Maine Green Power program lets customers choose renewable energy

This news article first appeared in The Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine — This month, the Maine Public Utilities Commission, in partnership with 3Degrees, a leading renewable energy provider, is launching Maine Green Power, a statewide green power program available to customers of Central Maine Power, Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. and Maine Public Service Company.

The electricity offered to residents and businesses through Maine Green Power is matched by electricity generated by solar, hydro, wind, biomass or other renewable energy projects located in Maine. “Maine has abundant hydro, wind, biomass and other renewable energy resources,” said Commission Chairman Thomas Welch in a press release. “Maine Green Power enables our state’s residents and businesses to encourage further local development of these resources by choosing to power their homes and businesses with renewable energy generated in Maine.”

With this launch, the Maine Green Power program will allow participants served by the participating utilities to choose the amount of renewable energy they want to purchase in the form of 500 kilowatt-hour “blocks” — 500 kilowatt-hours represents approximately the average amount of electricity used by a Maine household in a month — at a cost of $7.50 per block per month in addition to the cost of electricity supply. Residential customers may purchase either one-half, one, two, three or four blocks of renewable energy per month. Commercial customers will be able to participate in Maine Green Power for $7.50 per 500 kilowatt-hour block. Customers signing up for Maine Green Power will continue to receive their electricity as they have in the past, with no interruption in their service or change in supplier. Customers interested in participating in Maine Green Power can learn more and enroll by visiting the program website.

Maine Green Power