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The sad part is that states like Florida are making it harder to install solar. On top of that, Florida is fighting energy efficiency. Other states are adding fees to solar users at the behest of the utility companies.

I live in California and am getting solar installed later this week though not nearly as big of a system as I'd like due to limitations of my roof. PG&E has some of the most expensive electricity in the country because of our state's corrupt public utilities commission. Average rates are around $0.194/kwh (compared to Santa Clara $0.113/kwh). PG&E has been quietly lowering the thresholds to push people into higher tiers of power as they make their homes more energy efficient. On average I'm paying well over $0.19/kwh so solar makes perfect sense.

Santa Clara, CA has its own power plant, and this page mentions "all municipal electric utilities of Northern California". So there ARE utilities that are not simply government sanctioned monopolies (by third party companies).

https://siliconvalleypower.com/index.aspx?page=1967

Just FYI - a watt is defined as 'the power developed in a circuit by a current of one ampere flowing through a potential difference of one volt." see http://www.siliconvalleypower.com/info/?doc=glossary/, i.e. 1W = 1VA. The dirty little secret about power calculations is that there is another factor thrown in, typically about 0.65, called the 'power factor' that UPS and power supply manufacturers use to lower the overall wattage. That's why you always use VA (rather than the reported wattage) because in a pinch you can always measure both voltage and amperage(under load).

For those of you who either didn't take Physics, or slept through it, Watts and BTU's/hr are both measurements of POWER. Add up all the (input) wattages, and use something like http://www.onlineconversion.com/power.htm/ to convert. This site also has a conversion to 'tons of refrigeration' on that same page.
Also note - Don't EVER user the rated wattage of a power supply because that's what it SUPPLIES, not uses. Instead use the current draw multiplied by the voltage (US - 110 for single phase, 208 for dual phase in must commercial blgs, 220 only in homes or where you know thats the case). This is the 'VA' [Volt-Amps] unit. Use this number for 'watts' in the conversion to refrigeration needs.
Just FYI - a watt is defined as 'the power developed in a circuit by a current of one ampere flowing through a potential difference of one volt." see http://www.siliconvalleypower.com/info/?doc=glossary/, i.e. 1W = 1VA. The dirty little secret about power calculations is that there is another factor thrown in, typically about 0.65, called the 'power factor' that UPS and power supply manufacturers use to lower the overall wattage. That's why you always use VA (rather than the reported wattage) because in a pinch you can always measure both voltage and amperage(under load).
Basically do this - take all the amperage draws for all the devices in your rack/room/data center, multiply them by the applied voltage for that device (110 or 208) and add all the products together. Then convert that number to tons of refrigeration. This is your minimum required cooling for a lights out room. If you have people in the room, count 1100 BTU's/hr for each person and add that to the requirements (after conversion to whatever unit you're working with). Some HVAC contractors want specifications in BTU's/hr and other want it in tons. Don't forget lighting either if its not a 'lights out' operation. A 40W florescent bulb means its going to dissipate 40W (as in heat). You can use these numbers directly as they are a measure of the actual heat thrown, not of the power used to light the bulb.
Make sense?

Dennis Dumont

And yes, they freely admit that it all mixes together in the power grid. But they buy power from the "green" providers based on the usage of the customers signed up for the program. This means they have to burn less fossil fuel to run their own generators.

If you are curious, you can look at their program information here

It gets 43% of its electricity from hydroelectric dams, 22% from geothermal, and another 4% from other renewable sources.

The city really focuses on finding plausible, cost-effective power sources, but for some reason it doesn't get any of its power from the wind. Perhaps the Santa Clarans know something the Danish don't?

Q: As a resident or small business owner, am I going to be effected by rolling blackouts?
A: Possibly. So far, Santa Clara Power Reduction Pool has absorbed the city load reduction obligations. However, if larger or longer load reductions are required, you may be subject to rolling blackouts.

Q: How much less do City of Santa Clara residents pay for their electricity?
A: When you compare the City rates to its neighbors, like San Jose, residents enjoy an average of 40% savings.