Renewables generated a record 742 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity in 2018, almost double the 382 million MWh produced in 2008, accounting for 17.6% of electricity generation in the United States last year, according to the Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly. About 90 percent of renewable capacity additions were wind and solar, largely driven by federal and state policies in…
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill known as the Path to 100, which would boost the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 40 percent by 2030, up from the current 25 percent by 2025, as well as improve opportunities for utility-scale renewable projects to get approval and begin construction, putting the state on a path to 100 percent clean…
Democratic Senator Chris Brooks introduced legislation on March 18 that would raise Nevada’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030 from the current level of 25 percent by 2025. The bill would also set a goal of achieving all of the state’s electricity from carbon-free resources by 2050. The legislation adds to the number…...
Democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani and Democratic Senator José Javier Rodríguez have introduced identical bills which direct the Office of Energy within the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to create and implement a plan that would move the state to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, including an interim goal of at least 40 percent renewables by…
Ameren Corporation published a report on March 11 called Building a Cleaner Energy Future, in which it sets out the company’s strategy for tackling climate risks and moving toward cleaner energy. The company wants to reduce carbon emissions by 35 percent by 2030, 50 percent by 2040 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050 from 2005 levels. Ameren expects…
Xcel Energy Inc. announced its Renewable Connect Program, which allows customers who subscribe to source up to 100 percent of their electricity from renewables like wind and solar, according to a March 11 press release. The program gives customers the flexibility to choose how much of their electricity should come from renewables and for how long, with subscription options…
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed the Energy Transition Act on Tuesday afternoon, which orders the state to source all of its power from carbon-free supplies by 2045. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled state legislature with 32-9 votes in the Senate and 43-22 in the House. Democratic governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham is expected to sign it into…
The U.S. added 31.3 gigawatts of generating capacity in 2018, the largest since the 2003 capacity addition of 48.8 gigawatts, according to a March 11 report from the Energy Information Administration. Natural gas accounted for 62 percent of utility-scale additions, while wind and solar photovoltaic represented 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Coal accounted for…...
A bill introduced by Senator Jacob Candelaria, a Democrat, which seeks to make New Mexico’s electricity generation 100 percent carbon-free by 2045 passed the eight-member Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee, with two Republican members voting against the measure. Known as the Energy Transition Act, it would require the state’s utilities to derive at least 50 percent…
Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers put forward a requirement to make the state’s electricity supply carbon-free by 2050, according to a March 7 proposal. During last year’s midterm elections, Evers made it clear that he was a proponent for shifting the state to 100 percent renewable energy by mid-century, but his political position is not as strong as some…
The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement allowing Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, to own and operate a 157-megawatt wind generation project to be built in Atchison County, according to a March 6 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hills Wind Facility, to be developed by EDF Renewables North America, is expected to come…...
Democratic Governor Tim Walz announced a proposal that would require the state’s utilities to source all of their electricity from carbon-free resources by 2050, allowing them to set their own pace to meet the goal, according to a March 4 press release from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Under the plan, titled “One Minnesota Path…