How is "green" or "clean" electrecity provided?

Question

This may be a dumb questions, but I never understood who the electric provider can service some who pays for regular electricity and also serve someone who pays for wind power electricity if they both use the same power lines. I am skeptical about all the "green" movement going on right now. I believe there another scheme from corporate America to increase profits. Before you judge me, I do believe in taking care of our planet and being responsible about it. But there are a few things I just think they are a scheme like the carbon dioxide offset fee. How does some paying money to some corporation is going to offset carbon dioxide?

Answer 1

WRONG Plants have taken care of every bodies Corbin footprint . U bought that did U send someone money for your footprint??

Answer 2

We could but in general do not provide a smart metering system such that green energy users preferentially buy green power if and when it is available at whatever price the green supplier can sell the energy for at that time, or adds some mark up for that power.

Ontario is installing a system of time of day metering which is just a bit too simple for this task, but could be reprogrammed to do this.

But we are at a provincial level providing a flat purchase price for all wind power of 8 cents /kWh and for solar power 42 cents kWh. We consumers do not need to get involved.

We do have a green energy retailer. We do not know where the green retailer gets involved, because they do not sell power for enough to pay for even 8 cent wind power.

Our  standard grid price right now to retail customers is below 6 cent/kWh, so we are all green premium customers. But our premium cost is negligible, and well hidden.

Answer 3

There is one power grid, but there are multiple inputs into that grid from multiple means of generating power. When you pay for a certain provider, that provider is set up to input more power into the grid. Rather than thinking of it as a power company linking direct to you, think of it as investing in a particular provider.

Answer 4

You're right! It's mostly marketing hype at this point.

There is only one electrical grid;-} power is power.

But if you sign up to pay extra, they'll put green sources online.

Similarly, if we let some pollute they'll pay someone else,

in order to reduce or sequester carbon dioxide.

It's like paying for organic produce, that somebody else eats.

Answer 5

Most electricity networks draw energy from multiple sources (coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydro (water), and sometimes green energy like solar, wind and methane gas.

I've heard this analogy: think of our total electricity needs as a bathtub full of dirty water. When you buy green power, you're replacing some of the dirty water with clean water. The more clean water that you put into the tub, the less dirty the bathwater becomes.

Answer 6

I don't know how that works. What I don't understand is why more people aren't installing their own individual solar systems. You can start small and slowly add more panels. We have a small cabin, it cost us around $3,000. to put ours in. It runs our lights, laptop, tv, dvd, fan on the wood stove shur-flo water pump. We have been using it for 6 years. add up your elec. bill for the last 6 years and see what it cost you. The big power companies putting in big wind and solar farms is great at least they're getting away from nuclear plants which are very dangerous and create a lot of toxic waste.but you still have to pay them every month for what you use !

Answer 7

All your doing as a consumer is purchasing power.  You get the power off the main grid which is supplied by all sources at the time they are available to support the grid.  Hydro prefers to pump water at night and generate during the day because this is a more economic way to operate. Wind generation is ONLY possible when the wind is available and steady.  Solar, of course, is only generated during the day.  NO ONE source now or ever will be able to support the grid.  

YOU pay more for  your “green power” because the revenue is used for maintenance and supposedly efforts to increase cleaner power sources.  You will always have unclean sources of energy.  

If you are really concerned then you must take the big step and get rid of your vehicles all together.  Never use your AC and use only energy saving light bulbs for shorter time periods in your home. Take advantage of day light savings.  Don’t watch TV or use electronic equipment like your computer.  

Grow your own food in small gardens and green houses.  Stop shopping anywhere they use excessive amount of power, like super markets and department stores.  Street shopping is “green.”

Walk if at all possible everywhere.  If you must use a source of transportation, use a bike.  

Don’t buy products from over seas or anywhere that are transported into your area.  Buy local only.  Don’t buy new if you can trade, barter or buy used. This will reduce production which in turn will reduce the demand on energy.  

Every thing  you do effects this planet.  If you didn’t buy from over seas it is quite possible in this day and age Corporations would realize it is cheaper to make their products back in the USA.   Creating jobs, in many cases reducing the distance some would have to travel to work and boost our economy.  All this would help America recover.  

“ONE BITE OUT OF THE ELEPHANT AT A TIME.”

Answer 8

When you buy green power you are depending on the electric company to keep good records of how much green power they generate and how much the green subscribers use. If the total green user use is less than or equal to the total green amount generated by the power company averaged over a month or year or whatever, then you can "pretend" that your power is separate without cheating.