New Governors Could Mandate 34 GWac More Solar, Wind by 2030

Illinois, Nevada show most potential for solar

A new analysis by Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables finds that the renewable energy and climate ambitions of governors elected on November 6 could increase the total market for solar in five states by 17.7 GWac, if all five pass 50% by 2030 mandates.

November 6 was a big night for renewable energy and climate policies. While voters rejected a 50% by 2030 renewable energy mandate in Arizona and a carbon tax in Washington, they also elected governors in five states that have called for stronger renewable energy mandates.

Four more either pledged to commit to the Paris Agreement or are in states that have already joined an alliance of states committed to meeting Paris Agreement goals. Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables has identified renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies as the most likely way to meet those goals, bringing the total number of states that could potentially see RPS increases to nine.

In a new report, Wood Mackenzie looks at the market ramifications of states passing 50% by 2030 renewable energy mandates. This is less than the 100% being called for by three of these governors, however both timelines and total ambition of the final policies will likely be decided through political processes.

The report found that if all five pass 50% by 2030 RPS policies, this could increase the total solar that is built by 2030 by 17.7 GWac, and the total wind by 16.5 GW. These volumes and ratios are based on current electric demand and the current wind/solar ratio in each state, and it is important to note that these numbers are outside of other renewable development which may happen for other reasons, including to meet current RPS mandates or driven by factors such as voluntary utility and corporate procurement.

The state that would see the most solar market growth as the result of a more ambitious RPS is Illinois, which at 9.1 GWac makes up more than half of the total anticipated increase. This is doubtless due to the much larger population in Illinois, including 8 million residents in Chicago and surrounding suburbs, than other states that are considering raising their mandates.

Wood Mackenzie has expressed concerns regarding Illinois’ financial condition, and it is also unclear how the state’s sizable nuclear fleet would fit into all of this. However, the firm points to a large interconnection queue for wind and solar projects, and also the state’s ability to import capacity from other wind-rich states in the region.

The state with the 2nd-greatest potential for more solar is Nevada. And while Governor-elect Steve Sisolak (D) has called for putting the state on a path to 100% renewable energy, the initial path forward is up to Nevada voters. November 6 saw an electoral victory for the state’s Question 6, which calls for 50% renewables by 2030, however the bill must go to the voters one more time before becoming law.

Wood Mackenzie is projecting that all new capacity under an RPS in Nevada will come from solar, not wind, and that this additional 4 GW by 2030 would more than double the current volume in the state. Nevada is one of only three states where solar met more than 10% of in-state electricity demand in 2017, and the state also has developed its geothermal resources.

Political and infrastructure constraints

The report projects that New Mexico, Colorado and Minnesota would each deploy from 1-2 GWac of additional solar to meet a 50% by 2030 RPS. In Colorado and Minnesota wind is expected to dominate capacity additions, but none of these states have particularly large populations and electric demand.

Wood Mackenzie also included Michigan in the report, but as major actors in this state do not appear to be contemplating an RPS increase we have omitted this from our summary of the findings.

The firm also noted that Democratic governors who have taken office in Kansas and Wisconsin are unlikely to pass RPS policies with Republican control of both houses of each state’s legislature. 

Wood Mackenzie additionally did not provide forecasts for Connecticut and Maine, due to a variety of factors. This includes a preference in the region for importing Canadian hydropower, and “severe transmission constraints” in Maine.

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Maine House Stalls LePage’s Effort to Block Wind Energy Development

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LD 1810 would shrink the area where wind developments are eligible for Maine’s abbreviated permitting process and ramp up requirements for projects that would still qualify. Following a series of procedural motions and votes Thursday in the House of Representatives, the bill is in danger of dying because of a disagreement with the Senate over which legislative committee should handle the bill.

Owners of Wayne Solar Farm in Maine Challenge Property Taxes in Potential Landmark Case

The property assessment challenge is one of several being mounted by Maine residents who have invested in solar but are finding higher taxes that diminish their energy savings.

Rosanne Graef knew the costs would be steep when she, along with eight other families, invested in a set of solar panels that would stand on her old family property in Wayne. But the investment would cut Graef’s fossil fuel usage, which seemed like a worthy reason to proceed.

Solar Advocates in Maine Get Reprieve From Controversial Rule in Advance of Lawsuit Ruling

Maine’s rooftop solar installers won a four-month reprieve Tuesday when the Maine Public Utilities Commission voted to delay implementation of a rule on how people who install new systems next year will be compensated for electricity they feed into the grid.

The current net-metering rule requires utilities to pay small energy generators the full retail price for the electricity they send into the grid. But under the new rule, systems installed after Dec. 31 would have seen the credit on their electric bills reduced over time.

Bills to Expand Solar Incentives in Maine Ready to Launch

Two frontrunners intend to enhance solar incentives, and could supercede recent changes from the state's utilities commission.

The near-term future of rooftop solar energy in Maine is likely to be decided this spring, as lawmakers consider changes to a widely criticized rule approved in January by the Public Utilities Commission.

Two major bills are pending that would supersede the PUC’s approach to compensating homeowners for the solar power they generate, an incentive called net energy billing or net metering. If nothing happens, the PUC rule goes into force in 2018.

Maine Solar Customers to Receive Lower Bill Credits Starting in 2018

The solar policy battle will now move to the state legislature.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has approved a measure to roll back retail-rate net metering and move to a buy-all, sell-all arrangement beginning on January 1, 2018.

Under the new rate structure approved Tuesday, distributed solar customers will have to sell 100 percent of the energy they produce to the utility on one rate, and then buy back 100 percent of the energy they need from the utility on another, higher rate.

New Law Could Limit Expansion of Renewable Solar Power in Maine

Owners of solar energy businesses in Maine, and people supporting solar power, say they are worried the Legislature could take away a law that helps pay for those systems.

Solar owners can sell some of their electricity into the grid, through a process  called “net metering”.

Those rules determine how much utilities will pay for that power and how much they will buy.  

Maine House Overrides Governor's Veto of Solar Bill

The House has overridden, by a vote of 107 to 40, Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of legislation aimed at encouraging community based solar electric power generation projects in the state.

The original legislation was far more sweeping than the measure that got bipartisan support in the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. It received a House vote of 125 - 19. It was then passed unanimously in the state Senate, after it was amended to remove a new set of complex definitions and new procedures for the Public Utilities Commission to follow in approving small, renewable energy projects.

Solar Development Bill Becomes Law

Coastal Enterprises Inc., one of Maine's leading nonprofit financial firms, said a solar energy development bill passed into law on Thursday will help boost the state's business growth.

The law, "An Act to Support Solar Energy Development in Maine," was enacted without Gov. Paul LePage's signature after passing the Senate unanimously and the House with a 103-39 vote. The act directs the Maine Public Utilities Commission to monitor and study the development and value of distributed solar energy generation on ratepayers.

Maine Governor Seeks to Get Rid of State's Wind Energy Goals

More than five years ago, Maine set ambitious goals to spur wind power development aimed at helping wean the state off fossil fuels. But now Republican Gov. Paul LePage says the targets don't really help the state and are so far out of reach as to be meaningless, so why have them?

A bill recently introduced by the governor would do away with the megawatt targets and replace them with goals to expand economic opportunities and lower electricity prices. Wind proponents call it an attack on renewable energy but LePage's administration says it will spark a conversation about how the state can bolster its energy policy to benefit Mainers.

Proposed Maine Law Change Seeks Balance Between ‘No Turbine Zone’ and ‘A Walk Through a Wind Farm’

The latest round in Maine’s near-constant wind power debate unfolded Monday, during a lengthy legislative committee hearing at which advocates for what they see as clean energy traded arguments with those who say towering turbines endanger Maine’s scenic vistas.

Currently, the Maine Wind Energy Act requires “visual impact studies” for proposed wind development sites located within eight miles of a “scenic resource of state or national significance.”

Proposed legislation, LD 1147, would stretch that sphere to 15 miles, though a developer could appeal the requirement if the proposed facility would be more than eight miles from the vista.

Maine: LePage unveils four energy bills

Gov. Paul LePage has unveiled four pieces of legislation aimed at reducing energy costs and expanding options for Mainers. In a press release, LePage said the bills would also help entice more business creation in Maine.

The four pieces of legislation are:

• An Act to Lower the Price of Electricity for Maine Consumers, which would remove the 100-megawatt cap for qualifying renewable generation, specifically hydro power. Currently, hydro power under 100 megawatts is considered renewable, but hydro power above that limit is not. The move would help lower rates, according to the governor.

Maine: Governor proposes energy package

Gov. Paul LePage has delivered his promised energy plan for Maine, in the form of four bills he wants approved before the session ends next month. As Mal Leary reports, the governor is touting the package as a way to lower the cost of power.

LePage has said repeatedly that he believes consumers in Maine, both commercial and residential users, are paying too much for their electricity. Since last fall he has been saying he would introduce a package of bills to address that issue this session. One would change the definition of a "renewable energy source" under state law.

EU invades US for energy resource – offshore wind

By Susan Kraemer 

Not content with dominating the European off-shore renewable energy industry, European juggernauts of offshore wind have landed on the shores of Maine where they want to see if the US is good at making off-shore wind power too.