(See Wiser and Barbose, “Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United States: A Status
Report Through 2007,” Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/
ems/ re-pubs.html.) This has been true, even
during the early years, when compliance strategies often rely on short-term markets. A large,
stable national market for renewable resources
will facilitate greater competition, lower costs
and greater reliance on long-term contracts,
all of which should reduce compliance costs.
Indeed, as markets continue to grow, the net
economic benefits from a national RPS are likely to be positive, helping to offset increasingly
expensive and potentially volatile conventional
sources of power.
Significant progress toward
reduced emissions is simply
impossible without rapid
continues to slip by with no progress. In February
2009, Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) opened a hearing
of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources with the following statement:
The reasons to pass such a provision are as compelling as ever, if not more so. A renewable standard
can reduce our dependence on fossil fuel sources,
reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other
pollutants. Another effect of this reduction is to cause
a reduction in the prices of the fossil fuels displaced.
Such a standard diversifies our resource base, lessening the effect of supply disruptions or shortages,
creating greater economic stability. It reduces our
dependence on foreign sources of energy, creating
greater energy security. This standard would also
spur the development of a national green energy
economy, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs,
many in rural areas.
A year and a half later, the driving factors
Bingaman cited for national action are more
compelling. The states’ continuing actions to
expand or increase existing RPS targets are
strong indicators that the time to pass a national
RPS has arrived.
expansion of renewable
energy at the national level.
The urgency of this issue
could not be more acute.
Texas, California and Colorado are just three
examples of the trend for states to increase and
accelerate renewable portfolio targets. Other
states that have enacted or are considering RPS
expansions include New York, Nevada, Hawaii,
Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. State-level successes set the table for a comprehensive
national approach that will complement and
strengthen states’ efforts. (See dsireusa.org for
details on the history, legislative authority and
structuring of state-based RPSs.)
age of retail electricity sales or new generating
capacity be derived from solar water heating,
solar heating and cooling, passive solar design,
daylighting, concentrating solar power and photovoltaic technologies. It should also require that
a certain percentage of renewable energy is met
from distributed-generation resources, to help
ensure market development for both large- and
small-scale projects.
Third, national RPS legislation should
include minimum standards and guidelines for
grid interconnection and net metering. Building on proven industry standards, experience
from around the country and model rules such
as those developed by the Interstate Renewable
Energy Council, it is important that the national RPS legislation require every state to enable
basic net metering and interconnection. By setting minimum national standards, the legislation will encourage distributed generation and
the contributions that hundreds of thousands
of small-scale systems can make toward meeting
our RPS targets. (Model interconnection and
net-metering rules are available from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council: irecusa.org/
irec-programs/connecting-to-the-grid.)
Fourth, the fundamental outcome of the
national RPS must be the development of
new renewable energy resources. The legislation must be crafted with this outcome clearly
in mind. For example, if existing large-scale
hydropower, energy efficiency or other “clean”
resources are deemed eligible to meet the RPS,
then the standard must be increased accordingly, so as not to undercut the objective of new
renewable supply.
44 July/August 2010 SOLAR TODAY solartoday.org
What Is the Status
at the Federal Level?
All of these issues are on the political radar
screen and continue to be debated in the halls of
Congress. Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to create a national RPS as a key element
of energy and climate initiatives. However, time
What Are Essential Elements?
A national RPS has the potential to establish
the United States as a leading market for, and
supplier to, the global markets for renewable
energy. By creating a national-scale market, with
targets for steady growth, the RPS will encourage
investment, research and development across
renewable industries and technologies. It will
support businesses ranging from advanced material sciences and manufacturing to local design
and installation firms. But to attain these benefits, the national RPS must include several key
elements that will drive robust growth state by
state and at the national level.
First, the national RPS should establish
a minimum floor, not a ceiling, on renewable
generation for each state. States such as California or Colorado, which have already adopted
higher targets than are likely under the national
RPS, should not have their targets reduced
or superseded by a national standard. Renewable resources from states with targets higher
than the national standard should be “retired”
and not be used to offset minimum targets for
other states.
Second, the national RPS should include a
solar set-aside requiring that a certain percent-
Moving Forward
As with any legislation, the passage of a
national RPS will require some political negotiations and compromises. However, the experience from a growing number of states indicates
that markets are ready and able to respond
— providing a portfolio of renewable energy
resources that meets aggressive RPS targets,
with short-term price impacts that are often
far outweighed by economic development and
environmental benefits.
The time is now. A national RPS will provide
every region and state with a foundation for contributing to, and participating in, the growth of
America’s clean energy economy. ST
