Alternative energy
Community choice aggregation has existed for over two decades, but it has gained popularity in recent years, driven by competitive rates, consumer interest in controlling their electricity source, and the desire for renewable energy options. The procurement model allows local governments to buy power on behalf of their communities, tailoring their purchases to meet customer preferences.
In the latest sign of the health and growth of the nation's nascent offshore wind industry, state commitments to procure supplies of the energy source rose to nearly 20 gigawatts this year, quadruple the amount of capacity from just two years ago. The burgeoning industry remains upbeat even as federal permitting delays to the nation’s first large-scale project raised concerns of regulatory roadblocks.
More than a dozen states have enacted measures or advanced programs over the last six months to boost electric vehicle (EV) usage and attract private investment in charging infrastructure. Growing concern about emissions and climate change is drawing increased attention to the transportation sector, the nation’s biggest polluter.
Since distributed-level solar generation just started to proliferate across the U.S. a decade ago, as many as 21 states are now reexamining or revamping policies for compensating the power source, upsetting the status quo and deepening a divide among states for and against the incentives.
Competition among U.S. states eager to take the lead in the nation's still nascent offshore wind sector is fueling growth and bringing the industry to new highs. Turning these goals into reality will be no small feat, as the targets are several hundred times the current installed capacity. Still, this hasn’t dissuaded states from doubling down on offshore wind commitments.
The transportation sector’s overwhelming reliance on higher-emitting fossil fuels combined with a federal retreat on climate change policy and fuel economy standards has made the widespread deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) one of the top priorities for states looking to achieve increasingly stringent emission cuts. Electric utilities, playing a central role in the shift away from gasoline-powered cars, are now rolling out of hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investments and a grab bag of consumer incentives.
State renewable portfolio standards are a key driver behind the torrid expansion of wind and solar generation across the U.S., responsible for about half of the nation's deployment of the clean energy sources over the last couple of decades.
State legislatures from Maryland to Colorado are finding bigger is better when it comes to community solar gardens, and have passed bills to expand the size of eligible projects or to even eliminate the cap on the number of residents that can subscribe to the facilities.
Lawmakers from about a dozen U.S. states advanced measures this year to grow supplies of renewable energy through bold anti-fossil-fuel mandates, showing that support for carbon free power sources bears no signs of abating even after years of steady policy action by legislatures.
Nuclear power is making its way into clean energy policies as more states embark on ambitious emissions reduction plans. The need to build up carbon-free energy resources in the fight against global warming is driving a number of policymakers to put nuclear power on equal footing with renewable resources.
Nevada, Washington, Maryland and Puerto Rico are the latest states and territory to strengthen targets for clean energy, showing how momentum is building across the U.S. for policy makers to break away from fossil fuels over the next couple of decades. These new standards brings to five the number of states and territories that are in the advanced stages of hiking renewable goals so far this year.
U.S. wind power has more than tripled over the last decade, surpassing hydropower to become the nation's single-largest source of renewable capacity, and that's due in no small part to federal tax incentives. The industry is now poised to enjoy one last hurrah from the tax program as the expiration of the credits this year is setting in motion a rush to build about 11 gigawatts of new projects, accounting for the largest expansion of the sector since 2012.