Comments on WattHead - Energy News and Commentary: State Renewable Energy Standards Move Forward - Is...

Update: It's official. New Hampshire's governor <...

2007-05-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Update: It's official. New Hampshire's governor just signed the 25% by 2025 RES into law.

Update: Apparently the Indiana RPS bill is dead, a...

2007-05-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Update: Apparently the Indiana RPS bill is dead, at least for this year. According to a Wind Energy Works update:

"Indiana’s legislative session ended last week without a renewable goal. An Indiana RPS did pass out of the House, and RPS language - strictly pertaining to renewables - did appear in a final conference committee report until the second to last day of the session, drawing on Indiana Coalition Renewable Energy and Economic Development (ICREED) draft legislation, and backed by the continual lobbying efforts of ICREED members."

However, it seems we can add Illinois to the list of states with an RPS in play this year. Illinois already has a non-binding renewable energy goal, but legislation apparently passed the House that would create a binding RPS. Again, according to Wind Energy Works:

"The Illinois House passed an RPS bill by a vote of 103-12. The Illinois RPS has 10% renewables by 2015, and a goal of 25% renewables by 2025. At least 75% of the power must be from wind. Rate impact cap of 0.5% per year. Lots of details can be found in the legislation here."

And, in case you missed it, the New Hampshire Senate unanimously passed their RPS which will now become law (see post here).

So, NH and VA have passed RPS legislation, ID's bill is dead and OR, MI and IL are all still in play this session.

Plus, there's rumblings of a Senate vote on a 15% (by 2020?) federal RPS coming up in June.

You can add Michigan to the states where the RES (...

2007-04-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

You can add Michigan to the states where the RES (or RPS--renewable portfolio standard as many still call it) is gaining ground. Several bills have been introduced and supporters are optimistic about pushing one through.

(Reporting from Lansing)
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
risingwind.blogspot.com

Thanks Clee. Lot's of confusing multipliers in th...

2007-04-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks Clee. Lot's of confusing multipliers in there (for in-state methane digesters, landfill gas and wind which all get a 1.5x multiplier and for co-gen and out-of-state resources which get an 0.5x multiplier, etc.). The multipliers mean we really can't be certain what the final effect of the RES will be - that is, a 10% by 2025 goal could actually end up 8% or 12% or something else, depending on what combination of resources utilities end up using and what multipliers those resources get. Interestingly, unless I'm reading the bill wrong, there doesn't seem to be a multiplier in there for solar...

In addition to renewables like wind, biomass, landfill gas and existing hydropower, the bill also counts efficiency and demand-side-management as well as cogeneration facilities using natural gas that operate at 70% or more efficiency (presumably combined thermal and electrical efficiency) as well as fuel cells using hydrogen derived from any source (i.e. including fossil fuels!).

Thanks for the details Clee.

The text of what the Indiana House passed is at ht...

2007-04-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

The text of what the Indiana House passed is at http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2007/HAMP/MO020608.004.html