New York brings renewable energy direct to consumers

New York City has teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York to create a new website designed to make it easier for consumers and businesses to directly purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs).

The site, Green Power NYC, enables residences and businesses in New York to choose between pure wind power or a blend of renewable electricity generators.

Once they have made their selection, they sign up to the scheme and get between one cent and 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour added to their electricity bill. In return, they get renewable energy credits tied directly to the green energy produced by participating companies.

RECs are designed to give purchasers the opportunity to reward renewable energy providers for contributing clean energy to the grid, even though they cannot physically ensure that the energy they use comes direct from renewable sources.

Although consumers are charged a fee for each kilowatt hour of renewable energy they use, generally, RECs represent 1,000 kilowatt hours each, meaning that the site is likely aggregating individual consumers' purchases to redeem RECs, which are retired once used, from the power generators that sell them.

While well intentioned, the options available on the site seem relatively limited. Green-e, the non-profit organisation that the system uses as its authorised verifier of RECs, has certified more than 65 separate REC providers that can provide energy to New York state.

As of yet, however, only RECs from Community Energy (Conedison Solutions) and Sterling Planet are available through the site, which directs consumers to electricity providers' websites for more choices. In addition, only RECs for wind or a blend of wind and hydro power are currently available through the site.