, there are 350,000 customers enrolled in EnergyWise.
Progress Energy has already partnered with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Solar Energy Center to install PV systems at 11 schools throughout the company's service area. The new SolarWise for Schools program will accelerate the rate at which new PV systems can be installed at schools and provide students and teachers with an interactive teaching tool. The schools receive the benefit of the solar power that is generated on-site.
News Release - Progress Energy Florida expands its solar energy programs
June 2004 - Advanced Energy announced that seven in-state renewable energy generators have been selected from a pool of 46 applicants to supply North Carolina's statewide green pricing program. Under the new contracts, the NC GreenPower program will obtain a total of 8 million kWh of power annually from a 1.5-MW landfill gas facility, a 150-kW hog waste digester facility, and five solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with a combined capacity of 27 kW. The program hopes to add wind energy to the resource mix later this year. Currently, more than 5,000 customers participate in the program and collectively purchase an average of 17 million kWh annually.
News Release - Nation's landmark electric utility program announces first generation of green power for North Carolina
News Article - NC Green Power Initiative Names First Producers - No longer online at wral.com
NC GreenPower Contacts:
Maggie Inman (919) 857-9004
Sharon Gladwell (919) 857-9058
October 2003 - On October 1, North Carolina's electric utilities rolled out a new statewide program that enables customers to voluntarily support the development of renewable energy resources. The NC GreenPower program is available to customers of the state's three investor-owned utilities—Duke Power, Progress Energy and Dominion NC Power—as well as a number of electric cooperatives and municipal utilities.
The program features a "mass-market" green energy product that can be purchased in 100-kWh blocks for $4 per block each month, or 4¢/kWh. A separate "large-volume" product is available to businesses and other customers that commit to purchase a minimum of 10,000 kWh of green power each month—the premium for the large-volume product is $2.50 per 100-kWh block, or 2.5¢/kWh. Customer contributions made to the utilities will be transferred to an independent non-profit organization and are tax deductible.
Program marketing will be supported in part through the North Carolina State Energy Office, which has committed $500,000 in funds over the next two years. The NC GreenPower program has issued a request for proposals (RFP PDF 159 KB) Download Acrobat Reader for renewable energy resources to supply the program.
News Release - Landmark Program Gives North Carolinians the Power to Choose Cleaner Energy (PDF 1.0 MB) Download Acrobat Reader
News Article - 'Green power' gets a plug - No longer online at www.herald-sun.com/durham
NC GreenPower Contacts: Carl Wilkins (919) 857-9008, Sharon Gladwell (919) 857-9058
February 2003 - The North Carolina Utilities Commission approved a stakeholder-developed plan to offer two green power products to utility customers statewide. The first product is a "mass-market" product consisting of a resource mix of new solar, wind, and methane from biomass that will be offered primarily to residential customers at a cost of $4.00 per 100-kWh block or 4.0¢/kWh. The second product is a "large-volume" product that will include a resource mix of new and existing solar, wind, small hydro, and biomass and be offered to larger-volume customers at a "target price" of $2.50 per 100-kWh block or 2.5¢/kWh.
The primary objective of the NC GreenPower program is to promote the use and development of green power generated in North Carolina by offering a simple purchase option to all of the state's electricity customers supported by a statewide advertising and communications campaign. Beginning in the summer, the green power products will be offered by all of the state's electric utilities, including Carolina Power & Light, Dominion North Carolina Power, Duke Power, ElectriCities, and North Carolina electric cooperatives. The program is being administered by Advanced Energy, a Raleigh-based non-profit research organization.
More Information - NC Green Power Program Plan
News Article - NC Allows Consumers to Pay Extra for Renewable Energy - No longer online at charlotte.com
Advanced Energy Contact: Carl Wilkins, (919) 857-9008
June 2002 - CP&L and Duke Power filed proposed tariffs with the North Carolina Utilities Commission to give customers the option to support the development of renewable energy sources. Called NC GreenPower, the green pricing program will be the first in the nation to be offered statewide. Pending regulatory approval, utility customers can choose to pay an additional $4 per month to support 100-kWh blocks of green power (or 4¢/kWh). The program will be managed by Advanced Energy, a Raleigh-based, non-profit organization, which will distribute the funds collected by utilities to renewable power producers. The program is expected to begin sometime in 2003.
News Release - CP&L files green power proposal to allow customers to purchase electricity from renewable energy
News Release - Duke Power Files 'Green Power' Pricing Proposals
Advanced Energy Contact: Carl Wilkins (919) 857-9008
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