Half Of Americans Can Buy Renewable Energy Right Now

planetgreen.discovery.com:

Yes, there's a 50% chance that you could be buying renewable energy from your power company) right now--renewable energy can now officially reach half the country, according to EERE reports. For some reason, many of us still feel that the day when alternative energy will power our homes is off on the horizon--it still feels like something we're working towards rather than a palpable resource that's actually available.

Well it's time to change that perception, I say. To see if you have access to renewable energy in your area, check the US Department of Energy's Green Power Network. It has extensive listings of states and regions that are eligible to tap wind, solar, geothermal, or biomass power. The site also tells you which companies and power providers you should contact if you'd like to purchase clean electricity, and the premium you'll have to pay.

Read the whole story: planetgreen.discovery.com

Comments

[SonofLiberty1]

We are looking at installing Solar right now..the cost will be around $40,000 less the tax credits which will be about $20,000. plus the amount of money it will cost to take down the almost 30 year old trees.

Right now, here in suburban Philadelphia land, we are being hit hard by electricity.

Yes, we can get some by wind through Philly Electric BUT...

IT COSTS MORE....

Not to mention that the CAP on utility rates will come off in 2010 INCREASING THE ELECTRIC RATES.

[StanlyManly]

Where are you getting $20,000? How many years of current electricty will that same $20,000 pay for? (EIA says avearge electric bill for american homes is 1800 a year, so uh... a while).

[research]

probably about 16 years, like your last example.

[sc300nc]

Most Americans are already buying renewable energy through their utility companies. States that have renewable energy mandates are being forced to supplement their portfolios with renewables, all at a much higher cost. Who pays those higher costs? All rate payers, you and I. Solar is at a 15 cent to 25 cent premium per kWh, 5 times more than traditional power generation. Wind power is double to triple the cost.

[research]

Try again, (never do math on the fly). eff is not a part of the cost calculation.

Rooftop solar dollars per KWH = .0012 = .12 cents per KWH.?
(check my calculations: Solar installed and grid connected costs about 8 dollars per peak watt.
so for 20 years, 1/4 sun factor

20*365*24*SunFactor = 43 kWatts hours.

8/43=18.6 cents per KWH for current state of the art rooftop solar.

Nano solar at 2$ per installed watt is just 4 cents per KWH.

[StanlyManly]

Is that your final answer?

[research]

Do I get a Million dollars?

[SonofLiberty1]

Research....I really wish the costs could be spread out through 20 or so years...but life isn't like that.

[research]

it's called "a loan".

[research]

They charge extra because they can, not necessarily because of costs. Fossil fuels are subsidized with trillions of dollars over the years, compared ot a few million for solar and wind, thus distorting the prices.

Here are the prices for the latest installed generation of power systems:

Coal Supercritical: 10.554
Coal Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC): 11.481
Coal IGCC with Carbon Capture & Storage (IGCC with CCS): 17.317
Alternatives:
Biogas: 8.552
Wind: 8.910
Gas Combined Cycle: 9.382
Geothermal: 10.182
Hydroelectric: 10.527
Concentrating solar thermal (CSP): 12.653
Nuclear: 15.316
Biomass: 16.485
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Comparative_electrical_generation_costs

rooftop solar already cuts monthly energy bills including no money down financing. (where Air conditioning is the peak load). Now there are great subsides for rooftop solar. look it up.

Rooftop solar dollars per KWH = .0012 = .12 cents per KWH.?
(check my calculations: Solar installed and grid connected costs about 8 dollars per peak watt.
so for 20 years, 15% efficienct, 1/4 sun factor

20*365*24*Eff*SunFactor = 6500 Watts hours.

8/6500 = .0012)

Rooftop solar cuts out an entire layer of profit taking, making Rooftop solar the best first choice for green energy.

See my profile for details and links.

[research]

knew it was wrong. times 1000 for KWH so 1.2 Dollars per KWH at 8$ per Watt.

That's why companies are working hard to get the installed cost down.

Nano Solar claims 2$ per installed watt, or about 30 cents per kwh.

Of course, Fossil fuel prices are likely to go way up in the next 20 years, solar prices will go down, and subsidies will switch from fossil to solar.

[StanlyManly]

Now you are using speculation and assumption to back your argument?

Ridiculous.

[research]

Wrong again. Sorry for doing my math on the fly. I will check it more and add it to my profile.

it's only 18.6 cents per KWH for 8$ per peak watt solar.

NanonSolar's commercial roof installations at 2$ per installed watt, cost just 4 cents per kWH.

[StanlyManly]

Ok, I see you brought your A game. Don't be hurt when I your @#$% in the dirt, though.

1. Your data is for California. California has very limited coal resources. Of course local coal power plants would be more expensive.

2. You don't seem to understand what a subsidy is. You, the taxpayer/consumer still pay the subsidy. If the retail price + the tax is less on coal than the retail price + tax on wind/solar, then you are still paying more.

3. The underlying assumption is that wind/solar produce electricty 100% of the time and a predictable manner. This study doesnt even factor in the costs of having to create oil/coal based plants to supplement the wind/solar.

4. To top it all off, once you factor in all these expenses, it might just be cheaper for CA to continue to buy its electricy from other sources. CA currently has a $42 billion deficit. Where exactly is this new money going to come from?

The only way to make wind/solar look like a more attractive option, is to make coal/oil more expensive somehow. You know, that whole carbon tax thing. But, without the carbon tax, wind and solar are a joke, unless you have no other option. And that is exactly what the profiteering "green gang" wants you to believe with the scam of "global warming". Convenient isn't it?

[research]

1. Coal per ton = 41$ 2008

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table4_1.html

Coal per ton 20 years ago: 1988 22$ (constant dollars)

http://www.econstats.com/spot/rt_coal.htm

Inflation in 20 years: 100%
http://www.rac.co.uk/report-on-motoring/report-one/cost-of-motoring.htm

So in 20 years we can expect even the cheapest dirtiest electrical energy to quadruple in price.

That makes current 2$/watt installed solar cheaper than dirty coal.

Of course with limited natural resources, the cost always goes up faster as the resource become harder to extract.

Whereas the sun and the wind don't cost anything. Solar is a nearly pure capitol investment.

2. We are paying huge subsidies for coal and oil fuel plants and wars for oil. It's only fair to compare fossil with massive taxpayers subsidies they have gotten, to solar with those same subsides going forward.

3. I included the 25% sunFactor.
http://sosenergy.com/solar/resources.html

Sun peak at the same time as Air conditioning load. Natural gas i the primary Air Conditioning peak load. Solar and wind will reduce this peak load very reliably, leaving the peak generators for backup power. Solar reduced grid load.

4. Obama and the democrats have already started to subsidize solar and wind. Remove the subsides from fossils and Nukes, and solar is already profitable.

Wind is already cheaper.

[research]

18.6 cents per KWH, 20 year, 8$ per peak watt installed solar PV.

[StanlyManly]

Sorry to return to this, but what are those monthly payments like for the 0 down financing? Might ofset your monthly "savings" a bit...

[trimom]

I buy renewable energy, mostly hydro, and the additional cost is negligible.

[Sam Bernhardt]

Second the above post.

That said, this article is really uninformative and even misleading. What does it mean to say "there's a 50% chance you're buying renewable energy?" That 50% of our energy is renewable? Clearly not. More likely half the companies that sell us energy claim some renewable option. Even then, this probably means that these companies say they can supply consumers with renewable energy, and doesn't comment on how much can be renewable

We need to combat green washing like this by forcing them to do it. Lets demand renewable energy, and then see how much they can actually supply.

[StanlyManly]

Of course the "additional cost" is negligible if you are talking about hydro. But according to the "green gang" only solar and wind are "renewable". And that cost is not negligible.

And yes, as with most "green" news, its very deceptive. You can check for yourself on the EIA how much of our energy is produced by wind/solar and compare it to coal/hydro/oil. It sure isn't 50%, and it sure isnt cheaper.

Demanding renewable energy is like opening up your wallet and demanding even more money be taken from it.

[sheila]

Duh. If we had even slightly democratic energy policies in this godforsaken country, 100% of property owners could not only "buy renewable energy" (perpetuating the top-down monopolies and environmental devastation of Big Energy) but could GENERATE RENEWABLE ENERGY and not only could we not pay more, but we could GET PAID FOR DOING SO.

Simple loan programs like CA's AB 811, and feed in tariffs (working extremely well in 48 countries) would completely change the game and we could all see jumps in property values, way more local jobs, income streams to US instead of Big Energy, and our open spaces saved instead of destroyed for more industrialization by Big Solar and Big Wind. It is a slam-dunk winner on all points, but we are being blocked by Big Energy, Big Enviros and Big Media.

if you want renewable energy, demand programs and policies that make YOU the producer instead of these Robber Barons in Big Energy. it's way faster, cheaper, cleaner and more efficient to produce power in the built environment, where it is needed...

[StanlyManly]

Loans? Property values?

Not sure if you were aware, but that bubble burst recently. Local jobs are not necessarily better than "non-local" jobs. Theres no slam dunk winner in this. There are multiple pros and cons to every aspect you look at.

We simply have to agree, as a nation, on what we think is the best. Thats how the whole Democracy thing works.

And I really wish people would stop calling wind/solar "renewable". That gives people the wrong impression. How "renewable" is solar at night? How "renewable" is wind on a calm day? These are supplemental technologies at best, and last resorts at worst.

We have lots of folks exploring technologies in energy development/conservation. Everything from tide/wave based solutions, to increased effeciencies on turbines in current technologies. It is often unwise to put all your eggs in one basket. Explore all the possibilities before making your choice.

[sheila]

i only get 250 words or i would actually be able to explain every single aspect of every single point i raise. i wish people would stop calling power that damages ecosystems "renewable," since the land it kills is non-renewable. the fuel for harmless microwind and rooftop solar is entirely renewable, though. no depletion of any resource. what do you think "renewable" means? "constant?" that's a different word.

the whole Democracy thing doesn't work, in case you haven't noticed. we live in a Corporatocracy where Big Banks, Big Developers, Big Energy and others make all the decisions, get all the money and all the legislators' attention. Which is why we don't have democratic energy production. we have monopolies.

you clearly are unaware of AB 811 style loan programs (no credit checks, no equity, etc.) or about the increased property values ($1 for every $0.20/year in energy bills you cut). in other words, you can get a loan with no money down and immediately improve your property value. you pay off the loan with the money you make from feeding power into the grid and from offsetting your power bills. the lender takes first lien on your property and the loan stays with the system when you sell. it's not that complicated, it's no risk for lender or borrower, so that's that.

in other words, talk less. listen more. you will learn a lot.