Austin's clean energy program costing more, selling less

[Sunsettommy]

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Sunday, July 12, 2009

By Marty Toohey

EXCERPT:

For the past decade, Austin's ambition to become the world's clean-energy capital has been best exemplified by one effort: GreenChoice, a program that sells electricity generated entirely from renewable sources such as wind.

Now the nationally renowned program is struggling to find buyers — the latest allotment is 99 percent unsold after seven months on the market — and Austin Energy is looking for ways to bring down the rising costs.

But those are short-term talks.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/ne...hoice.html
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Gosh and they were surprised?

[Mike Davis]

They finally admit the costs and I found it interesting the additional price for solar!

[Sunsettommy]

[quote author=Mike Davis link=topic=68.msg440#msg440 date=1247616594]
They finally admit the costs and I found it interesting the additional price for solar!
[/quote]

Solar has never been cost effective for large power production.

[mcclane]

[quote author=sunsettommy link=topic=68.msg441#msg441 date=1247616695]
[quote author=Mike Davis link=topic=68.msg440#msg440 date=1247616594]
They finally admit the costs and I found it interesting the additional price for solar!
[/quote]

Solar has never been cost effective for large power production.
[/quote]

sure, with enough tax payer money subsidizing it !  ;D

[Sunsettommy]

[quote author=mcclane link=topic=68.msg1684#msg1684 date=1253052510]
[quote author=sunsettommy link=topic=68.msg441#msg441 date=1247616695]
[quote author=Mike Davis link=topic=68.msg440#msg440 date=1247616594]
They finally admit the costs and I found it interesting the additional price for solar!
[/quote]

Solar has never been cost effective for large power production.
[/quote]

sure, with enough tax payer money subsidizing it !  ;D
[/quote]

Which means that some people pay TWICE for the energy.

[mcclane]

[quote author=sunsettommy link=topic=68.msg1689#msg1689 date=1253053191]
[quote author=mcclane link=topic=68.msg1684#msg1684 date=1253052510]
[quote author=sunsettommy link=topic=68.msg441#msg441 date=1247616695]
[quote author=Mike Davis link=topic=68.msg440#msg440 date=1247616594]
They finally admit the costs and I found it interesting the additional price for solar!
[/quote]

Solar has never been cost effective for large power production.
[/quote]

sure, with enough tax payer money subsidizing it !  ;D
[/quote]

Which means that some people pay TWICE for the energy.
[/quote]

yeah, us tax payers again, nothing like a double whammy !!

[HarpoSpoke]

Newer article:

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/edwards...54655.html

Edwards: Global warming isn't about science

Quote:Here in Austin, we are seeing the costly effects of an energy plan based upon unproven results. The city boasts of the GreenChoice program. Run by Austin Energy, Austin residents can subscribe to the GreenChoice program for electricity produced from renewable sources. The program is costly, so it doesn't have enough subscribers to sustain itself. The solution? Most might think it wise to scale the program back, revise it, or scrap it altogether. Instead, Austin Energy general manager Roger Duncan proposes a rate increase on businesses and residents in order to fund the program.

[mcclane]

in our city, one of our power companies (enmax) gives customers a choice, regular electricity (the good kind) or the hippie kind (the one powered by wind). I looked at the cost of the two, and the hippie one costs more. They preach that if you switch it is good for the environment blah blah blah, forget that, if it costs more i'm not interested.