Majority of Renewables Going to States with Standards - Study

Over 50% of non-hydro renewable capacity additions in the U.S. from 1998 through 2007 occurred in states with renewable electricity standards (RESs), and 93% of those additions came from wind power, according to a report released by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

A growing number of states are supporting renewable electricity through the creation of RESs (also known as renewable portfolio standards, or RPSs), states the report.

“State RPS policies require utilities to buy a certain amount of renewable energy, and these programs have emerged as one of the most important drivers of renewable energy deployment in the U.S.,” said report author Ryan Wiser of Berkeley Lab. “But, as the popularity and importance of these RPS’s have increased, so too has the need to keep up with the design, early experience, and projected impacts of these programs. Our report is designed to meet that need.” Collectively, the RPS policies that are in place today in 25 states and Washington, D.C., apply to nearly 50% of U.S. electricity load; four new states joined the RPS roster in 2007. Existing state RPS policies, if fully achieved, would require roughly 60 gigawatts of new renewable capacity by 2025, equivalent to 15% of projected electricity demand growth from 2000 through 2025, the report found.

“Renewables Portfolio Standards in the United States: A Status Report with Data through 2007,” can be downloaded from http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/re-pubs.html. A PowerPoint presentation summarizing key findings from the study can be found at http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/emp-ppt.html. For more information on the report, contact Ryan Wiser, email RHWiser@lbl.gov, phone 510-486-5474.