With the advent of electrical deregulation, we will be getting real choices concerning this decision soon. Over in Tucker county, WV, near the Blackwater State Park, Blackwater Canyon area, there is a wind generation power bank going up, a series of 70 towers that will produce at least 25 megawatts of electric a day. This is great, and I hope more will be going up all over soon! But, if we don't want to buy it, there will be little incentive for more wind power plants to be built, will there? So, what would you be willing to pay for ecologically produced power? Double your current rate? Triple? What would your limit be for paying more?

Myself, I would be willing to pay double our current rate, which last month was 140 dollars for 1600 watts of power used, in the winter, it can be as much as 200 dollars for 3000 watts of power ( we are a farm, and have lots of stuff plugged in). We are in the middle of coal country, so our rates are probably different from yours, but, it is free market power, we belong to an electric co-op and own the company as stockholders and our share of the profit, so it accurately reflects the actual power cost, no subsidies here like in CA!

What are your views, and what costs do you pay?

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

Answers

If I were considering paying more for "green" power, I would instead take a loan and invest in my own generation setup (wind,water and solar). Considering that this "green power option" is being offered through current suppliers, odds are its more spin than environmental management. While they will charge you more for the natural stuff, they will continue status quo with the traditional sources as long as they can draw profits from it. At least with your own setup you can be sure that your part of the solution, not lost in bureacratic smoke and mirrors.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

I agree with Jim.. I'd rather invest in my own power... however, Annie with the farm's demand of power... that is a bit different..

you asked what do we pay... it is a tad over 6 cents per Kilowatt... okay... is that the correct measurement term???

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

I agree with Jay, I would rather have my own set-up than be dependent on someone else. I found a place in SE Texas that has a portable set up for about $500 that I am thinking about getting by the end of the year. It is enough to run a few lights, perhaps the frig, tv or computer. It's a place to start. What I would like to do is have two of the portable things, see what they can actually handle and go from there to see what else we would need. We have a 1200 sq ft mobile home, so not quite the need as folks with a farm. But still, start small and build from that. Now if I could only get my master electrician husband seriously interested. He lends lip service, but only when I bring it up.

Namaste,

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Ditto to the above. Here in Illinois the state will "refund" (or rebate or some such technical term) half the price of any stand-alone power system a consumer puts up, as I understand it, with some exceptions of course. For instance one of hubby's co-workers is putting a wind system--cost around $30,000--and the state would not rebate the cost of the concrete to pour around the base of the tower. If set up in a certain way the state will also "buy back" any unused power you have. Sounds like a good deal to me--wish we could take advantage of it--but it's not possible without going deeply into debt & I'm trying to avoid that at this point.

For now I'd be willing to pay a LITTLE more for environmentally- friendly power generation--up to double--but I'd want to be sure that's what I was getting, not rhetoric & spin.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

I agree with you all, to a point. But what about us poor folks still stuck within the sidewalks? An apartment-dweller doesn't have room for wind power. If there's not any demand for green commercial power, the companies sure aren't going to go out of their way to provide it. I look at this the same way as getting organically-grown produce. Sure, the best avenue to obtain it is to grow your own, but those of us who don't have the space have to lobby the grocery store to carry it for us. Our electric needs aren't too bad, our bill runs around $35-$45 a month. I'd be willing to pay double.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Shoot, you folks are rich. I'm hard pressed now to pay the $40 or so it costs each month. Now hot weather is setting in.... We pay about 6 cents/kilowatt hour also, when they decide to send us any electricity at all. It keeps going off and when I call to ask why, they just say they don't know!!! I'd prefer to be independent of any electric company also.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

We are prepared to join our Amish neighbors and over half the world's population and do without. My computer and freezers I would really miss, otherwise we would be just fine.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

If I could be absolutely sure it was really green power I'd be willing to pay at least 3 times what I currently do. That wouldn't be hard since my average bill is $15.00. The largest bill I've ever had was about $33.00 for an August month when it was 100 degrees most days and I used the air conditioner a lot. Still, three times that would only be $99.00 and that sounds like a bargain to be cool and not have to breathe the ragweed!

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

I agree with a lot of what you say, Sherri, but actually, there are city folk who are using solar and wind power. Not everyone could, of course, but they're out there. One of the workshops I attended at the Energy Fair last year was on that subject (the examples were in Chicago!). Most of them had to sneak it in. There are rooftops with solar panels and wind turbine towers (small wind turbines). Now, ironically, the State of Illinois is encouraging such things, no longer against code or whatever.

BTW, Annie, I am assuming that you use 1600 KILOwatts, not just watts, otherwise you are getting by with a miniscule amount of electricity use, AND you're being ripped off big time on the charges. My bill is complicated. The supposed charge per KWH is 5.46 cents. But there is a customer charge per day, and a non- taxable fixed charge per day, and a distribution service charge per KWH, so in the end, the effective charge comes out to about 8.67 cents per KWH. That's without "green power".

My power company built a number of wind turbines and brought them "on- line" about two years ago. Customers had the option of signing up for wind energy ("green power"), a certain percentage of their bill, or the entire thing. I opted for this, and it is currently running at 3.33 cents per KWH. I do not actually receive the "specific" power generated by these wind turbines. That power is added to the "energy pool". So in effect, those of us who chose that option, are paying for the cost of building those wind turbines. It's a popular option here. There are no "shares" currently available, and a long waiting list to get onto it. They may add more wind turbines in the future. Julie's power company was working on building wind turbines too, when I talked to them last summer.

I agree that having your own "power company" sounds good. It is the option I would PREFER, but that option is not available to me at this point. My lot is too shady. There are lots of ways to go, starting small as Judy mentioned. Some folks get batteries for storage of energy for the times when the sun isn't shining or the wind blowing. Some folks use "the grid" as their "storage" facility -- they draw power from the grid when they need to and send power back to the grid (and get paid for it -- called net metering) when they're producing an excess. When someone comes up with "plug and play" power systems for homes, then they will become widely used and accepted -- kinda like computers!

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Yep, your'e right, Joy, it's KW's, not just W's, one of my many typo's again!!! I notice a lot of folk's pay way less than 10 cents a KW, over here on the east side of the country we are tickled to pay anything less than 10 cent a KW, 'cause usually it's 15 cents or more a KW! Our electric bill is half what it used to be when we lived in northern Ohio, so we appreciate what we have to pay here.

We belong to an electric co-op, and it is not possible we are getting "ripped off" on the charges, we have no profit motive (other than self-sustainability) as we are the shareholders and vote on everything, we do get some money every year as our share of profit above costs (usually 400-600 dollars), but that is held in escrow for future spending needs, and not returned for 20 years, or your death. We can plainly see where all the money goes on the financial reports we get annually.

Folks that have such cheap power available must be the lucky recipients of subsidies and tax reduction programs from their home state, which we do not have in Ohio, a free market state for electric power, no government manipulation of prices here.

Making our own power here is not sound financially, we would not live long enough to even start getting our money back, I wpuld really prefer more green power to become available to everyone, so the greenhouse gases from all these coal-fired power plants could be reduced. Yes, I firmly believe that global warming IS occuring, and if "You are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem". And if green power is not available to everyone on a wide scale soon, we are headed down the wrong road for sure, and Dubya is sure not helping anything with his increased CO2 emissions crap, and allowing more coal use with less scrubbers required, gosh, a President with a real brain would be nice!!!

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

'When someone comes up with "plug and play" power systems for homes, then they will become widely used and accepted '

Joy, such systems are already available. I've seen them at several places on the net; I think one source is advertised in Home Power Magazine (homepower.com)

JOJ

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

Annie, I meant you were getting ripped off if that's the price you were paying for WATTS, not KILOwatts. Sorry, kind of a joke that didn't quite make it.

And JOJ, that's good news. I believe we are likely to see a great increase in people going that route, especially as other fuel costs continue to rise, and crisis talk continues to abound. Of course, it doesn't quite have the appeal that PC's do . . . . ;-)

I used to be a staunch believer in global warming, but have altered my view somewhat. Don't get me wrong, I still think there is a build- up of greenhouse gases (studies have come out that prove it), but I think the only thing we can "count" on is that there will be global climate CHANGE. It is quite possible that the effect will be a build- up of cloud cover, which will alter the amount of available sunlight, and may actually cause cooling. All this weather turmoil of recent years is likely attributable (at least in part) to this change. [sigh] Which all just makes it harder to predict which way to jump!

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

Joy, yes lately it's hard to believe global warming is occuring at all, 40 degree nights, 50 to 60 degree days, and enough rain to float a boat down the mountain! Oh, for the 85 degree days back in March, when it thought it was summertime! Crazy weather!

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

Its very easy and inexpensive for anyone to go toward green power. Can't afford a $15000 solar power unit? Start with a solar water heater then. A couple of window panes and a black collector box facing south, some black water hose either routed to the water inlet of a conventional water heater as a preheater or run into a modified tank as a antifreeze charged heater coil if your in an extremely cold area and your elec consumption will be cut 20 to 30 percent. Estimated costs $400 or less. Same collector connected to a transmission cooler in the house with a fan driving it and you have solar heat on a limited capability. A small 12 ft tall windmill, 12 volt alternator and battery can light a small room or camper for under $200 in parts. I experimented with a window mounted solar heater that used an aquarium as a greenhouse collector and a small drive fan a couple of years ago. I will implement many of these inexpensive approaches if our power costs rise over $80 a month here. As long as the sun rises in the morning, green power is right at your finger tips. If you can't go all the way, then take step to knock a huge dent in it. I found all the info I've studied at our local library.

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

I'm currently in the middle of putting together a solar power system, and though it requires some real lifestyle changes I'm thrilled to be finally doing it. When all you folks on the grid are cussing the utilities and the blackouts, I'll be watching TV, and playing on the internet. I'd pay any price for the independence that will give me. Of course that price is going to be about $5,000 for a fairly small, but good system, and I realize a lot of folks can't really afford that. I probably couldn't either but for some good circumstances lately, and it'll still take me most of this year to finish my setup, one piece at a time. Also, if everything works out I should be living on a nice little ranch with a river running along one side of it (think hydro power) sometime this year. Off the grid and way beyond the sidewalks, Hooray!!! Anyway, Jay Blair is right too, there is a lot of do it yourself options for making your own power, you should see my homemade hydro generator. Hope all are doing well. Rick

-- Anonymous, June 06, 2001

We bought about 500W capacity solar panels, a 1 kW wind generator, battery bank controllers and inverter during 1999. It's shameful, and I hate to admit that we haven't found the time to put it together yet! Haven't even had time to bury the cable we connected to the pole with (waiting till someone mows it, I guess!). One day...

-- Anonymous, June 07, 2001