Hazel Onsrud is the local manager for the Maine Green Power program, the Maine Public Utilities Commission‘s green electricity offering.
SRG: What is Maine Green Power?
HO: Maine Green Power is the voluntary, renewable energy program sponsored by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. It is the only program which gives Mainers a way to support 100% Maine-made renewable energy on their current electricity bill. By enrolling in this program, you sign up to pay a little more to match the electricity your home, organization, or business uses, with renewable energy generated right here in Maine.
Right now the majority of Maine’s electricity comes from a grid powered by fossil fuels and nuclear energy from all over New England and Canada. For more details on where your electricity comes from, check out the disclosure label provided by your electricity supplier to see whether your supplier is the standard offer supply or you have selected a competitive electricity provider . The majority of suppliers provide a regional electricity mix from producers who rely on fossil fuels, including natural gas, oil and coal.
Enrolling in Maine Green Power is a choice that Mainers can make to support cleaner energy and local jobs.
SRG: How is Maine Green Power different from the electricity suppliers we hear about all the time in Maine
HO: Maine Green Power is unique. We are the only program in the state offering a 100% Maine-made renewable energy product. Additionally, because our program was designed by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) we actually cooperate with the electricity structure already in place in Maine. This means that when you sign up for the Maine Green Power program, your purchase will show up on your current utility bill. You are not adding a new bill or starting a new relationship with a different supplier. You also do not have to sign a contract or commit to participating for a specific time period, and you can change or adapt your enrollment level at any time.
The MPUC wants to give local residents an option to choose to support renewable energy that also keeps the money in our state to grow our economy. And, to make it easy for customers, your participation in the program is structured as an add-on to your current utility bill. Both Emera Maine and Central Maine Power are assisting the program in making it easy for customers to elect to participate.
SRG: How much does the program cost and what are the benefits of signing up?
HO: According to the US Energy Information Administration, a Maine home uses, on average, 531 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month. You can purchase 500 kWh (1 Block) of Maine-made renewable electricity for $7.50 more each month on your electricity bill. When you pay your bill, the green power funds are transferred to the Maine Green Power program and Maine Green Power purchases the equivalent number of renewable energy certificates (RECs). These certificates are proof that the green energy was added to the grid. Commercial customers or organizations can purchase more to meet their needs.
If everyone who paid for electricity in Maine signed up for the Maine Green Power program,we would lead the nation in securing long-term access to clean energy while supporting the need for good jobs in our communities. Participating in Maine Green Power lets us all make a real investment in our future, economically and environmentally.
SRG: How can someone sign up for Maine Green Power?
HO: We have outreach associates attending events and tabling outside establishments throughout Maine. You can sign up by providing our representatives with your service address and signature, or sign up online at MEgreenpower.com. You should also keep your eyes open for any number of our referral partners. Our referral partners are non-profit organizations that create positive impacts on Mainers’ health, communities, and environment. When they recruit people to sign up for Maine Green Power, we give them a donation as a thank you and a way to support their work.
SRG: What types of renewable electricity generators are eligible to participate in the Maine Green Power program?
HO: The electricity generators in our program have to be pretty amazing. They have made the choice to build projects right here in Maine to generate and sell electricity. Right now we have multi-year contracts with a few different suppliers including Ocean Renewable Power Company’s tidal energy project off the coast of Eastport. Their technology is making headlines around the world, but they have made the effort to truly work with their local communities at home, here in Maine. We eventually hope to support a wide variety of suppliers throughout the state, and are open to working with any renewable, Maine-made generator including but not limited to: solar ventures, hydroelectric projects that meet state and local fish passage requirements, wind farms, biomass facilities that use wood, wood waste, landfill gas or agricultural biogas, and geothermal projects. You name it and we are interested!
SRG: You’ve been in existence for just a year, what are the greatest challenges and opportunities facing Maine Green Power?
HO: We operate on a tight budget that is commensurate with the first few years of starting and growing a voluntary green power program. Half of what comes in goes to purchasing the RECs and supporting the local generators, as it should. Additionally, projects that can qualify for Maine Green Power may also be able to qualify for use in meeting the renewable goals of other states, so cost-effectively supplying the program represents a significant challenge, but this will be easier as more residents sign up for the program. Getting more folks to enroll is also crucially important. Of course, none of our challenges are insurmountable; Mainers have overcome much more daunting hurdles. In fact, challenges are what make the opportunities so exciting.
SRG: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
HO: I would like to say “Thank You” to everyone who has already signed up for Maine Green Power, our amazing suppliers, our dedicated supporters, the team who set up this program at the Maine Public Utilities Commission, and those who have stopped me and the Maine Green Power team on the street to have real conversations about energy’s role in Maine’s future.
