Can California Really Meet its 100% Clean Energy Target?

California is a global leader in climate policy, and its goal of 100% clean energy by 2045 is now law in the 5th largest economy after China, the US, Japan and Germany.

While the state has had a cap and trade program in place since 2013, it has been the simplicity and directness of a mandate that has most certainly reduced its carbon emissions as the percentage of renewable energy has risen from almost nothing eight years ago to 40% in 2018, more than beating its 2020 target of 33% by two years.

Oregon Moves Towards 50 Percent Renewable Energy

The US State of Oregon has decided to raise its state renewable energy law to 50 percent renewables by 2040, doubling access to renewable energy in the state.

Oregon’s new renewable portfolio standard (RPS) target puts it on track to meet its target of a 75 percent reduction in carbon emissions, below 1990 levels, by 2050. Portland General Electric and Pacific Power will now generate 50 percent of their power from renewables by 2040, up from the current 25 percent by 2025 target, a move that will help spur significant growth in local wind and solar energy investments.

California Legislature Passes Bill Setting Target of 50 Percent Renewables by 2030

The California Legislature passed SB 350 requiring utilities to procure at least 50 percent of their electricity from eligible renewable energy sources such as wind and solar by 2030.

This legislation, which is expected to be signed into law later this month by Governor Jerry Brown, is a historic step in the state's groundbreaking plan to cut climate-warming pollution, and ranks among the most significant environmental bills in California history.

Getting to 50 percent renewables

SB350, extends the current renewables portfolio standard program (RPS) which requires utilities and other electricity providers to meet a standard of 33 percent of electricity generated from renewable resources by 2020. The legislation includes interim targets for 2024 and 2027, and adopts modifications intended to ensure the program results in significant investment in additional renewable resources while remaining affordable for utility customers.

Court Upholds Colorado's Renewable Portfolio Standard

A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge to Colorado's renewable portfolio standard, finding that the standard does not disproportionately harm out-of-state businesses.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling against the Energy and Environment Legal Institute (EELI), which argued that Colorado's renewable portfolio standard means that some out-of-state coal producers will lose business with out-of-state utilities who feed power onto an interconnected grid serving 11 Western states, Canada and Mexico.

Texas Senator Seeks to Dismantle What He Helped Create: The Renewable Portfolio Standard

Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) has filed a bill that would eliminate Texas’ Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) – a policy that has catapulted Texas to world leadership in wind energy and strengthened Texas’ energy diversity. In addition to terminating the RPS at the end of the year, SB 931would make it more difficult to build renewable energy infrastructure. The argument behind the bill is that because Texas has achieved its RPS goals it’s time to move on. Sounds reasonable, right? Well…

No one disputes that Texas has achieved its goal to develop 5,880 MW of renewable energy – and even surpassed its non-binding 2025 target of 10,000 MW. Today, Texas has more than 13,000 MW of renewables online and thousands more in development. I’m sure Fraser will publicly laud the policy. He even deserves to take a big chunk of the credit because of legislation he carried in 2005 (SB 20) that increased the RPS goals.

But this is the wrong time to terminate the RPS, and it’s the wrong time to end CREZ.