More than thirty states in the United States currently have renewable energy policies. Most of these goals, targets, and mandates allow for compliance from a range of different types of renewable energy technologies. In a few cases, however, states have included a technology-specific mandate as a part of their renewable energy policies. One such policy mechanism is a solar carve-out.
Since Hawaii became the first state in the country to pass a 100 percent renewable energy target in 2015, a number of other states, cities and utilities have followed suit. In fact, more than a dozen states and US territories have gotten in on the action with targets to procure all of their electricity from either renewable or non-emitting resources. As new states pass legislation, we will be sure to keep this list up to date.
Following the 2018 elections, there has been a flurry of state-level action on climate change and clean energy to begin the new year. Outside of proposals at the federal level for a Green New Deal, many states are proposing and passing a suite of climate-related legislation, from emission reduction goals to clean energy procurement targets. Perhaps the most common policy instrument for growing clean energy at the state level is the renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
On March 6, 2019, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) hosted their inaugural Vision Summit, a conference designed to bring industry thought leaders and policy analysts together to discuss what a clean energy future might look like and what it would take to achieve that vision. EnergySage joined these industry leaders down in Washington, DC to participate in the Summit and to engage with the question of how solar will contribute to the renewable energy transition. Here are our key takeaways from the event.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the bold new climate policy initiative everyone is talking about is the Green New Deal. But what exactly is the Green New Deal, where did it come from, and what has caused it to gain so much traction today?
The growth of the solar industry over the last ten years is in large part thanks to successful public policy and legislation at the federal, state and local levels. To engage with the hot topics in solar policy today, and to help guide the discussion of solar policy in the future, EnergySage joined the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on Capitol Hill to talk to members of Congress about solar in the US.
Recently, President Obama gave an impassioned speech asking all of us to “Act On Climate” before it’s too late. It’s no surprise that increased adoption of clean energies such as small wind, geothermal, and solar power will be the driving force behind many of the goals outlined in his speech.
He called upon Americans to take a leadership role in this battle. His plan relies on everyone—individuals, business, government, even utilities—to do their part. While the President’s goals are aggressive, they are entirely doable. It’s also should come as no surprise that EnergySage can and will play an important role in helping to achieve these goals. We can help you save money with solar while working to reduce your environmental impact. Continue reading
A recent Gallup poll determined that 2 out of 3 Americans want the U.S to put more emphasis on generating domestic energy through renewable sources—And that desire was reflected across political parties. We weren’t really surprised by these findings. When you think about it, clean energy has its perks for almost everyone regardless of their political leanings.
There are a lot of things that motivate people to switch to clean energy systems. Energy independence doesn’t usually top the list, although it’s usually included in the mix. Lately, though, it looks like Energy Independence may start to mount a strong challenge to other motivators such as cost savings and environmental benefits for the top spot. Continue reading
If you’ve taken steps to save on electricity at home, but you’re not currently thinking about installing a solar energy system right now, consider the following.
A recent Associated Press headline read, “Shocker: Power Demand From U.S. Homes is Falling” but the real shocker came later in the article.
“Suddenly faced with shrinking sales, some utilities are asking for regulatory changes so they can charge higher rates per kilowatt hour in exchange for helping customers further reduce consumption . . .” Doesn’t this violate the basic law of supply and demand—that as demand goes down, prices go down, too? Continue reading
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