EDF Praises "Environmentally Friendly" Electricity Offerings

(6 Nov., 1997 — Oakland CA) The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) praised Edison Source for offering electricity customers the choice of purchasing part or all of their electricity next year from renewable energy sources. “More and more, the power to chose means the power to make a positive difference for the environment,” said Daniel Kirshner, senior economic analyst with EDF’s Energy Program. “Customers choosing environmentally friendly electricity are voting with their dollars for the way they want electricity generated.”

EDF believes that the ability to choose clean, renewable energy sources is one of the important benefits of electric competition. The electric service products announced by Edison Source are more examples of the critical link between purchase decisions and environmental improvement. Renewable energy ? electricity made from sources such as wind, solar, geothermal (earth heat), biomass (organic waste), and some hydroelectric power ? can substantially reduce the environmental impacts of electricity production.

“EDF hopes that competitive markets will make buying environmentally-friendly electricity as popular as recycling is now. Like recycling, it’s a simple and important thing that each person can do for the Earth,” said Kirshner.

“As more customers buy environmentally-friendly electricity they will affect electricity production,” Kirshner said. “For example, imagine the electric grid as a ‘lake.’ Renewable generators pour clean water (electricity from renewable sources) into the lake. Consumers take water out of the lake. While you can’t exactly track the flow of clean water from the source to the ultimate customer, what you can insure is that clean water is poured into the lake at the same rate you take it out. Over time, and with success in the market, the water in the lake all becomes clean as more customers place ‘orders’ for clean water.”

EDF has heard from many customers who want to make an environmental difference, and who are looking for ways to promote better environmental performance from their energy suppliers. EDF works to ensure that choices that are best for the environment are available to customers, and that these products maximize both environmental protection and value. “Let’s give the market a chance. We think experts and policy makers will be surprised by customers’ environmentally-conscious decisions,” said Karl R. R