"The solicitations have been flooding people’s mailboxes lately: pay a bit more on your electricity bill for 100 percent clean wind power. Or, the fliers say, buy 'green power certificates' to offset your global warming emissions.
Close to a million electricity customers have signed up for such payments voluntarily, and the amount of electricity sold in this way has nearly tripled since 2005, amid rising concern about climate change and energy security. But the participants are in a distinct minority, with a sign-up rate of only about 2 percent in programs run by utilities.
The low sign-up rate raises a question: If large majorities of Americans favor increased government support for clean energy, as polls suggest, why are so many people reluctant to back such programs when it comes to paying extra themselves?"
To read more from today's The New York Times article, click here.
To read other articles on this site about renewable energy, click here.
Image courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.
CT's clean energy programs cost around $10/month. Actually, for the electricity I use in my spacious 1 bedroom apartment, the surcharge only costs me about $3.
Posted by: Amanda | November 17, 2009 at 12:02 PM