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Green Energy#

Purchase Clean, Renewable Energy#

Residents and businesses in Fort Collins can purchase clean, renewable energy for an additional 1.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on top of their normal utility bill.*

All customers may purchase 100% of their energy use or as many blocks as they need.

  • Residential customers can purchase blocks of 200 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for $3.20 per block
  • Non-residential customers can purchase blocks of 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for $16 per block

Subscribing to the Green Energy Program means that you can legitimately claim that your home or business is powered by renewable electricity. In addition, 5% of the price premium (about 0.1 cents per kWh) will help fund future investments in the local distribution system in support of reaching our community goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2030. You will also receive a letter in the spring with detailed information regarding your sources of electricity as a program subscriber.

The Green Energy Program price premium recognizes that the standard resource mix from Platte River Power Authority is nearly 50% non-carbon since the addition of recent wind and solar projects. Fort Collins Utilities is also allocating over 4.5 megawatts from the local Solar Power Purchase Program (SP3) to the Green Energy Program. The resource mix for the Green Energy Program is about 80% wind from Wyoming and about 20% solar from Colorado.

Why do we have Green Energy?

The objective of the Green Energy Program is to allow customers to purchase up to 100% of their electricity from renewable non-carbon resources. The program provides a way for customers to supplement the standard resource mix, which includes non-carbon sources, with additional wind and solar electricity. Subscribing to the Green Energy Program means that you can legitimately claim that your home is powered by renewable electricity. 

Where does our electricity come from?

Fort Collins Utilities is a member-owner of Platte River Power Authority, a joint-action agency that supplies electricity to Fort Collins customers. Platte River’s resources include coal, natural gas, wind and solar, and they also supplement with purchases from the regional electric grid. In addition, locally-generated rooftop solar electricity also supplies customers with a portion of their use.

What resources are included in the Green Energy Program?

The program allocates a portion of the wind and solar sources from Platte River and local electricity generated through the Solar Power Purchase Program (SP3). SP3 resources include over 4.5 megawatts of solar at 16 sites throughout Fort Collins. The energy generated by these systems flows directly into the distribution grid. Subscribers receive an annual letter with detailed information regarding the program’s sources of electricity for the previous year.

How is the price premium calculated?

The premium of 1.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) is based upon a weighted average of the expected resource mix of the program and the marginal cost of same sources compared to the general electricity mix. In addition, 5% of the cost is added (about 0.1 cents per kWh) to help fund future investments in the local distribution system to reach higher levels of local renewable energy. The price also includes a 6% charge known as payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT)*.

What qualifies as a renewable electricity source?

From a practical perspective, renewable electricity sources for Fort Collins include wind, solar and hydroelectric. In 2018, City Council formally adopted the following: renewable electricity includes non-fossil fuel sources, including electricity derived from wind, solar, hydroelectricity and geothermal sources and other means that may become available that do not add greenhouses gases to the atmosphere.

How does the resource accounting work?

Renewable resources included in the voluntary Green Energy Program are dedicated to the group of customer-subscribers and do not accrue to non-participating customers. Electric customers can attribute the fraction of renewable electricity in the general resource mix for their facility according to their purchases of electricity from Utilities.

What is the price comparison between Green Energy and the normal resource mix over the years?

The residential rates are designed to cover the cost of service for the residential class of customers. The Green Energy Program price is a premium on top of the residential rate. View the table below to see how the rates have changed since 2010.

What are renewable energy credits/certificates (RECs)?

All renewable electricity sources create renewable energy credits/certificates (RECs). RECs are the mechanism by which the renewable attributes are documented for electricity, which is otherwise undistinguished from other sources.

RECs from owned or contracted renewable resources are tracked and held on behalf of the communities and/or customers. RECs may be tracked in third-party administered systems (e.g. Western Renewable Generation Information System, WREGIS) or via bilateral contracts between seller and buyer (e.g., via local solar interconnection agreements).

What are alternatives to the Green Energy Program?

If you wish to offset your usage and decrease your utility bill while using a renewable source, we recommend looking to installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on your home. Utilities supports customers generating their own renewable energy using solar PV panels. The Solar Rebate Program provides incentives and guidance to help make sure each project is a success.

How do I end my participation in this program? 

Terminate your participation in this program (If you would like the form mailed to you, contact Utilities)

*This price is subject to change. As required by City Charter and City Code A 6% PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) has been added to electric, green energy, water and wastewater rates. This is a payment to the City’s general fund to replace revenue the City would receive from the Utilities in taxes and franchise fees if the utilities were privately owned. Without PILOTs, the Green Energy Program rate is 1.5 cents per kWh.

Disclaimer: Green Energy charges are calculated based on "kWh used." Net meter customers may have additional excess kWh generated that are not included in this calculation.

Questions?#


Did You Know?

Rebates are available to insulate attics, exterior walls and crawl space walls, improving your home's comfort.

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