U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyGreen Power NetworkGreen PricingTampa Electric Company
December 2008 - Tampa Electric Company (TECO) announced that it will provide green power for 100% of the electricity needs of Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009. Under the agreement, TECO will supply Florida-based renewable energy for the game at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, as well as the five-day NFL Experience festival, for a total of 187,000 kWh. The renewable energy will be sourced in part from biomass and solar power. The purchase was made possible by state regulators’ recent approval of a new offering that allows TECO to sell blocks of renewable energy to customers for one-time events.
September 2008 - The Florida Public Service Commission approved Tampa Electric Company (TECO)’s request to sell blocks of renewable energy to customers looking for a one-time offset for an event, a new offering for TECO’s existing Renewable Energy program, launched in 2001.
December 2006 - Tampa Electric Company (TECO) is increasing the size of the renewable energy blocks sold in its green power program from 100 kWh to 200 kWh while maintaining the $5 price, thus lowering its green pricing premium from 5¢/kWh to 2.5¢/kWh. The utility also received regulatory approval to convert its pilot green energy program to a permanent program. TECO utilizes solar energy, landfill gas, and other biomass resources located within its service territory and throughout the state. The lower premium stems from the utility's ability to increase the use of low-cost biomass in the renewable energy mix.
March 2005 - Tampa Electric Company has doubled the size of the renewable energy blocks offered through its green pricing program, thus lowering the rate premium from 10¢/kWh to 5¢/kWh. Under the utility's Renewable Energy program, residential and business customers can now purchase 100-kWh blocks of renewable energy for $5 per month with no limit on the number of blocks that can be purchased. Power for the program is sourced from local solar and landfill gas projects, and through co-firing biomass waste materials in existing coal-fired generating units.
November 2000 - Tampa Electric Company (TECO) has issued an "interconnection tariff" for small photovoltaic (PV) systems of 10 kW or less in size that will pay customer generators a rate tied to the company's green pricing premium. Under the agreement, TECO will pay "a rate equal to 90% of the per kWh premium" charged for the company's Smart Source product, which was unveiled on November 1.
July 2000 - Tampa Electric Company (TECO), an investor-owned utility serving more than 500,000 customers on Florida's west coast, plans to offer a green pricing pilot program to a limited number of residential customers this fall. Pending regulatory approval, TECO customers will be able to purchase up to 250 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power per month, about 25% of their average electricity consumption, that will be generated from a combination of photovoltaic systems and biomass co-fired in an existing coal plant. Program participants will be charged an additional 10¢/kWh for the green power.
August 1999 - As one outcome of regulatory proceedings, Tampa Electric signed a formal agreement with the Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation (LEAF) to explore the development of a green pricing program which emphasizes solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The utility agreed to design and implement a voluntary program if feasibility studies show sufficient consumer interest. Tampa Electric established a goal of installing 50 kW of PV by 2004. |