The High Cost Of Green Energy Programs In San Francisco

See Fifty Shades of Green in San Francisco: Progressives squabble on their quest for the holy grail of cheap renewable power by Allysia Finley, WSJ, 12-14-2013.

"in 2007 when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the formation of CleanPowerSF"

it had a "goal of providing a greener energy alternative"

" in 2010 the city's supervisors put a contract up for bid to supply renewable energy to about 90,000 residents"

"only Shell Energy North America...expressed interest."

This led to "a 4.5-year contract valued at $19.5 million."

"The commission's chief task was setting a cap on CleanPowerSF's renewable-energy rates."

"the commission also wanted to pad the rates to finance more renewable infrastructure in the city"

"A 100% renewable-energy mix from in-state sources could cost up to five times more than PG&E's electric supply, amounting to over $300 per month for a typical family"

" a utility in California can comply with the state's renewable mandate by buying RECs from a wind farm in Wyoming while procuring its actual energy from fossil-fuel plants. Shell calculated that a kilowatt-hour of renewable power would cost about 48 cents to generate while a REC representing the same kwh could be bought for just one cent"

"Some environmental groups understandably criticized RECs for "green-washing" fossil fuels"

"The San Francisco Labor Council wanted all of CleanPowerSF's renewable power to come from in-state power facilities"

"the Public Utilities Commission complained that such requirements would restrict the city's ability to supply 100% renewable power by pushing up costs."

"Shell Energy tried to appease labor and environmental groups by proposing—but not promising—to supply 100% greenhouse-gas-free power from in-state facilities operated by unions."