Environmental Defense Fund Praises "Green Electricity" Offerings

(23 Oct., 1997) The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) praised the announcement by Green Mountain Energy Resources of new, renewable energy choices being made available to customers in the competitive retail electricity market in California. “Competition in the electric industry means that for the first time consumers have the power to directly choose how their electricity is made,” said Dan Kirshner, senior economic analyst with EDF’s Energy Program. “The power of choice is the power to make a positive difference for the environment.”

Customers’ ability to choose clean, renewable energy sources is one of the important benefits of electric competition. The electricity choices announced by Green Mountain Energy Resources LLC are one example of the types of new choices being made available to consumers. Renewable energy ? electricity made from sources such as wind, solar, geothermal (earth heat), biomass (organic waste), and some hydroelectric power ? helps reduce the environmental impacts of electricity production.

“EDF hopes that buying ‘green’ electricity will soon be as popular as recycling is now. It’s a simple and important thing that each person can do for the Earth,” said Kirshner.

EDF believes that many customers are interested in making an environmental difference, and will look to promote better environmental performance from their energy suppliers.

“Buying ‘green’ electricity is a meaningful way to affect electricity production,” Kirshner explains. “You can think of the electricity grid as a ‘lake.’ Renewable generators pour clean water (green electricity) into the lake. Consumers take water out of the lake. While you can’t insure that the clean water flows precisely to an individual house, 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?that’s the power of green power.”

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. Rabago, EDF Energy Program manager.

“The electricity choices offered by Green Mountain Energy Resources represent just one of a number of ‘green’ choices that will be available,” said Rabago. “EDF urges customers to compare their choices and to vote with their dollars for a more sustainable future. We challenge green power companies to compete to offer the most environmental value to customers.”