Public power green pricing programs make NREL top 10 lists

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
November 4, 2020

A number of public power utilities are included on top 10 lists compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for utility green pricing programs. The recently released rankings are for 2019.

Utility green pricing programs allow homes and businesses to procure green power through their electric utility.

Since 2000, NREL has compiled data on these utility green pricing programs and released annual “Top 10” lists to recognize outstanding programs.

In terms of the top green power sales (as of December 2019), the following public power utilities were on the Top 10 list compiled by NREL:

• SMUD (1,189,504 MWh; ranking: second)
• Austin Energy (775,702 MWh; ranking: fourth)
• Silicon Valley Power (391,901 MWh; ranking: seventh)
• Tennessee Valley Authority (225,767 MWh; ranking: ninth)

With respect to green power customer counts, three public power utilities made the top 10 list: SMUD (71,867 customers); Austin Energy (23,720 customers); and Seattle City Light (10,964 customers).

Turning to green power sales rates, the following public power utilities were represented on the top 10 list:

• SMUD (8.53%; ranking: second)
• Oak Ridge Electric Department (7.39%; ranking: third)
• Alameda Municipal Power (5.61%; ranking: sixth)
• Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (4.65%; ranking: seventh)
• River Falls Municipal Utilities (4.16%; ranking: eighth)
• Columbus Water & Light (3.09%; ranking: ninth)

In terms of green power participation rates, public power utilities represented seven of the top 10 utilities listed:

• River Falls Municipal Utilities (13.22%; ranking: second)
• Alameda Municipal Power (11.84%; ranking: third)
• SMUD (11.23%; ranking: fourth)
• Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (10.15%; ranking: fifth)
• Silicon Valley Power (7.54%; ranking: seventh)
• Muscoda Utilities (5.80%; ranking: eighth)
• Stoughton Utilities (5.02%; ranking: tenth)

The full report is available here.