Scientists & Engineers for America

State Renewable Energy Standards

Did You Know..?

State Renewable Energy Standards Basics

Currently the federal government has no mandatory renewable fuel programs. Such programs, however, do exist to varying degrees on the state level. Congress has recently taken steps to set national standards of using electricity from renewable sources and to encourage investment in these energies. House Bill 5351, passed this year, provides, among other things, tax credits to produce electricity from renewable sources. Senate Bill 2642 was introduced and aims to set a standard of 20% of electricity to be produced from renewable sources by 2024. It also provides tax incentives for investing in renewable energies.

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[edit] Policies In Use

States have implemented various rules and regulations to meet their Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) of requiring a certain percentage of electricity produced to come from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and biomass. There are currently twenty-nine states that have mandatory standards. Here are some highlights:[1]

  • In 2006, California signed into law Senate Bill 107 which requires that 20% of electricity generated in the state come from renewable sources by 2010
  • The State of New York Public Commission mandated in 2004 that 25% of its electricity come from renewable sources by 2013
  • Maine was one of the first states to set a mandatory RPS in 1999 which required 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2000. In 2006, this was increased by 10% by 2017
  • In 2007, Connecticut set an RPS of 27% by 2020
  • Nevada has implemented an RPS of 20% by the year 2015
  • Illinois, Ohio, Vermont, and New Hampshire will require 25% of their electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025
  • Hawaii, New Mexico, and Colorado have all set up RPS of 20% by 2020

In order to supplement and aid in reaching their RPS goals, many states have also put into place some measures to further invest in renewable sources and the necessary infrastructure.

  • Currently, the District of Columbia and sixteen states have Public Benefit Funds, where small surcharges on electricity are used to collect money for these funds. The programs are designed to invest in research, education, loans, and rebates in areas involved in renewable energy sources[2]
  • Thirty-four states have Access Laws that protect the rights of consumers at their homes and businesses to manage solar and wind power systems
  • There are nine states that have rules requiring energy companies to offer their customers the option of purchasing their energy from renewable sources (Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington)
  • Twenty-two states and D.C. have disclosure rules that force electricity companies to inform their customers on the source of the energy so that they can make informed decisions on purchasing electricity[3]

There are five states that have voluntary goals towards achieving an RPS by specified times:[4]

  • North and South Dakota have both set a goals of 10% electricity from renewable sources by 2015
  • Utah has a higher goal of 20% by 2020
  • The Florida House Bill 7135 in 2007 does not provide specific goals of reaching an RPS, but Gov. Crist did sign an executive order mandating 20% come from renewable sources
  • Virginia has set a goal of a 12% increase by 2022 in its RPS based on 2007 its levels

[edit] Interesting Reports

State Renewable Electricity Profiles This report provides a comprehensive overview of each state’s source of electricity capacity and generation from 2002-2006. It first provides a brief summary of each source, including fossil-fuel based, nuclear, and renewable. It then further breaks down the data into specific sectors (i.e. solar, wind, geothermal, etc.).


Policies to Promote Non-Hydro Renewable Energy in the United States and Selected Countries This 2005 report covers the history of Renewable Energy Policies in the U.S. (with special attention paid to California) and compares it to similar policies in other countries. The data covers only up to 2002 (or 2003 for California) and tries to determine why some programs worked in certain countries and not in others.


Renewable Energy Annual, 2006 This is the twelfth annual publication on renewable energy from the Energy Information Administration. It covers the trends in renewable energy consumption and electricity. It also examines issues involved in solar geothermal power. Finally, the report provides information on green pricing and net metering.

[edit] News Stories on State Renewable Energy Standards

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[edit] Endnotes

Image above taken from nrgsc.yk.ca.

  1. ↑ “U.S. States & Regions.” Pew Center on Global Climate Change. http://www.pewclimate.org/states-regions
  2. ↑ “DSIRE: Database of State Initiatives for Renewables & Efficiency.” North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). http://www.dsireusa.org
  3. ↑ “DSIRE: Database of State Initiatives for Renewables & Efficiency.” North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). http://www.dsireusa.org
  4. ↑ “U.S. States & Regions.” Pew Center on Global Climate Change. http://www.pewclimate.org/states-regions
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  1. Did You Know..?
  2. State Renewable Energy Standards Basics

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