Consumers willing to pay more for clean energy

It did not require a milti-million dollar advertizing campaign to convince consumers in Palo Alto to adopt clean energy, even at a higher cost:

Residents and businesses pay more for electricity, just under $10 a month for a typical home, and the city government-operated Palo Alto Utilities uses the money to buy wind and solar power that is used citywide.

Program Manager Brian Ward said the city's Future Green program had fewer than 200 participants, so it was renamed and revamped in June 2003. Now, about 3,400 residents and businesses participate.

That's 12.7 percent of the city's overall electrical customers, a participation rate that's the second highest in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.