We just did some looking into costs and found this government page showing prices for green power programs from utilities by state: http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/pricing.shtml?page=1. The typical range seems to be 0.5 cents to 6 cents per kWh.
We also got a quote of 0.2 to 0.3 cents per kWh for RECs. What are others finding? RECs seem consistently cheaper--are many people choosing local green power anyway because it seems to have more integrity?
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Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5909 thumbs up
March 29, 2010 - 4:35 pm
The link is to pricing from September 2008. Much has changed since then. REC prices are typically under $0.005/kWh and have been so for a while now. Price bottomed out a bit ago and I think is coming back up slightly but no where near the previous cost. Pricing is typically based on specificity. If any old REC is OK then the price is very low. The more specific your needs the higher the price. Want solar only RECs you will pay a significant premium. I do not see many of my clients choosing a utility offered green power product. I do see clients who want to buy something more local, like Pennsylvania wind, and are willing to pay a premium to do so.
Lana Malone
Director of Business Development- Green Building Team LeaderRenewable Choice Energy
120 thumbs up
March 29, 2010 - 7:15 pm
Hi Nadav!
Mr. Sheffer is correct- utility pricing is typically has a higher premium than other voluntary REC providers- pricing is also much lower now than they were in 2008!
http://www.renewablechoice.com/business-LEED-green-power-calculator.html
Nadav Malin
CEOBuildingGreen, Inc.
LEEDuser Moderator
844 thumbs up
March 30, 2010 - 9:46 am
Thanks, Marcus. I'm not surprised to hear that utility programs are not being selected as often by your clients.
It seems that our figures are pretty well aligned. We found 0.2 to 0.3 cents per kWh for RECs, which matches up with your "less than 0.5 cents" figure.
Have you (or others) tried out the Renewable Choice calculator? What do you think?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5909 thumbs up
March 30, 2010 - 10:12 am
I just tried it out Nadav. It calculates how many kWh of green power you need to buy for LEED and converts this to metric tons of CO2. It also calculates CO2 equivalents for households, trees planted, cars taken off the road, and avoided passenger miles. At the bottom of the report is a link to get a green power quote. So some useful information for folks who want to promote a green power purchase within their organization. This information can be obtained in many other places however and in a more comprehensive manner. So the usefulness of the information depends upon your need.
Renewable Energy Choice is a very active REC seller which have been used on many LEED projects. They report more than 1000 LEED projects. In my experience they provide a quality product at a reasonable price.
Rob Watson
CEOECON Group
170 thumbs up
March 30, 2010 - 3:58 pm
We got quoted less than 0.2 cents/kWh for a project in Beijing from Carbon Solutions Group. This credit really is in reach now!
Lana Malone
Director of Business Development- Green Building Team LeaderRenewable Choice Energy
120 thumbs up
March 30, 2010 - 4:18 pm
That's great, Rob! The Green Power credit(s) are so affordable right now, and such a very easy credit to achieve- while also making a huge environmental impact and supporting the wind power industry!
Elliot Powers
LEED AP BD+C30 thumbs up
August 12, 2010 - 1:19 am
My firm has been getting similar pricing for military base projects from Carbon Solutions Group as well.