What is GreenPower? Accredited GreenPower is a government scheme to enable individuals or businesses to buy a percentage of their electricity from renewable energy and be confident that their purchase will make a difference. GreenPower includes electricity from wind, solar, hydro, and biomass (crop wastes, sewage gas, landfill gas, green wastes, and plantation forestry).
Does GreenPower make a difference? Buying GreenPower helps you do your bit on climate change, reduce greenhouse emissions and build the renewable energy industry in Australia. If half the households in the country switched to 100% GreenPower, we would save around 50 million tonnes of greenhouse pollution!
How does GreenPower work? When you buy GreenPower, a renewable energy generator feeds the same amount of power that you consume into the electricity grid. Renewable power stations feed electricity into the grid just as coal or gas power stations do. The existing electricity grid connects generators and consumers all over the country. No extra poles or wires are needed, and your meter is read just as normal.
Most electricity retailers offer products containing varying amounts of GreenPower, so that you choose how much of your electricity to buy from new renewable energy. For example, most retailers offer 10%, 50%, or 100% GreenPower. Only the GreenPower portion you select comes from new renewable energy and reduces Australia’s greenhouse emissions.
The GreenPower scheme is carefully audited to make sure that:
| * your retailer buys the same amount of GreenPower from accredited renewable generators that you consume; and | | | * you are buying new GreenPower and increasing the proportion of renewable energy that is fed into our electricity grid. GreenPower goes above and beyond compulsory schemes such as mandatory renewable energy targets. This means we can start reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
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Why does GreenPower cost more? New renewable energy currently costs more than electricity from fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil). This is because fossil fuels have nearly a hundred year head start with large scale development backed by lots of public money. They also don’t have to pay for the damage they cause to the environment and human health through greenhouse and air pollution. Over time renewable energy will get cheaper.
For an average Australian household, switching to 100% GreenPower costs about $6 extra per week. Taking a few easy steps to make your house more energy efficient can significantly reduce your electricity bill and offset the cost of GreenPower. For example, putting in low energy light bulbs will save energy and money.
If your budget is tight you can buy electricity that has a smaller percentage of Greenpower. Every bit makes a difference.
Which GreenPower should I choose?  Only buy accredited GreenPower.
To make sure that your choice makes as much difference as possible look at the Green Electricity Watch scorecard. www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au
So what should I do?
| * Switch to GreenPower! This reduces your greenhouse pollution and supports growth in Australia’s renewable energy. Buy the highest percentage you can afford; | | | * Reduce energy use in your home as well – this reduces emissions and saves you money! Check out our Energy Saving Tips.
| | | * For more information and links to GreenPower products go to: www.greenpower.gov.au | |
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