Advanced Energy Perspectives

Ending the longest legislative session in 13 years, the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned on Wednesday, Sept. 30. It was a busy, and contentious, session for the advanced energy industry, and results were mixed. Due to the tireless efforts of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA), AEE’s partner in the Tar Heel State, the state’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiently Portfolio Standard remains intact. But a tax credit that has made North Carolina a national leader in solar power development was allowed to lapse after this year.

NREL says that wind could become the country’s “dominant” source of electricity with “near-future” technology. Slate, the online magazine, likens the present-day need for more long-distance transmission lines to the need for transcontinental railroads more than 150 years ago. And do you know which sector GTM Research has identified as the “most significant solar growth market in the U.S.,” growing 5X this year alone? Hint: it’s not utility-scale, and it’s not rooftop. These are some recent developments in renewable energy, and we’ve been taking notes.

In a recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (“States Are Unplugging Their Renewable-Energy Mandates”), two state directors of the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity trotted out several tired and misinformed arguments against Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). The problem with this piece and others like it isn’t only that they mislead the reader with inaccurate statements and outdated information. The real problem is that they sidestep the central rationale for an RPS – overcoming the market and regulatory barriers that distort energy choices in this country.

North Carolina has built a strong foundation of clean energy policies that date back almost 10 years, but they’ve been under attack during this year’s legislative session. Things came to a head with a controversial vote regarding the state’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) that was taken right before the Memorial Day weekend. Sen. Bob Rucho (R-Mecklenburg), one of the three co-chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee, declared a bill freezing the REPS at the current level (HB332) passed on a voice vote, despite a loud chorus of “no’s,” after refusing to allow an individual tally of committee members’ votes.

Renewable energy is becoming mainstream, thanks to falling costs and rising consumer interest. State renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which diversify the energy mix by requiring utilities to obtain a percentage of their generation from renewables, have played a major role in increasing deployment of renewable energy, and continue to be an important driver. Recently, a new source of demand has emerged: corporations that want to get the energy they use from renewable sources.