This is a deceptive practice that actually undermines renewable energy development, because Vermont utilities and our state government are also implying that we are receiving the same renewable energy. For example, the website of the Vermont Sustainably Priced Energy Development (SPEED) Program clearly trumpets that the renewable sources it claims help meet "Vermont's load." Utilities are also subtly implying that their customers are receiving the renewable energy in their ads.
The ratepayers in the other states, though, and not us, made the difficult political decision and the sacrifice to pay for these RECs, and they deserve to fully claim them. The RECs also have real consequences, as the buyers become exempt from having to develop additional renewable energy sources. As long as Vermonter's feel that they are receiving the same renewable energy, they will likewise feel less motivation to invest in additional renewable energy here.
Some might argue that we are at least receiving the renewable energy – after all, it is fed into the grid here, right? But the grid doesn’t work that way: The physical flow of energy on the grid cannot be traced physically.
To resolve this, Vermont should adopt a legitimate Renewable Energy Standard and prohibit double-counting of RECs. This will require proponents such as myself to fully make the case to the public as to why the benefits of renewables are worth the extra cost but will also result in much greater education and awareness and a much more honest debate about which types of renewable energy development here are appropriate.
Ben Luce
Lyndonville, Vermont
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