Greening your electricity - Green Needham meeting 3/2/15
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This document provides information on three options for increasing the amount of renewable energy used to power a home: buying green power, supporting renewable energy development in Massachusetts, and community solar. It explains how electricity is generated, transmitted, and distributed via the electric grid. It also outlines key factors to consider when choosing a green power supplier or community solar program, such as price, contract terms, and amount of renewable energy provided.
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Greening your electricity - Green Needham meeting 3/2/15
- 1. Greening Your Electricity: How you can choose clean energy March 2nd, 2015
- 2. Greening Your Electricity Supply Maybe you’re not be a candidate for solar panels You’ve already done a lot to increase your home’s energy efficiency Three options to increase the amount of renewable energy being used to generate the electricity you use at home • Buying Green Power • Support efforts to increase renewable energy in Mass • Community Solar
- 3. Electricity 101: The “Electric Grid” “The grid” is a system that: Produces (generates) electric power Transmits power to localities where and when it is needed (transmission lines & control rooms) Distributes the power to homes and businesses within each community (the utility company)
- 4. Where Are the Power Plants?
- 5. Power Generators Many different power generators feed electricity into the grid. • Different fuels – natural gas, oil, wood, nuclear, wind, solar, hydroelectric, etc. • High voltage lines form a network for bringing power from generators to customers • We are served an integrated electricity transmission network called ISO-New England • "Green" electricity from renewable sources is fed into the grid and becomes part of the mix. It can't be directed to a particular house or customer.
- 6. Power Transmission Suppliers buy generators' power and arrange for transmission to their customers. Because of deregulation, we can choose other power suppliers like Viridian, Dominion and Constellation. If we don't make a choice, Eversource remains our supplier. Under State Law, all electricity supplied to Mass customers must be at least 10% renewable. • Mass has very strict rules about what counts towards this 10%
- 7. Local Power Distribution Eversource is our power distributor in Needham and is responsible for: • delivering power to your home. • owning & maintaining the local network of wires, poles and transformers. • Ensuring that you always have electricity • Make repairs and do billing. • They are always the one to call if you have a problem with your electricity. This is true whether we keep Eversource as our supplier or choose a different supplier to buy electricity for us
- 8. Your electric bill Delivery charge from Eversource
- 9. Your electric bill Delivery charge from Eversource Supply charge from Supplier or Eversource
- 10. Green Power Basics Generators of Renewable Energy have two sources of revenue: 1) selling the electricity they generate 2) selling "Renewable Energy Certificates" or RECs Renewable power generators can sell one REC for each 1000 kilowatt-hours of electricity produced. Since renewable energy costs more to produce, especially in New England, the extra income from selling RECs is the key to making renewable energy financially viable. Massachusetts has very specific requirements for the renewable energy needed to meet the 10% rule (remember that?) • These requirements do not necessarily apply to renewable power for the other 90% of your power needs.
- 11. Green Power What are your options to help increase the amount of renewable energy being used to generate electricity here at home? • Mass Energy Green Power • Third-Party Green Power Suppliers • Community Solar
- 12. Mass Energy Green Power • Mass Energy is a non-profit that will match your monthly electricity use (in kWh) with local green power. They are NOT a supplier. • Mass Energy charges a few extra cents per kilowatt hour and uses the money to support New England clean energy by entering into long term contracts to buy RECs from carefully chosen local renewable energy projects. • Because they are not supplying your power, Eversource ,(or a 3rd party supplier), will still supply your electricity. Your bill from Eversource will be the same as always. • You can opt out at any time. Mass Energy is non-profit, so payments are tax-deductible.
- 13. Mass Energy Green Power Visit www.massenergy.org to learn about their programs: • Each program has a different charge per kilowatt- hour • Know your monthly electricity usage, since costs are based on your usage Look at their FAQs Their website lists the projects they support Information you need:
- 14. Green Power Suppliers • Suppliers such as Viridian, Spark Energy, Clearview Energy and others offer to supply "green energy," which means that they buy Renewable Energy Certificates (not necessarily from New England) on your behalf. • The rate quoted just covers the "supply" charge, not the total cost per kilowatt hour. You still have to pay the utility for distribution and other fees. • Third-party suppliers offer a variety of plans. Make sure you know what you're getting: Is the rate variable or fixed? • The Eversource website lists suppliers. Sites such as ChooseEnergy.com and CurrentChoice.com lists some of the companies that offer green energy.
- 15. Green Power Suppliers Eversource’s supply rate has varied over the years Eversource supply prices will change in June, and probably go down When picking a Green Energy supplier, you can opt for a fixed or variable rate Electricity prices are volatile
- 16. Green Power Suppliers Information you need: • Price – Is the price a short-term “teaser” rate? If it’s a fixed price, for how long? If it’s a variable rate, is there advance notice before the rate changes? • Fees - Are there additional monthly fees in addition to the per kilowatt hour charge? • Contract - Is there an automatic contract renewal? Will you be notified and have a chance to cancel? • Shades of Green - When a company advertises green or renewable energy, what exactly are they delivering?
- 17. Community Solar • It’s a bit like having your own solar panels, except they’re on someone else’s property. • Customers usually make no capital investment and have no maintenance responsibilities. • Since participants purchase the credits at a special discounted rate, there's a savings on utility bills. The more people who sign up, the more solar facilities will be built. • Companies taking signups in our area for possible projects include Next Step Living, www.nextstepliving.com (866) 867- 8729 ; Clean Energy Collective, masscommunitysolar.com 844-CEC-SALE • This approach involves a long term contract and commitment.
- 18. Community Solar Information you need: • Are there specific plans for the solar farm in our area? When? • Is there a deposit required for signing up? What happens to the deposit if the solar project doesn't go through? • How long is the contract? • How much will you save? • What happens if you move during the term of the contract?
- 19. Sorting Things Through Choosing a Green Power Option is Complicated • How much renewable energy do you want? • Is promoting Local Renewable Power a priority? • Is saving money a major driver? • What does the fine print say? • Choices involve contracts and commitments
Editor's Notes
- Some people or properties just aren’t a good candidate for solar PV Efficiency is the “First Fuel” - Mass Save has free home energy assessments, which include a lot of free stuff (LED bulbs weatherstripping, etc - More info @ GNC table in back
- We’re talking about 3 systems working together Things the grid CANNOT do: Electricity is hard to store up, and Can’t easily be transported for long distances (more than 750-1000 miles) We demand electricity whenever we want it – no blackouts or brownouts The grid has to provide power ALWAYS
- We import most of our power Since we count on having electricity all the time, there are chokepoints – times when EVERYONE wants power Hot days when all the AC is on, we have physical constraints on what the wires and gas pipelines can carry - chokepoints, congestion and bottlenecks Power produced locally can avoid some of these bottlenecks Power comes from all across New England, New York State and Eastern Canada Even the power we generate in Mass is largely dependent on imported fuel – gas, coal, oil, uranium
- Go back to charts on Slide 4
- People get confused about Electricity Supply, because it IS confusing Transmission Lines - You have a choice of Suppliers – companies like Viridian, Constellation, Dominion, etc. act as brokers to bring power to customers. Most people don’t choose A variety of rate plans and options – including Green If you don’t choose a power supplier, Eversource will act as your default supplier. Other states have green standards – Renewable Portfolio Standards, but each state is different
- You’re getting 10% green power right now just by doing nothing. It’s the other 90% that’s at stake In Mass, the 10% requirement will be increasing by 1% per year until we’re at 15% in 2020 The renewable energy that qualifies for Mass are called Class 1 Renewables Each state has different standards For example, electricity produced by a trash-to-energy plant is not considered “renewable” by Mass, but may be considered renewable by another state.
- Mass Class 1 RECs are the gold standard. The goal in mass is to promote certain forms of renewables & drive prices down Truly renewable Must come from Mass or adjoining regions The other 90% is “voluntary” It’s a “buyer beware” situation for the other 90%. No guarantee it’s local
- These are representative options
- Cost is comparable to other supply options Money is used to support projects that might not have been built without the guaranteed purchase of their RECs
- Remember the line item on the bill? Eversource rate changes every 6 months
- Eversource rate changes every 6 months
- Fixed prices – starter prices that then go to variable Variable rate sometimes called a variable rate Early termination fee? You can go back to Eversource when your third-party contract ends What are they talking about by renewable – ask and dig deep Are they buying power or RECs beyond the 10% mandatory renewable energy that all electricity suppliers are required to purchase in Mass? What type of projects are they buying power or RECs from? Where are the projects located? Mass? New England? Indiana?
- This is a new concept gaining ground in New England, suited for people who want to be early adopters. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg issue, since developers need interest in order to build the project, but consumers want to see an actual project in order to buy into it. A company plans a large, centralized solar power array in the local area. Customers sign up in advance to buy the solar RECs. Mass is promoting this approach – special treatment of REC’s minimum 10 year contracts
- Has the company built other projects that are up and running? Where are they? Location, location, location. A project in Kingston or Brewster doesn’t really help us in Needham. Goal is to have projects in all the zones (sub-regions of the NE grid) It’s a long-term commitment, similar to the commitment you take when getting a mortgage. (But a lot less money!!) Financial terms may vary, depending on the project developer.
- Handout sheet has some of the points we discussed Representatives at tables in back