Valley utilities offering more green

Sep 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Ed Taylor The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

With scientists saying that global warming could increase everything from hurricanes to heart attacks, Valley utilities are expanding opportunities for their customers to purchase green power that avoids the burning of fossil fuels.

Arizona Public Service Co. is instituting two new Green Choice programs that allow customers to select power from renewable sources -- primarily geothermal and wind power -- by agreeing to pay an extra cent per each kilowatt hour used.

A typical homeowner who uses about 1,100 kilowatt hours per month would pay about $11 to $12 extra in their monthly bill to get 100 percent of their electricity from green sources, said Steven Gotfried, renewable energy spokesman for APS.

The additional charge is necessary because renewable energy is more expensive to produce than power from conventional fossil fuels and nuclear energy. But the utility, which is under a mandate by the Arizona Corporation Commission to produce 15 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2025, thinks customers will be willing to pay a little extra for "green" energy.

"We know renewable energy is important to our customers," Gotfried said. "We're finding that people say they are interested in climate change, but they just don't know what to do about it. This is what they can do."

APS has created two Green Choice programs, one that allows the customer to select a percentage of their power from renewable sources, and another to select a set amount of kilowatt hours from renewables for those who don't want their Green Choice charges to fluctuate with their energy usage. A third option, called Total Solar, is planned for those who want to support only solar energy.

APS also is collecting a $1.05 monthly surcharge from all of its customers to support renewable energy. The Green Choice program is for those who want to support green energy beyond that.

The more people who participate, the more renewables APS will be able to purchase, reducing the amount of energy it must derive from fossil fuels, Gotfried said.

Despite worries about global warming, however, consumers have not rushed to join green programs instituted by other utilities. Salt River Project has had a similar program called EarthWise since May 2001, and so far only about 6,600 residential and business customers have signed up, said Lori Singleton, SRP's manager for environmental initiatives. That constitutes less than 1 percent of SRP's total customers.

"Typically, if you look at these programs nationwide, you're going to find that (low percentage)" she said. "Customers are required to pay a premium on top of their regular monthly bill."

The program has been raising about $400,000 annually, which SRP has used to develop solar energy projects in the Valley, including 18 Habitat for Humanity homes in Apache Junction, she said.

Singleton said the program will expand rapidly if two of SRP's larger business customers decide to participate.

"If they come in, they will be buying significant amounts of energy," she said. "We are seeing an interest from businesses that want to offset their greenhouse gas emissions."

Consumers can find more information about the programs at the two utility Web sites, www.aps.com and www. srpnet.com.