TVA and local public power companies, working in cooperation with the environmental community, developed Green Power Switch as a way to bring green power—electricity that’s generated by clean, renewable resources like solar, wind, and methane gas—to Valley consumers. Green Power Switch is a TVA Renewable Energy Initiative.
TVA and your local power company
SPRING 2010
1101 Market St., MR 3MChattanooga, TN 37402-2881
CommeNtS oR SuGGeStIoNS – Let us hear from you! We’d like your suggestions on articles for the newsletter. e-mail your comments to [email protected], or write to Green Power Switch, 1101 market Street, mR 3m, Chattanooga, tN 37402-2881.
Please recycle this newsletter by passing it on to a friend. thanks for your help and your interest!
CaP aNd tRade IN a NutSheLL
www.greenpowerswitch.com
What is “cap and trade”? It is a market-based approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that uses supply and demand to change behavior and achieve environmental goals. a similar tactic has been used to reduce acid rain and smog.
Where do greenhouse gas emissions come from? In the u.S., over 75 percent of human-generated greenhouse gases are related to burning fossil fuels*. more than half of that total comes from power plants, and about a third from transportation. emissions from industry are the third-largest share, followed by agriculture, commercial and residential sources.
the “cap” part of cap and trade is an annual limit on greenhouse emissions set by lawmakers. It’s based on what is needed to reduce the risk of climate change, and also what is politically acceptable. Policymakers also have to decide what activities will be capped. Will it be just electric power generation, or also include emissions from transportation and industry?
any activity covered by the cap will require a permit, or “allowance,” that allows the owner to emit one ton of greenhouse gases. this creates a market and a price for emission reductions and is the “trade” part of cap and trade. If a company can reduce its emissions more cheaply than it can buy an allowance, it may be able to sell some of its allowances to another company that needs them. the debate about cap and trade tends to be about the cost to the economy of complying with the cap. the theory is that the higher cost of generation using fossil fuels will encourage companies to find cheaper ways to reduce emissions, including more investments in emission-free renewable energy sources. Ed Holt, Ed Holt & Associates, Inc. * www.epa.gov/climatechange/fq/emissions.html#q3
tVa, the electric Power Research Institute (ePRI) and oak Ridge National Laboratory (oRNL) will test and set up solar-assisted charging stations for electric vehicles across the state of tennessee as part of the largest electric-transportation project in u.S. history.
Speaking at an event in Knoxville introducing the Nissan Leaf, a 100-percent electric, zero-emission vehicle, tVa President and Chief executive officer tom Kilgore said that the first prototype charging station using solar-generated electricity would be tested by ePRI in Knoxville this spring. a second prototype will be built by oRNL in oak Ridge. the prototypes will be tested for three to six months before additional stations are built in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville over the next few years.
the amount of solar electricity generated per station will be enough to power each car for approximately 10,000 miles per year. the first prototype station will have
four to six parking spaces, but larger 10-space stations are expected to be built in the future using a modular base design.
tVa also is working closely with the Knoxville utilities Board and other distributors of tVa power to conduct research on the impacts of vehicle charging on the power grid. the solar-assisted stations will complement the home, commercial, and public
infrastructure needed to support the Nissan Leaf and other electric vehicles.
“We are excited about the possibilities of incorporating renewable energy generation as a fuel source for electric transportation,” says James ellis, program manager of tVa’s electric transportation program. “Blending these technologies is one way to support a more sustainable environmental future.”
Fueled by tVa incentives and federal tax credits, participation in Generation Partners has tripled since last spring from 69 to 194 installations: 181 solar and 13 wind.
the combined generating capacity of Generation Partners has grown from 454 kilowatts to 1.49 megawatts. While the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine, the combined energy from today’s Generation Partners installations is expected to make enough electricity over a year to equal the annual consumption of more than 120 average tennessee Valley households.
“Surpassing 1 megawatt is a milestone for this program,” said Susan Curtis, tVa senior manager of Generation Partners. “It shows a growing desire of many
residents to take a personal stake in clean renewable energy for our region.”
though a small contributor to tVa’s 33,000-megawatt system, the power from Generation Partners, a pilot program launched in 2003, comes with clean-air savings. the 547,877 kilowatt-hours Generation Partners produced in fiscal 2009 represents 497 metric tons in avoided carbon dioxide emissions from fossil power plants.
uS Floors Inc. of dalton, Ga., recently became Generation Partners’ largest participant with the installation of a 144-kilowatt system. It has 672 solar photovoltaic panels covering 14,500 square feet on a warehouse rooftop that can be seen from Interstate 75. already, the sustainable flooring company is planning
to modify a second existing solar array of 31.5 kilowatts to more than 300 kilowatts.
“there is no question that both tVa and North Georgia electric membership Corp. have been crucial elements in making this come to fruition,” uS Floors President Piet dossche said. “Without them this would have been less attractive.”
Generation Partners offers homeowners and businesses financial incentives for qualifying solar, wind, biomass, and small hydroelectric systems of less than 1 megawatt. tVa pays each new participant $1,000 to offset startup costs and agrees to buy 100 percent of the green power they produce. tVa will pay the retail rate, plus any fuel cost adjustment, plus a 12-cent premium per kilowatt-hour for solar and 3 cents per kilowatt-hour for wind, biomass and hydro.
N O R T HC A R O L I N A
T E N N E S S E E
M I S S I S S I P P I
A L A B A M A
G E O R G I A
K E N T U C K YV I R G I N I A
M I S S O U R I
I L .
S O U T HC A R O L I N A
14
12
13
117
10
8
15
4
2 3
5
6
1
9
To learn more about our generation sites and to find the one nearest you, please visit www.greenpowerswitch.com.
Solar Power
49,231 kWh
Wind Power
21,414,019 kWh
Methane Gas
1,379,790 kWh
Generation Partners
141,036 kWh
GENERATIoN UPdATEoctober 1, 2009 - February 2010
PARTICIPATIoN UPdATEAs of March 1, 2010
55,612 | total number of green power blocks subscribed
11,965 | Number of residential customers subscribing
2 | average number of green power blocks per residential customer
513 | Number of business customers subscribing
KNoxVILLe JumP-StaRtS a SoLaR INFRaStRuCtuReIn partnership with tVa, Knoxville utilities Board, the oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Southern alliance for Clean energy and others, the City of Knoxville is promoting green power through Solar Knoxville, the city’s Solar america Cities Program.
made possible by a grant from the department of energy’s Solar america Initiative, Solar Knoxville is one of 25 city-based programs across the nation working to make solar energy cost-competitive with traditional energy by 2015.
the Knoxville program is educating citizens, strengthening local solar markets, increasing the visibility of solar installations, and reducing institutional barriers to solar projects.
to accomplish these goals, Solar Knoxville: • Offersworkshopstohelpresidentsand
businesses understand solar technologies• HostsanannualSolarTourandFairthat
features visits to local solar installations• WorkswithPellissippiStateTechnical
Community College to create a curriculum for training students to install solar technology
• Providestrainingforcodeofficialsand
building inspectors about permitting and inspecting solar installations
• IscreatinganexhibitareaatIjamsNature Center to introduce visitors to solar energy and explain the 15-kilowatt solar array at the center
• IspartneringwithKnoxHeritagetodemonstrate the use of solar on a historic home
In carrying out these projects, Knoxville hopes to be a model for other tennessee Valley cities. Since the program’s launch in october 2008, the total capacity of solar installations in the city has more than doubled, and 2010 promises to bring even more solar projects.
to learn more about Solar Knoxville, please visit www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/solar.
Erin Burns, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Knoxville
Green Power Switch participants, participating tennessee Valley power companies and tVa are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Green Power Switch this year. In honor of the occasion, new signage and educational exhibits for tVa’s GPS solar installations are being placed at host facilities.
these solar systems have generated over 3 million kilowatt-hours in the past 10 years! If you are not familiar with the solar site nearest you, check out the map to see just how close you may be to an out-of-the-ordinary learning experience.
tVa SoLaR SIteS FeatuRe NeW SIGNS aNd exhIBItS
Cr
ed
it: C
ity
of
Kn
oxv
ille
HElP US REdUCE PAPER WASTE! Sign up to receive an e-mail notification when the next GPS newsletter is posted online. You can change your preference online at www.greenpowerswitch.com.
Artist’s rendering of Knoxville Station Transit Center solar array. Made possible by Solar Knoxville, the 4.5 kW solar array at the new downtown Knoxville transit center will showcase solar technology.
MAp ID FACIlITy loCATIon ExhIbIT1 Adventure Science Center Nashville, TN Array & Kiosk
2, 3 Dollywood Tram (2) Sevierville, TN Array4 Ijams Nature Center Knoxville, TN Array & Kiosk5 Cocke County High School Newport, TN Array6 Duffield/Pattonville Primary School Duffield, VA Array7 Sci-Quest Science Museum Huntsville, AL Kiosk8 American Museum of Science & Energy Oak Ridge, TN Array & Kiosk9 Lovers Lane Soccer Complex Bowling Green, KY Array10 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN Array11 Florence Water Treatment Facility Florence, AL Array12 University of Mississippi Oxford, MS Array13 Mississippi State University Starkville, MS Array & Kiosk14 BRIDGES Facility Memphis, TN Array & Kiosk15 Morgan County Vo-Tech School Wartburg, TN Array
the RIGht tIme FoR SoLaR PoWeR
Get a PRoFeSSIoNaL home eNeRGy eVaLuatIoN
Solar energy is not just for the future; the right time to install solar is now! Prices for solar systems continue to fall, and more and more home and business owners in the tennessee Valley are installing solar panels to take a personal stake in creating clean energy – and receive payment for the production. the typical cost-per-kilowatt is $8,000 to $9,000, and the average system size installed is 2.5 kilowatts for residential customers. however, there are incentives available
to help offset that cost. Generation Partners, offered by tVa and participating local power companies, pays for 100 percent of the green energy output from qualifying renewable energy generation systems and also offers a one-time incentive payment of $1,000. on top of that, a 30 percent federal tax credit is available, and some states offer a tax incentive or grant for the installation of a renewable system. Some incentives can be used in combination, which can add up to a shorter payoff time. to learn more about these incentives, visit www.dsireusa.org.
tVa and participating local power distributors are making it easier than ever to become energy efficient while also saving you money. With the new In-home energy evaluation Program, you can reduce your power usage and receive a cash incentive or financing assistance for installing home energy improvements. the recommended energy-related home improvements you make are eligible for reimbursement of 50 percent of the installation cost, with an upper limit of $500, or for convenient financing. Call 1-866-441-1430 or visit energyright.com for more information.
Each of these sites has either a fully-operational solar installation, a fun interactive exhibit inside, or both. The exhibits feature touch-screen capabilities with facts about renewable energy. They are designed for upper elementary through middle school children, but there’s enough information to keep adults and younger children interested, too. This spring visit the site nearest you to see a solar photovoltaic system and learn more about renewable energy.
tVa BuyS ReNeWaBLe eNeRGytVa is increasing its renewable energy portfolio by purchasing an additional 815 megawatts (mW) of wind energy. Four new contracts will provide enough energy to serve about 200,000 average-size homes in the tVa service area.
this wind generation will be added to tVa’s overall power mix and is not included in the Green Power Switch supply, which continues to be produced from resources located in the tennessee Valley. the new wind projects and their scheduled start dates are:
• IberdrolaRenewables,300MWfromtheStreator-CayugaRidgeWind Farm, Livingston County, Ill. mid-2010.
• BishopHillEnergyLLC,200MWfromtheBishopHillWindEnergyCenter, henry County, Ill. January 2012.
• WhiteOakEnergyLLC,150MWfromtheWhiteOakEnergyCenter, mcLean County, Ill. January 2012.
• CPVRenewableEnergyCompany,165MWfromtheCimarronWind Farm, Gray County, Kan. early 2012.
a wind turbine transforms the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical or electrical energy. the turbine’s output depends on its size and the wind’s speed through the rotor. With power ratings of 1 to 3 megawatts, wind turbines can be used as a single unit or grouped together to form large-scale wind farms.
the capacity factor, or productivity, of a wind turbine normally ranges from 25% to 40%, although higher capacity factors can be achieved during windy periods. the capacity factor is determined by comparing actual production with the amount of power that would have been produced if the turbine were able to operate at maximum output 100% of the time.
Thank you!
These signs are available to current and new customers on a first-come, first-served basis. Please e-mail [email protected] or contact
your local power company to learn how you can receive your sign.
Thanks for being a part of the Green Power Switch, which
began Earth Day 2000. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary
of GPS, we are offering a limited number of yard signs to show
our appreciation of your commitment to the environment.
N O R T HC A R O L I N A
T E N N E S S E E
M I S S I S S I P P I
A L A B A M A
G E O R G I A
K E N T U C K YV I R G I N I A
M I S S O U R I
I L .
S O U T HC A R O L I N A
14
12
13
117
10
8
15
4
2 3
5
6
1
9
To learn more about our generation sites and to find the one nearest you, please visit www.greenpowerswitch.com.
Solar Power
49,231 kWh
Wind Power
21,414,019 kWh
Methane Gas
1,379,790 kWh
Generation Partners
141,036 kWh
GENERATIoN UPdATEoctober 1, 2009 - February 2010
PARTICIPATIoN UPdATEAs of March 1, 2010
55,612 | total number of green power blocks subscribed
11,965 | Number of residential customers subscribing
2 | average number of green power blocks per residential customer
513 | Number of business customers subscribing
KNoxVILLe JumP-StaRtS a SoLaR INFRaStRuCtuReIn partnership with tVa, Knoxville utilities Board, the oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Southern alliance for Clean energy and others, the City of Knoxville is promoting green power through Solar Knoxville, the city’s Solar america Cities Program.
made possible by a grant from the department of energy’s Solar america Initiative, Solar Knoxville is one of 25 city-based programs across the nation working to make solar energy cost-competitive with traditional energy by 2015.
the Knoxville program is educating citizens, strengthening local solar markets, increasing the visibility of solar installations, and reducing institutional barriers to solar projects.
to accomplish these goals, Solar Knoxville: • Offersworkshopstohelpresidentsand
businesses understand solar technologies• HostsanannualSolarTourandFairthat
features visits to local solar installations• WorkswithPellissippiStateTechnical
Community College to create a curriculum for training students to install solar technology
• Providestrainingforcodeofficialsand
building inspectors about permitting and inspecting solar installations
• IscreatinganexhibitareaatIjamsNature Center to introduce visitors to solar energy and explain the 15-kilowatt solar array at the center
• IspartneringwithKnoxHeritagetodemonstrate the use of solar on a historic home
In carrying out these projects, Knoxville hopes to be a model for other tennessee Valley cities. Since the program’s launch in october 2008, the total capacity of solar installations in the city has more than doubled, and 2010 promises to bring even more solar projects.
to learn more about Solar Knoxville, please visit www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/solar.
Erin Burns, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Knoxville
Green Power Switch participants, participating tennessee Valley power companies and tVa are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Green Power Switch this year. In honor of the occasion, new signage and educational exhibits for tVa’s GPS solar installations are being placed at host facilities.
these solar systems have generated over 3 million kilowatt-hours in the past 10 years! If you are not familiar with the solar site nearest you, check out the map to see just how close you may be to an out-of-the-ordinary learning experience.
tVa SoLaR SIteS FeatuRe NeW SIGNS aNd exhIBItS
Cr
ed
it: C
ity
of
Kn
oxv
ille
HElP US REdUCE PAPER WASTE! Sign up to receive an e-mail notification when the next GPS newsletter is posted online. You can change your preference online at www.greenpowerswitch.com.
Artist’s rendering of Knoxville Station Transit Center solar array. Made possible by Solar Knoxville, the 4.5 kW solar array at the new downtown Knoxville transit center will showcase solar technology.
MAp ID FACIlITy loCATIon ExhIbIT1 Adventure Science Center Nashville, TN Array & Kiosk
2, 3 Dollywood Tram (2) Sevierville, TN Array4 Ijams Nature Center Knoxville, TN Array & Kiosk5 Cocke County High School Newport, TN Array6 Duffield/Pattonville Primary School Duffield, VA Array7 Sci-Quest Science Museum Huntsville, AL Kiosk8 American Museum of Science & Energy Oak Ridge, TN Array & Kiosk9 Lovers Lane Soccer Complex Bowling Green, KY Array10 Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN Array11 Florence Water Treatment Facility Florence, AL Array12 University of Mississippi Oxford, MS Array13 Mississippi State University Starkville, MS Array & Kiosk14 BRIDGES Facility Memphis, TN Array & Kiosk15 Morgan County Vo-Tech School Wartburg, TN Array
the RIGht tIme FoR SoLaR PoWeR
Get a PRoFeSSIoNaL home eNeRGy eVaLuatIoN
Solar energy is not just for the future; the right time to install solar is now! Prices for solar systems continue to fall, and more and more home and business owners in the tennessee Valley are installing solar panels to take a personal stake in creating clean energy – and receive payment for the production. the typical cost-per-kilowatt is $8,000 to $9,000, and the average system size installed is 2.5 kilowatts for residential customers. however, there are incentives available
to help offset that cost. Generation Partners, offered by tVa and participating local power companies, pays for 100 percent of the green energy output from qualifying renewable energy generation systems and also offers a one-time incentive payment of $1,000. on top of that, a 30 percent federal tax credit is available, and some states offer a tax incentive or grant for the installation of a renewable system. Some incentives can be used in combination, which can add up to a shorter payoff time. to learn more about these incentives, visit www.dsireusa.org.
tVa and participating local power distributors are making it easier than ever to become energy efficient while also saving you money. With the new In-home energy evaluation Program, you can reduce your power usage and receive a cash incentive or financing assistance for installing home energy improvements. the recommended energy-related home improvements you make are eligible for reimbursement of 50 percent of the installation cost, with an upper limit of $500, or for convenient financing. Call 1-866-441-1430 or visit energyright.com for more information.
Each of these sites has either a fully-operational solar installation, a fun interactive exhibit inside, or both. The exhibits feature touch-screen capabilities with facts about renewable energy. They are designed for upper elementary through middle school children, but there’s enough information to keep adults and younger children interested, too. This spring visit the site nearest you to see a solar photovoltaic system and learn more about renewable energy.
tVa BuyS ReNeWaBLe eNeRGytVa is increasing its renewable energy portfolio by purchasing an additional 815 megawatts (mW) of wind energy. Four new contracts will provide enough energy to serve about 200,000 average-size homes in the tVa service area.
this wind generation will be added to tVa’s overall power mix and is not included in the Green Power Switch supply, which continues to be produced from resources located in the tennessee Valley. the new wind projects and their scheduled start dates are:
• IberdrolaRenewables,300MWfromtheStreator-CayugaRidgeWind Farm, Livingston County, Ill. mid-2010.
• BishopHillEnergyLLC,200MWfromtheBishopHillWindEnergyCenter, henry County, Ill. January 2012.
• WhiteOakEnergyLLC,150MWfromtheWhiteOakEnergyCenter, mcLean County, Ill. January 2012.
• CPVRenewableEnergyCompany,165MWfromtheCimarronWind Farm, Gray County, Kan. early 2012.
a wind turbine transforms the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical or electrical energy. the turbine’s output depends on its size and the wind’s speed through the rotor. With power ratings of 1 to 3 megawatts, wind turbines can be used as a single unit or grouped together to form large-scale wind farms.
the capacity factor, or productivity, of a wind turbine normally ranges from 25% to 40%, although higher capacity factors can be achieved during windy periods. the capacity factor is determined by comparing actual production with the amount of power that would have been produced if the turbine were able to operate at maximum output 100% of the time.
TVA and local public power companies, working in cooperation with the environmental community, developed Green Power Switch as a way to bring green power—electricity that’s generated by clean, renewable resources like solar, wind, and methane gas—to Valley consumers. Green Power Switch is a TVA Renewable Energy Initiative.
TVA and your local power company
SPRING 2010
1101 Market St., MR 3MChattanooga, TN 37402-2881
CommeNtS oR SuGGeStIoNS – Let us hear from you! We’d like your suggestions on articles for the newsletter. e-mail your comments to [email protected], or write to Green Power Switch, 1101 market Street, mR 3m, Chattanooga, tN 37402-2881.
Please recycle this newsletter by passing it on to a friend. thanks for your help and your interest!
CaP aNd tRade IN a NutSheLL
www.greenpowerswitch.com
What is “cap and trade”? It is a market-based approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that uses supply and demand to change behavior and achieve environmental goals. a similar tactic has been used to reduce acid rain and smog.
Where do greenhouse gas emissions come from? In the u.S., over 75 percent of human-generated greenhouse gases are related to burning fossil fuels*. more than half of that total comes from power plants, and about a third from transportation. emissions from industry are the third-largest share, followed by agriculture, commercial and residential sources.
the “cap” part of cap and trade is an annual limit on greenhouse emissions set by lawmakers. It’s based on what is needed to reduce the risk of climate change, and also what is politically acceptable. Policymakers also have to decide what activities will be capped. Will it be just electric power generation, or also include emissions from transportation and industry?
any activity covered by the cap will require a permit, or “allowance,” that allows the owner to emit one ton of greenhouse gases. this creates a market and a price for emission reductions and is the “trade” part of cap and trade. If a company can reduce its emissions more cheaply than it can buy an allowance, it may be able to sell some of its allowances to another company that needs them. the debate about cap and trade tends to be about the cost to the economy of complying with the cap. the theory is that the higher cost of generation using fossil fuels will encourage companies to find cheaper ways to reduce emissions, including more investments in emission-free renewable energy sources. Ed Holt, Ed Holt & Associates, Inc. * www.epa.gov/climatechange/fq/emissions.html#q3
tVa, the electric Power Research Institute (ePRI) and oak Ridge National Laboratory (oRNL) will test and set up solar-assisted charging stations for electric vehicles across the state of tennessee as part of the largest electric-transportation project in u.S. history.
Speaking at an event in Knoxville introducing the Nissan Leaf, a 100-percent electric, zero-emission vehicle, tVa President and Chief executive officer tom Kilgore said that the first prototype charging station using solar-generated electricity would be tested by ePRI in Knoxville this spring. a second prototype will be built by oRNL in oak Ridge. the prototypes will be tested for three to six months before additional stations are built in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville over the next few years.
the amount of solar electricity generated per station will be enough to power each car for approximately 10,000 miles per year. the first prototype station will have
four to six parking spaces, but larger 10-space stations are expected to be built in the future using a modular base design.
tVa also is working closely with the Knoxville utilities Board and other distributors of tVa power to conduct research on the impacts of vehicle charging on the power grid. the solar-assisted stations will complement the home, commercial, and public
infrastructure needed to support the Nissan Leaf and other electric vehicles.
“We are excited about the possibilities of incorporating renewable energy generation as a fuel source for electric transportation,” says James ellis, program manager of tVa’s electric transportation program. “Blending these technologies is one way to support a more sustainable environmental future.”
Fueled by tVa incentives and federal tax credits, participation in Generation Partners has tripled since last spring from 69 to 194 installations: 181 solar and 13 wind.
the combined generating capacity of Generation Partners has grown from 454 kilowatts to 1.49 megawatts. While the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine, the combined energy from today’s Generation Partners installations is expected to make enough electricity over a year to equal the annual consumption of more than 120 average tennessee Valley households.
“Surpassing 1 megawatt is a milestone for this program,” said Susan Curtis, tVa senior manager of Generation Partners. “It shows a growing desire of many
residents to take a personal stake in clean renewable energy for our region.”
though a small contributor to tVa’s 33,000-megawatt system, the power from Generation Partners, a pilot program launched in 2003, comes with clean-air savings. the 547,877 kilowatt-hours Generation Partners produced in fiscal 2009 represents 497 metric tons in avoided carbon dioxide emissions from fossil power plants.
uS Floors Inc. of dalton, Ga., recently became Generation Partners’ largest participant with the installation of a 144-kilowatt system. It has 672 solar photovoltaic panels covering 14,500 square feet on a warehouse rooftop that can be seen from Interstate 75. already, the sustainable flooring company is planning
to modify a second existing solar array of 31.5 kilowatts to more than 300 kilowatts.
“there is no question that both tVa and North Georgia electric membership Corp. have been crucial elements in making this come to fruition,” uS Floors President Piet dossche said. “Without them this would have been less attractive.”
Generation Partners offers homeowners and businesses financial incentives for qualifying solar, wind, biomass, and small hydroelectric systems of less than 1 megawatt. tVa pays each new participant $1,000 to offset startup costs and agrees to buy 100 percent of the green power they produce. tVa will pay the retail rate, plus any fuel cost adjustment, plus a 12-cent premium per kilowatt-hour for solar and 3 cents per kilowatt-hour for wind, biomass and hydro.
