In the 1980’s the Sacramento Municipal Utility District convinced their rate payers to pay a little more and that money would go to installing PV on their roofs. These PV arrays didn’t provide electricity to the house they habituated on, but instead contributed to the grid that everybody shared in the SMUD region.
That concept seems to be catching on in modern times amongst other power providers.
To any critic who insists environmentalism is a synonym for higher taxes or intrusive government, consider what is happening with Consumers Energy in Michigan.
Some 10,000 of the utility's customers fork over as little as $2.50 a month to pay for "green" projects. The money pays for Consumers to tap landfill gases and to purchase wind power from Mackinaw City. Before long, it'll be buying wind power from turbines closer to the Jackson area. The number of customers in this Green Generation program has quadrupled in little more than a year.
Big government hasn't forced this upon anyone. It's voluntarily. Anyone who wants to spend their money on something else can do just that. 10,000 customers are taking part and about 1.79mln haven’t seen the light yet.
The success of the Green Generation effort should show that many do care enough about environmental issues to sacrifice a few dollars. In the process, they are making a difference.
They're helping pay for Consumers Electric to draw 5% of its energy from renewable sources. They are creating jobs in Michigan, in that the utility is buying its "green" energy in the state.
They're also incentivizing ratepayers – and doing it in cash -- to do more. A bill in the state House would force the utility to double the percentage of its energy that comes from such sources as wind or solar power by 2015. That might be too high of a standard, one that in the worst case could raise everyone's electric bills. And that would be a disaster for environmentalists because it would reinforce criticisms that green activism means paying more.
What's happening with the Green Generation program might be a better way to reshape how the utility does business. If you feel strongly about renewable energy then you can enroll. It's voting for change by placing your values on your energy bill.