Almost anyone would prefer to “go green” by using electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way.
Power from the sun or wind comes to mind, and power plants that run on fuels that, when burned, emit no harmful chemicals into the air would get everyone’s vote. However, it would not be practical or affordable to turn off power plants that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, leaving that investment stranded and unused. Furthermore, solar and wind energy turned into electricity is still far more expensive than the power coming into your home today, and there’s not enough of it.
Electric cooperatives do provide an option: members can purchase green power that is produced by generators that burn methane, a greenhouse gas, that is produced naturally by landfills and that would otherwise go into the atmosphere. Several such generators are in place at landfills across South Carolina through cooperation between electric cooperatives and Santee Cooper, the state-owned electric utility.
For $3 per 100 kilowatt-hours per month, residential members can participate in the Green Power program. Businesses purchase in 200 kilowatt-hour blocks for $6 per month. The money is reinvested in the Green Power program.
Contact your local cooperative for more information.
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PACKAGE: SMART, MONEY-SAVING GREEN CHOICES