What
are the benefits of purchasing Green Power?Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is committed to protecting our quality of life in the San Juan Islands. For a non-profit electric utility, this meant becoming the first cooperative in the state to sell “Green Power” to its members. Today OPALCO has the third highest participation rate for such a program in the country. We need your help to keep this program a success!
Check out the Green Power Program:
Green Power is power supplied by renewable resources – solar, wind, geothermal, landfill gas, and low-impact hydro. Renewable energy is infinitely replenishable, and is less harmful to the environment than traditional sources like coal!
What
are the benefits of purchasing Green Power?The benefits of investing in renewable energy are significant! Did you know that coal-fired generation is the single largest source of air pollution in the nation? Despite our hydroelectric resources, coal is still used to generate a portion of the electricity we consume in the Northwest.
A purchase of just three blocks of Green Power for a year has following benefits and more:
Protect our natural resources - keep 3,600 pounds of coal in the ground.
Keep the air clean - eliminate 7,200 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
Hug trees - it is equivalent to planting 1.5 acres of trees!
By signing up for the OPALCO Green Power Program, you are helping to influence the type of future electric generation developed in the Northwest. While we can't guarantee that actual "green" electrons will reach your home or business, the amount you purchase will be delivered to the Northwest power grid. You play a role in building the market for renewable energy within the state.
Your Green Power purchase means you will
leave the world a little bit cleaner for your children and
grandchildren!
Green Power is affordable! Subscribers can purchase OPALCO Green Power for $4.00 per 100 kilowatt-hour (kWh) blocks, or can select the All Green option for a 4 cents per kWh premium. Both pricing options would be in addition to your regular kWh charges from OPALCO. There is no limit to the amount of green power you can purchase.
|
How much Green Power do you want to buy? |
What is the additional monthly cost on your electric bill? |
What is the annual cost for you? |
| 100 kilowatt hours (kWh) 200 kWh 400 kWh 800 kWh 1000 kWh |
$4.00 $8.00 $16.00 $32.00 $40.00 |
$48.00 $96.00 $192.00 $384.00 $480.00 |
A portion of the premium you pay for Green Power goes toward building other local renewable generation projects. Every kilowatt hour (kWh) we generate locally is one less that we have to import from the mainland!
Each year OPALCO sends its Green Power subscribers an annual report that documents facts and figures from the program.
Our first priority is to purchase Green Power from local sources. As of May 2008, we have 30 renewable projects connected to our electric grid, generating approximately 148,554 kWh a year. To supplement our supply, OPALCO buys environmentally preferred power (EPP). EPP green power is a blend of new and existing resources from 4 non-environmental impacting wind projects in Washington, Oregon and Wyoming. These projects have been endorsed by the Northwest Energy Coalition, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Renewable Northwest Project.
Signing up is easy! Simply call an OPALCO office at (360) 376-3500 or (360) 376-3550, or print a signup form, fill it out, and mail it in with your OPALCO payment. Click on the picture below for a printable signup form.
