|
WASHINGTON, DC, US, January 18, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
Public utilities in the United States continue to
lead the electricity industry in renewable energy activities,
according to the American Public Power Association.
Public power utilities have some of the highest ranked green
power programs in terms of customer participation rates and lowest
rates, concludes the report, ‘Public Power: Generating Greener
Communities’ that compares data from a similar 2001 study. It found
that emissions from public utilities for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides and carbon dioxide continue to be lower than other segments
of the electric utility industry.
Emission rates of SO2 are 50% lower than investor owned utilities,
30% lower than co ops, and 33% lower than non utility generators,
while emission rates of Nox are 14% lower than IOUs, 21% lower than
co ops, and 50% higher than NUGs.
Public power emission rates of CO2 from fossil fuel generation are
2.5% lower than IOUs, 6.6% lower than co ops, but 11% higher than
NUGs.
“The data tell a story about the results of community ownership and
local control of electric utilities,” says Alan Richardson of APPA.
“They contribute not only to public power's lower rates but to
agile, environmentally beneficial community decision making.”
The report compiled data from the Department of Energy’s Energy
Information Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. There are 2,000 community and state owned electric utilities
that serve 43 million customers in the U.S., and 70% of them are
located in cities with populations of less than 10,000. Almost one
third of public power's generating capacity is powered by coal, 32%
by gas, 21% by water, 9% by nuclear, and 8% by oil, with 1% from
other resources such as wind.
Public power continues to have the largest percentage of its
generation from sustainable sources, including hydropower and other
renewable fuels, the report notes, and the industry has the largest
percentage of ‘zero emission generation’ of any sector. Green power
programs are offered by 50% more public utilities than IOUs and
nearly twice as many as co ops, and the average pricing premium for
the green power from public utilities is 30% less than IOUs and less
than co ops.
“Demonstrated progress on GHG intensity reductions through voluntary
efforts, implementing a variety of EPA rulemakings, using new clean
renewable energy bonds created by the energy bill, maintaining
existing zero emission generation capacity, increasing energy
efficiency and demand side management, and maximizing use of
landfill gas to energy projects will be only a few of the public
policy and operational challenges ahead,” says Richardson. Public
power systems have a good track record but they will need to remain
diligent to maintain their status as environmental leaders and meet
their customers' expectations.
The average pricing premium may be misleading, as IOUs offer a
number of solar options that are significantly more costly than
other green power sources, the report explains. When the median
price premium is considered, all three sectors are similar.
“Public power’s position as the electricity industry leader in
applying renewable energy technology to power generation has
remained essentially unchanged,” it states. “A much higher
percentage of public power’s capacity is generated by renewable
resources, including wind, solar, geothermal, landfill gas, biomass
and hydroelectric power, than the other industry sectors,”and this
high percentage is due primarily to hydroelectric capacity, which
provides 21% of the green power capacity for public utilities,
compared to 6% for IOUs and 2.5% for co ops and non utility
generators.
“While public power generates a tremendous amount of renewable
capacity in the form of hydroelectric resources, it falls short of
the non utility generators in its non hydro renewables,” it
concedes. “These non hydro resources include geothermal,
photovoltaic, wind, wood or wood waste, refuse and landfill gas;
however, the non utility generators sell their power wholesale to
public power, IOUs or co ops. Therefore, it is appropriate to
consider the net recipient of the power, not just the generator.”
Public power still generates more power from non hydro renewables
than either IOUs or co ops.
“While this report shows that public power continues to be a leader
in green energy, it also highlights that progress could be made to
make public power even greener,” it concludes. “By maximizing the
use of the green energy and renewable programs that are already
available and supporting the new programs created in the energy
bill, such as the Clean Renewable Energy Bond program, public power
can continue to show its strong commitment to green energy.”
Click here for more info...
Visit http://www.sparksdata.co.uk/refocus/
for your international energy focus!!
Refocus © Copyright 2005, Elsevier
Ltd, All rights reserved.
|
