[EXCERPT: read the whole article here. -Ed.]

by Ken Silverstein

"In some cases around the country, cities are aggregating their businesses and households and buying renewable energy credits. Those 'certificates' guarantee the production of such things as wind generation, thereby facilitating the development of more sustainable energy generation.

Consider Direct Energy, which has just completed a deal for 10 cities in Texas to buy almost 13,000 renewable energy credits over the next 15 years: The alternative energy provider says it will then purchase that energy and the associated credits from five West Texas wind farms, with a total output of 813 megawatts. That, it adds, will offset more than 2 million tons of carbon dioxide a year."

"'Even though most of the Cities Aggregation Power Project member cities are outside the state's major population centers, they understand everyone needs to help Texas encourage sustainable, pollution-free energy sources, especially in the deregulated areas of the state,' says Jay Doegey, chairman of that power project, which is the group working with Direct Energy. 'Through (our) expertise with Texas electricity markets and its new program enabling purchase of renewable energy credits, small and medium Texas cities now have a way of investing in the future of energy.'"

"'As long as this nation is disproportionately reliant on oil and fossil fuel technology, we stand vulnerable,' says Ross Mirkarimi, city supervisor in San Francisco. 'San Francisco needs to mount a smart energetic counterattack designed to protect our environment, safeguard against energy market fiascoes, and by putting the utility customer's well-being first; and we do this by empowering the public with Community Choice Aggregation.'

Volatile times create uncertainty. But they also spur innovation. By allowing cities to purchase energy on behalf of their citizens, policymakers are not just getting better deals but they are also encouraging the development of more green energy. That's something that will only grow as increasing numbers of communities get involved in such programs -- one of the more successful offshoots of electricity restructuring."

Photo credit: Rick Harrison