Can green power providers be trusted?
Posted by Rahul Chitrapu on Tue, Dec 01, 2009
I was talking with one engineer today who is pretty passionate about the environment and wants to do his part to curb climate change. We got into a discussion about green power and how it has one of the biggest impacts on a person’s environmental footprint. When I asked him whether he would purchase green power from his local utility or an independent provider (he did not know about Ecoelectrons), he indicated that he was skeptical as to whether green power – power form wind or solar or other eco-friendly sources – would really be injected onto the grid on his behalf by the green power provider. I explained that it is a regulated industry and there is oversight by organizations like Green-e. Green power will be injected onto the grid on his behalf. He didn’t seem convinced.
Why is there this lack of trust despite of regulation? Do you have any thoughts as to how the green power industry can improve its credibility amongst the public?