Moscow power grid opts for green electricity

The city’s energy distributor is planning to give Muscovites a choice between traditional sources of energy and eco-friendly ones.

The new project, dubbed “Green Energy,” will focus on bringing electricity generated from renewable sources right into residents’ homes.

This “green” power will come from small hydroelectric power stations and incineration plants, which will sign personal contracts with ecologically-conscious Muscovites. The option will also be available for residents of the Moscow region, as well as for small businesses.

The scheme may turn out to be a viable alternative to a state stimulus package that has been on offer since 2007. The energy provider argues that the new approach to the promotion of green energy will be much more effective that the vague parameters of the stimulus plan.

As evidence, the company cites examples from the European Union and the US: despite steeper bills, many households have shifted to “green electricity.”

How much eco-friendly power will cost in Russia is still unknown. In Holland, the difference in cost between traditional energy and eco-friendly power is 10 to 20 percent. Representatives of the Moscow energy distribution company say that it is unlikely that the extra charge will be too high.

Environmentalists, however, have raised doubts about how green the scheme really is.

“Incineration plants have nothing to do with green energy,” Vladimir Chuprov, head of the Energy Department at Greenpeace Russia, told RT. “Green energy must have a negative carbon balance. It can’t generate greenhouse gases. This kind of PR is misleading.”