Due to growing demand for renewable energy, Portland General Electric, like other utilities across the US, has proposed a voluntary “green tariff” that would be available to large business and municipal customers, allowing them to purchase renewable power directly from new solar, wind or other renewable energy facilities.
According to utilitydive.com,Portland General said it has designed the program to deliver power to participating large customers at a price that “reflects the actual cost of producing and delivering the energy from a specific facility,” and to ensure no costs would be shifted to non-participating customers.
The program will acquire bundled renewable energy and renewable energy credits for customers through power purchase agreements with specified, incremental renewable resources. PGE said the program will be “flexible enough to meet individual customer needs.” the utility is planning to acquire renewable energy through contract terms of 10 to 20 years, and to provide it to retail customers under 5, 10, 15 or 20-year enrollment options.
According to a 2016 report from World Resources Institute, US utilities increasingly are offering large-scale renewable energy purchasing programs, or “green tariffs.” The report found that a rising number of utilities are seeking out products, such as green tariffs, that meet customers’ needs. In some states, utilities have created more than one green tariff option. Public utility commissions also have grown more familiar with successful green tariff elements and more comfortable that they will not adversely impact other customers.
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