Energy in Vermont
Encyclopedia
Vermont
energy needs are served by over twenty utilities. The largest are Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power. Together they represent 70% of the customers. The state is a very small electricity consumer compared with other states. Its electricity sector has the lowest carbon footprint in the country. As of 2010, the state has the lowest electricity costs in New England
.
As of 2010, most of the energy is purchased wholesale for distribution from Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and Hydro-Québec
. The costs from Vermont Yankee were about 3 to 5 cents per kilowatt hour.
In 2009, the state received 1/3 or 400 MW of its power from Hydro-Québec
and 1/3 from Vermont Yankee. In total, the state got half its power from Canada and other states. It received 75 percent of the power it generated in the state from Vermont Yankee.
Wholesale rates from electricity produced by natural gas have been 5 to 7 cents per kilowatt hour.
, its northern neighbor, to fulfill part of its energy needs. A first long-term supply contract has been signed between Vermont utilities and government-owned
Hydro-Québec
on July 25, 1984. The contract was renewed for 26 years in a deal signed in 2010.
.
In 2010, there were about 150 methane digesters in the nation, Vermont led the nation with six online.
The state has 78 hydro power dams with a combined capacity of 143 megawatts, about 12 percent of the state's total requirement.
However Vermont experts estimate that the state has the capacity to ultimately generate from 134 to 175 megawatts of electricity from hydro power.
. Each utility pays a share of transmitting power over these lines. Vermont's share is about 4.5 percent.
2008 peak demand in the state was 1,100 megawatts (MW).
Vermont does not allow customers to shop for competitive energy suppliers. The state's two largest electric utilities, Green Mountain Power Corporation and Central Vermont Public Service Corporation, together serve 80 percent of Vermont households.
While Vermont paid the lowest rates in New England for power in 2007, it is still ranked among the highest eleven states in the nation; that is, about 16 percent higher than the national average.
In 2009, the state had the highest energy rates for energy (including heating) in the US and the worst affordability gap nationwide.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
energy needs are served by over twenty utilities. The largest are Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power. Together they represent 70% of the customers. The state is a very small electricity consumer compared with other states. Its electricity sector has the lowest carbon footprint in the country. As of 2010, the state has the lowest electricity costs in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Supply
In 2006, the total summer generating capacity of Vermont was 1,117 megawatts.As of 2010, most of the energy is purchased wholesale for distribution from Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
. The costs from Vermont Yankee were about 3 to 5 cents per kilowatt hour.
In 2009, the state received 1/3 or 400 MW of its power from Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
and 1/3 from Vermont Yankee. In total, the state got half its power from Canada and other states. It received 75 percent of the power it generated in the state from Vermont Yankee.
Nuclear power
Vermont has the highest rate of nuclear-generated power in the nation, 73.7 percent. As one result, Vermont is one of only two states with no coal-fired power plant.Wholesale rates from electricity produced by natural gas have been 5 to 7 cents per kilowatt hour.
Imports
Since the 1980s, the state has turned to QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, its northern neighbor, to fulfill part of its energy needs. A first long-term supply contract has been signed between Vermont utilities and government-owned
Government-owned corporation
A government-owned corporation, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation, government business enterprise, or parastatal is a legal entity created by a government to undertake commercial activities on behalf of an owner government...
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
on July 25, 1984. The contract was renewed for 26 years in a deal signed in 2010.
Renewable energy
In May 2009, Vermont created the first state-wide renewable energy feed-in lawFeed-in Tariff
A feed-in tariff is a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies. It achieves this by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers, typically based on the cost of generation of each technology...
.
In 2010, there were about 150 methane digesters in the nation, Vermont led the nation with six online.
The state has 78 hydro power dams with a combined capacity of 143 megawatts, about 12 percent of the state's total requirement.
However Vermont experts estimate that the state has the capacity to ultimately generate from 134 to 175 megawatts of electricity from hydro power.
Transmission
All Vermont utilities get their power from lines run by ISO New EnglandISO New England
ISO New England Inc. is an independent, non-profit Regional Transmission Organization , serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont....
. Each utility pays a share of transmitting power over these lines. Vermont's share is about 4.5 percent.
Demand
In 2005, the inhabitants of the state used an average of 5,883 kilowatt hours of electricity per capita. Another source says that each household consumed 7,100 kilowatt-hours annually in 2008.2008 peak demand in the state was 1,100 megawatts (MW).
Vermont does not allow customers to shop for competitive energy suppliers. The state's two largest electric utilities, Green Mountain Power Corporation and Central Vermont Public Service Corporation, together serve 80 percent of Vermont households.
While Vermont paid the lowest rates in New England for power in 2007, it is still ranked among the highest eleven states in the nation; that is, about 16 percent higher than the national average.
In 2009, the state had the highest energy rates for energy (including heating) in the US and the worst affordability gap nationwide.