Going Green with Blue Sky

So, I signed Alisa and myself up for Rocky Mountain Power's blue sky program this morning. I had gotten our electric bill, and after having heard and read about the program, got online to sign up. So, based on our last bill in which we used 431 kwh (kilowatt hours), 23% of our electricity is now wind based.

So, to explain the blue sky program in a bit more depth. For anyone who has Rocky Mountain Power (which I believe you would, if you get electricity in Utah), you can sign up for the blue sky program which requires RMP to purchase a certain amount of your power via wind energy. You can purchase it in 100 kwh blocks, for 1.95 each. I signed up for one block, though we may up it to more. Based on April, for 8 dollars more than 90% of our home's electricity would come from wind power. I think that is rather neat. This is how it works. You buy a block of wind power. RMP then buys that amount of electricity from one of about ten wind farms in the intermountain west and pacific northwest. There are a few in WY a huge one in Montana, etc.. So, the more people that purchase the blue sky, the more wind power RMP buys, in turn spawning the expansion of wind farms to meet the need of the consumer. Consumer driven environmentalism, my favorite kind.

Some will say, Yeah, but you pay more for it. You're right. I do. And for now, I'm okay with that. Not to overdramatize it, but I think the reliance on burning coal for electricity is one of the single most detrimental things we could be doing as a society. No, not because I buy into global warming. But that discussion aside, I don't find mining coal, then burning it (with all the vast amounts of by products that creates), to be wise stewardship.

Of all the options currently on the table, wind power is my favorite. I wish we would build several massive wind farms here in UT. One great place would be up in the high mountain valleys right before you get to Cedar City. Alisa and I were driving through there on one of my many interviews once, and I mentioned, man, it is always windy here. Turns out, I was right. (for those who may not know, click the word right that is highlighted, it'll take you to a cool map that shows average annualized wind in the U.S. See all that dark blue? Build wind farms there.)

Now, I believe that solar is the way of the future, as it is almost solely based on technology, and as technology advances, so will our ability to adequately and effeciently trap that energy. It was one idea of Pete Ashdown's that I could totally get behind, solar forests in Utah's west desert.

Anyway, I'm heading off on lots of tangents, but suffice it to say, I am stoked to be a part of this, and may buy a couple more kwh blocks. I think the idea of environmentalism has been too long taken by nutjobs and fringe elements. I like this planet, I enjoy the outdoors, and I hate our inversions. I also know that I have a responsibility to be a wise steward. So, no, I don't want to spike trees, or stop you from building a home because of a rare sub-species of field mouse. But, I would like alternate energy to take over the archaic coal and petroleum monopolized energy industry.