We found last month that Maine Clean Power is no longer accepting new customers. If you aren’t familiar with the program, it allowed customers to choose to buy energy from renewable sources. Practically speaking, it meant that you paid a slightly higher rate for your power, and your money went to Mars Hill Wind Farm here in Maine, rather than to one of the other suppliers (coal, nuclear, oil, etc.)
According to Maine Interfaith Power and Light (the organization that facilitated Maine Clean Power), the supplier chose not to continue the contract, and so right now there’s no equivalent option to set up with your power bill. (Current customers’ contracts will still be valid for their durations.)
So, how can you choose green power? Buy Wind Watts! Each Wind Watt represents the delivery of one megawatt-hour of renewable power, generated by the Mars Hill Wind Farm, into the electric power “grid” and displaces the non-renewable sources that would otherwise have been used to generate this power. Essentially, if you were to calculate your home (or business) energy usage and buy the equivalent amount of Wind Watts, this would be the same as if you had signed up for Maine Clean Power. Sounds expensive, right? Wrong. An average household consumer can offset 100% of their electricity usage for $10/month. You can also buy wind Watts to offset travel emissions. Intrigued? Visit the MIPL website, or call them for more info.
