Customer Choice Would Advance Renewable Energy, DOE's National Labs Say. (News).(Department of Energy national laboratories report)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

GOLDEN, CO-Giving consumers a greater choice of how their electricity is generated could boost solar, wind, and other "green power" sources 40% by the end of the decade, according to a new study released October 30 by two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories.

Achieving such a result, however, would require an orderly transition to competitive power markets and a significant expansion of the green pricing programs currently offered by regulated utilities, said energy analysts who conducted the study at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).

"Market research consistently shows that consumers prefer to receive their power from clean energy sources," said Blair Swezey of NREL, one of the study's co-authors. "Our study shows that giving consumers energy supply choices can be a powerful mechanism for moving renewable energy into the marketplace."

Currently offered by more than 85 utilities in 29 states, green pricing gives consumers an option to help support additional electrical ...