Small Customer Incentive Program for Green Power Marketers

August 15, 2008

Summary

The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, as administrator of the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund, offers financial incentives to in-state retail electricity suppliers who make available eligible green-power products to residential and small business consumers in the state. The objective of this program is to build a market for green power that is sustainable after program funding is discontinued. The program rewards suppliers who enroll up to 15,000 new residential and small commercial customers in eligible green-power products; no incentive will be paid for signups after June 30, 2008. The incentives will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at a rate of $125 per customer for the first 6,000 customers statewide, and $75 per customer thereafter until funds are fully allocated. Products eligible for this incentive are either "bundled" electricity supply offerings from competitive energy suppliers or tradable renewable certificate (TRC) offerings (either sold through the Narragansett Electric Company GreenUp Program or independently) that meet product-eligibility requirements.* Customers served under Residential and Small General Service tariffs of Narragansett Electric and Pascoag Utility District qualify for this program. Minimum renewable-energy percentages must be in addition to requirements of Rhode Island's Renewable Energy Standard. After September 30, 2005, the only new product offerings that may be added to the program are those that convey price-stability benefits to customers. Products already registered prior to this date may be changed according to program guidelines. Only suppliers with approved products in the program as of December 31, 2006, will be permitted to register additional products after that date; the program will be closed to suppliers not participating in the program. * GreenUp products that are not Green-e-certified must exceed by at least 5% the current Green-e "new" renewables requirement.