Shrewd, very shrewd.
Dominion is asking the State Corporation Commission for permission to offer customers two options for purchasing renewable energy, be it solar, hydro, wind, biomass, wave, tide or geothermal. Under one option, customers would be billed for what it costs Dominion to acquire the “green” energy from independent green power producers. Under the other, customers could specify a fixed dollar amount to apply to the purchase of renewable energy; the amount purchased would vary with market conditions.
If I read the press release correctly, these green energy purchases from independent producers would be over and above the renewable energy that Dominion would be committed to achieve under Virginia’s voluntary goal of generating 12 percent of its own electricity from renewable sources by 2022.
Astute move. The options suggest a responsiveness to the consumer — and they take some of the political heat off legislators who resist raising the state’s renewable energy goals higher than 12 percent. If someone feels really, really strongly about renewable energy, he can put his money where their mouth is.
Now, what can we do to encourage conservation?
