TUB customers offered option of 'Green Power'

TUB customers offered

option of 'Green Power'

Special to the News

This past spring, board members and staff of the Tullahoma Utilities Board joined other TVA power distributors in offering "Green Power Switch," a renewable energy initiative that gives customers across the Tennessee Valley a choice in the type of power they buy.

But what, exactly, is "green power"? Is it really green? Does it require a special meter at the house? Isn't it just a donation to TVA?

How does the green power know where to go, and how will it benefit Tullahoma?

"These are common questions to a very complicated issue," said Susan Campbell, Green Power Switch coordinator. "Power produced by renewable resources has been available in other parts of the country for several years, but has only become available in the southeast since 2000.

"Green Power Switch is, simply, electricity that is generated by cleaner, renewable resources such as wind, sun and landfill gas."

Launched to a limited market on Earth Day, 2000, Green Power Switch is the result of a partnership between the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), a non-profit and citizen organizations that promotes environmentally and economically sound reforms in the way power is produced in the southeast.

According to founder and veterinarian Steven Smith, "SACE works to offer positive solutions to the negative impacts of power production by working for clean air policies, and promoting the use of renewable energy and implementation of energy efficiency practices."

TUB buys it power from TVA, which generates and transmits electricity to 158 distributors across a seven-state region. Fossil-fueled generation, such as coal-fired power plants, accounts for 63 percent of the electricity produced by TVA, according to 2000 statistics released by TVA.

Nuclear power makes up 31 percent, while hydro-electric power stands at six percent.

Air emissions statistics release by TVA for 2000 shows that 9.5 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 3.7 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and 1,414 pounds of carbon dioxide were released for every megawatt hour (1,000 kilowatt hours) generated.

According to TVA, for each megawatt hour of Green Power Switch generated, three pounds of nitrogen oxides, and no carbon dioxide.

Buffalo Mountain in East Tennessee's Anderson County is the site of the southeast's first wind-powered turbines. Solar generation sites are located at several locations across the valley, and methane gas is providing power at two sites: the Middle Point Landfill in Murfreesboro, and the Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis, where a methane waste by-product from the city's wastewater treatment plant is used for co-firing.

Green Power Switch became available across the valley this past April after a successful pilot program with 12 distributors, and TUB launched its program on April 21.

"In order to maintain accreditation with the Center for Resource Solutions, TVA is very strict about how much Green Power Switch is generated and sold," said Campbell. "This is to guarantee that every dollar paid into the program goes for the production of green power."

TUB's goal, according to Campbell, is to sign-up 100 residential and 10 business customers. To date, 35 blocks of Green Power Switch have been sold to residential customers. Lowe's and The Computer Café are TUB's first commercial Green Power Switch customers.

TUB residential customers can purchase Green Power Switch in 150 kilowatt hour block. For each block purchased, an additional $4 will be added to the power bill each month. Every dollar paid for Green Power Switch is used to produce environmentally-friendly electricity. Customers may leave the program at any time.

"For each additional $4 that customers add to their power bills, a block of 150 kilowatt hours of renewable energy will be generated and placed on the TVA electric grid," said Campbell. "That, in turn, will reduce the amount of electricity that must be generated from traditional sources."

On average, TUB customers use bout 1,250 kilowatt hours of electricity each month. No limit is placed on the amount of Green Power Switch that can be purchased.

"Our customers have asked us why it costs more to purchase green power," Campbell said. "One reason is the relatively high cost of production when compared to the cost of burning coal."

Increased demand should, however, lead to expanded power production capacity and eventually to lower costs.

For more information on Green Power Switch, call Campbell at 455-4515. More information can also be found on the worldwide web at www.greenpowerswitch.com or at www.cleanenergy.org.