Here's how to buy renewable energy from your electric utility

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Many renters and homeowners can opt to get their electricity from renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Such customers choose a green energy program offered through their electric utility. Consumers should select a green power option or renewable energy certificate that has been verified by an independent third party. Wind turbines in Dawson, Texas, on Feb. 28, 2023.  Mark Felix | Afp | Getty Images

As carbon emissions from fossil fuels keep warming the planet, eco-conscious consumers may wonder if there’s a way to buy electricity from renewable sources without installing technology like solar panels or windmills on their property.

In short, the answer is yes.

However, the option isn’t necessarily available to all homeowners and renters. It also often comes with a slight price premium, experts said.

Few people are aware they can buy green energy

Renewable energy sources — including wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass — accounted for about 21% of U.S. electricity generation in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Most, 60%, came from fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. These energy sources release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming.

The White House aims for electricity generation to be free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

A growing number of individuals and organizations are opting to shift away from fossil fuels: About 9.6 million customers bought 273 Terawatt hours of renewable energy through voluntary green power markets in 2022, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. That’s up fivefold from 54 TWh in 2012.

In the voluntary market, customers buy renewable energy in amounts that exceed states’ minimum requirements from utility companies. Over half of U.S. states have policies to raise the share of electricity sourced from renewables, though most targets are years away.

Voluntary purchases accounted for 28% of the renewable energy market (excluding hydropower) as of 2016, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They help increase overall demand for renewable electricity, thereby driving change in the energy mix, the EPA said.

Photovoltaic solar panels at the Roadrunner solar plant near McCamey, Texas, on Nov. 10, 2023.  Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The bulk

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