Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

AB 525

California

AB 525 would require the Energy Commission, on or before June 1, 2022, to evaluate and quantify the maximum feasible capacity of offshore wind to achieve reliability, ratepayer, employment, and decarbonization benefits and to establish offshore wind planning goals for 2030 and 2045. Specifically, the bill would require the Energy Commission, in coordination with specified agencies, develop a strategic plan for offshore wind energy developments installed off the California coast in federal waters and require the commission to submit the strategic plan to the Natural Resources Agency and the Legislature on or before June 30, 2023. The Energy Commission, in coordination with other agencies would identify suitable sea space for wind energy areas in federal waters sufficient to accommodate the offshore wind planning goals for 2030 and 2045 and develop a plan to improve waterfront facilities that could support a range of floating offshore wind energy development activities.

HB 245

New Mexico

An act relating to public utlitites; clarifying that a grid modernization project may include distribution system hardening projects for substations designed to reduce service outages or service restoration times; declaring an emergency.

SB 795

Tennessee

SB 795 is an act to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 5 and Title 68, relative to the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resilience Act. It is the intent of the general assembly to authorize the establishment of a commercial property assessed clean energy and storm resiliency (C-PACER) program that jurisdictions may voluntarily implement to ensure that free and willing owners of agricultural, commercial, industrial, and multifamily residential properties can obtain low-cost, long-term financing for qualifying improvements.

HB 2021B

Oregon

This bill requires retail electricity providers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity sold to Oregon consumers to 80 percent below baseline emissions levels by 2030, 90 percent below baseline emissions levels by 2035 and 100 percent below baseline emissions levels by 2040. It will also require electric companies to develop clean energy plans and electricity service suppliers to report information for meeting clean energy targets. The bill also directs Department of Environment Quality to determine amount of emissions reduction necessary for each retail electricity provider to meet clean energy targets. And directs State Department of Energy to convene work group to examine opportunities to encourage development of small scale and community-based renewable energy projects and report findings to interim committee of Legislative Assembly no later than September 30, 2022

A08429

New York

Requires the state to produce 100% of its power from renewables and nuclear by 2040. The legislation includes agreements to build two offshore wind projects, the single largest renewable energy procurement in the nation. Law also sets nation's most aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions. Codifies Gov's Green New Deal and goal to of cutting GHG emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, relative 1990 levels. The law also requires 35% of the state's clean energy program benefits go to "disadvantaged communities." The program originally allocated 40% of funds to go toward environmental justice organizations. And while there are requirements for state-financed energy projects to pay union wages, the bill removed mandates to secure specific worker protections, job growth and training.

SB 5116

Washington

This bill includes utility business reforms to align with clean energy targets of no coal by 2025, carbon-neutral by 2030, and 100% carbon-free by 2045. 80% must come from non-emitting generation while 20% can be satisfied through renewable energy credits, administrative penalty, or Energy Transformation Projects (that provide energy-related goods and services like EV infrastructure, weatherization, or renewable natural gas).

LD 1494

Maine

1 of 3 bills with bipartison support to create clean energy jobs and fight climate change. LD 1494 increases MaineÕs RPS to achieve 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, up from 40 percent today and a goal of 100% by 2050. Also requires the PUC to procure long-term contracts for new clean energy generation, which may be paired with advanced energy storage, and requires the creation of a new thermal portfolio standard to incentivize efficient heating and cooling installations, contains several cost containment mechanisms including a $50 cap on alternative compliance payments. LD 1679 An Act to Promote Clean Energy Jobs and to Establish the Maine Climate Council, will develop action plans to reduce GHG emissions by 54% below 1990 levels by 2030 and at least 80% by 2050. LD 1711 will incentivize new distributed generation.

SB 1121

Puerto Rico

First US territory to require transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050 and changes to grid to reach this goal. The measure also creates a Green Energy Trust that will promote consumers becoming consumers-suppliers w/ focus on low and middle-income communities. Related law (SB 773 Climate Change Mitigation, Adaption, and Resiliency Law) also incldues this RPS target along w/ goal to reduce the island's carbon emissions by 50% in next 5 years and many other targets regarding enegy and water efficiency, clean cars, and waste reduction.

SB 358

Nevada

Requires the state to generate 50% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030 and aim for 100% carbon-free resources by 2050.

SB 489

New Mexico

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., signed into law SB 489, the Energy Transition Act (ETA), which boosts New Mexico’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and establishes a target of 100% carbon-free power by midcentury. ETA creates a pathway for a low-carbon energy transition away from coal while providing workforce training and transition assistance to affected communities. ETA mandates an RPS of 50% by 2030 for New Mexico’s investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives, as well as a goal of 80% by 2040. It also mandates 100% carbon-free power for the state’s investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives by 2045 and 2050, respectively. h This legislation boldly commits New Mexico to a rapid power transition, positioning the state as a renewable energy leader and signaling to forward-looking companies that this is a place to invest.

AB 3232

California

Unlike electricity generation, there are no state goals or mandates specifically aimed at reducing the carbon emissions in our more than 13 million homes, apartments, and commercial buildings California. AB 3232 would get California on a path to require all new buildings after 2030 to be zero-emissions buildings. It also would require the state to establish a strategy to achieve a reduction in the emissions from the state's existing building stock of 50 percent below the 1990 levels by January 1, 2030.

SB 700

California

In August of 2018, the California legislature passed Senator Scott Weiner’s SB 700 in order to promote energy storage and renewables. This bill builds off of California’s existing Self-Generation Incentive Program, a program that incentivizes the use of existing, new, and emerging distributed energy resources in order to increase resiliency. To improve the incentive program, SB 700 does the following: it extends the sunset date of SGIP by 5 years, requires California’s PUC to adopt requirements for storage systems that ensure they reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prohibits generation technologies using non-renewable fuels to receive SGIP incentives starting in January of 2020.

SB 100

California

California has one of the cleanest economies of the world. Since the passage of AB 32 in 2006, California's economy has grown faster than the national average while reducing carbon intensity 40% below 1990 levels. California has done all this while lowering energy bills, improving air quality and creating thousands of new, high wage jobs in the clean energy sector. California continues its fight against climate change with SB 100. SB 100 does all of the following: 1. Establishes an overall state target of 100% clean energy for California by 2045 by directing the CA Public Utilities Commission, CA Energy Commission, and Air Resources Board to adopt policies and requirements to achieve total reliance on renewable energy and zero carbon resources by that date. 2. Accelerates SB 350?s 50% mandate for clean renewable energy from 2030 to 2026 and establishes a new RPS benchmark of 60% by 2030 to ensure more clean energy in the California grid sooner. 3. Establishes new policies for energy companies to capture uncontrolled methane emissions from dairies, landfills and waste water treatment plants and use these clean renewable fuels to replace natural gas. 4. Authorizes investor owned utilities to invest in cleaner transportation fuels such as hydrogen or waste methane gas from dairies for heavy duty trucks to replace dirty diesel fuels, provided there are no other cleaner options such as zero emission vehicles available.

SB 18-009

Colorado

Colorado's SB 18-009 establishes that electricity consumers have the right to install, interconnect, and use energy storage systems on their property. Due to extreme weather and general malfunctions, allowing for individual storage ensures reliability and resiliency in the face of uncertainty. This bill sets guidelines for the Public Utility Commission to adopt rules that allow for the installation of individual energy storage systems and to eliminate barriers such as restrictions or prohibitive fees to encourage installation. SB 18-009 also requires that the Utility Commission makes the review and approval processes straightforward, streamlined, and affordable.

SB 338

California

To date, California has succeeded in generating clean, renewable electricity without seeing significant increases in electricity costs. SB 338 is aimed at ensuring that as renewable energy generation grows the state’s peak electricity needs can be met at low cost and low carbon. Specifically, SB 338 directs California’s utilities to rely on energy efficiency, demand management, energy storage and other strategies to meet peak electricity needs. SB 338, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D), would compel utilities to evaluate how storage and DERs can meet power needs "while reducing the need for new electricity generation and new transmission in achieving the state’s energy goals.

SB 758

Maryland

SB 758 is the first in the nation energy storage tax credit. Allowing a credit against the State income tax for the total installed costs paid or incurred by a taxpayer that installs an energy storage system and who obtains a tax credit certificate from the Maryland Energy Administration; requiring the Administration to issue tax credits not to exceed specified amounts; prohibiting the Administration from issuing an aggregate amount of tax credit certificates exceeding $750,000 in a taxable year; applying the Act to all taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017.

SB 1547-B

OR

Requires each electric company providing electricity to retail electricity consumers located in this state to eliminate coal-fired resources from electric company's electricity supply.

HB 623

Hawaii

HB 632 builds on Hawaii's already existing renewable portfolio standards, and sets a goal of 100% renewable energy for public utilities sales by 2045. As long as moving towards renewable energy remains beneficial to Hawaii's economy, electric customers, and overall affordability, this bill creates a timeline for electric utility companies to increase their RPS over time. Upcoming goals include 25 percent renewables by 2020, 40 percent renewables by 2030, and 70 percent renewables by 2040. This act also requires that Hawaii's Public Utility Commission contract institutions to implement independent studies to assess the impacts of renewables. These studies will focus on topics such as impact on consumer pay, utility system reliability, demographics, and costs of fossil fuel volatility.

SB 1414

CA

Electricity: demand response. This bill requires the three utilities and regulators to include demand response in resource adequacy plans, which currently only include generation resources. Its role in long-term procurement planning by: expanding the utilities existing required competitive bid process to include demand response; clarifying that the utilities shall include demand response in their currently required portfolio of short and long term demand reduction strategies; and requiring utilities to incorporate demand response in their currently required risk management strategies.

HF 773

MN

Contains several provisions designed to promote the generation of solar electricity in Minnesota. It requires utilities to pay solar generators a “value of solar” price calculated by the Department of Commerce; establishes a solar energy standard that requires a certain proportion of utility retail electric sales to be generated by solar energy by certain target dates; and authorizes the commissioner of commerce to calculate a solar energy production incentive designed to support a level of development of solar energy that will meet the solar energy standard. The bill also requires the production of several studies on solar energy, thermal as well as electric, and the use of on-site energy storage systems.

AB 341

CA

Green building standards. This bill requires the Building Standards Commission to incorporate future green building standards directly into the relevant portions of the California Building Code and makes other changes to the process for developing green building standards.

HB 5510

CT

To prepare electric distribution companies, municipalities, public and private merchants and electrical contractors for the presence and operation of electric, zero-emission and fuel cell vehicles in the state, to make changes regarding parking of hydrogen fuel vehicles under grade level and to make changes regarding labeling of vehicles that carry pressurized gas as fuel.

SB X 1-2

CA

Increases California's Renewables Portfolio Standard goal from 20 percent by 2010 to 33 percent by 2020 and revises specified provisions of the existing RPS statutes.

HB 10 1342

CO

The bill directs the Public Utilities Commission to adopt new rules under which standard offers can apply to solar generation facilities that are beneficially owned by 10 or more customers at a shared location, called a "community solar garden." This will help customers participate in solar generation even though solar facilities on their own properties may not be feasible due to cost, the physical characteristics of their sites, their status as renters, or other factors.

AB 920

CA

This bill expands the current net-metering programs for wind and solar to allow net-metered customers to sell any excess electricity they produce over the course of a year to their electric utility at a rate set either by the Public Utilities Commission or by the publicly-owned utility. The rate shall be set to provide the customer-generator "just and reasonable" compensation for the surplus energy sales, while leaving other ratepayers unaffected. The utility retains ownership of the renewable energy credits (RECs) associated with any net surplus electricity it must purchase, while the customer will retain the REC associated with any electricity generated and consumed by the customer.

SB 17

CA

Requires the California Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with other state agencies and key stakeholders, to determine the requirements for a smart grid deployment plan and requires the utilities to submit smart grid plans to the California Public Utilities Commission.

SB 2768

MA

Massachusetts is required to adopt the latest version of the IECC within 1 year. All commercial buildings must demonstrate full compliance with the energy provisions of the state code.

SB 1473

CA

Requires cities and counties to collect a fee on building permit applicants, in the amount of $4 per every $100,000 in valuation. Authorizes cities and counties to retain 10 percent of the fees collected for administrative costs and code enforcement education, while the remainder will be available to the Building Standards Commission, upon appropriation, for the purpose of funding the development of building standards, with emphasis on the development, adoption, publication, updating, and educational efforts associated with green building standards.

AB 2021

CA

This bill requires the Energy Commission, on or before November 1, 2007, and every 3 years thereafter, in consultation with the commission and local publicly owned electric utilities, in a public process that allows input from other stakeholders, to develop a statewide estimate of all potentially achievable cost-effective electricity and natural gas efficiency savings and establish statewide annual targets for energy efficiency savings and demand reduction over 10 years.

AB 2160

CA

This bill requires the Department of General Services to define a life cycle cost analysis model to be used with respect to certain state building design and construction decisions.

SB 1

CA

This bill requires beginning January 1, 2011, a seller of production homes, as defined, to offer the option of a solar energy system, as defined, to all customers negotiating to purchase a new production home constructed on land meeting certain criteria and to disclose certain information.related to this provision. This bill would require the PUC, in implementing the California Solar Initiative, to authorize the award of monetary incentives for up to the first megawatt of alternating current generated by an eligible solar energy system.

AB 1660

CA

Enacts the California Energy-Efficient Vehicle Group Purchase Program to encourage state and local government agencies to buy energy-efficient motor vehicles through a group-purchasing program that uses the purchasing leverage of state and local agencies to lower the purchase price.

SB 1037

CA

This bill would require the commission, in consultation with the Energy Commission, to identify all potentially achievable cost-effective electricity efficiency savings and to establish efficiency targets for an electrical corporation to achieve pursuant to its procurement plan. The bill would require that an electrical corporation's procurement plan include a showing that the electrical corporation will first meet its unmet resource needs through all available energy efficiency and demand reduction resources that are cost effective, reliable, and feasible.

SB 1078

CA

This bill establishes the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program, which requires that a retail seller of electricity, including electrical corporations, community choice aggregators, and electric service providers, purchase a minimum percentage of electricity generated by eligible renewable energy resources as a percentage of total kilowatt hours sold to retail end-use customers each calendar year.

AB 405

Nevada

In response to a decline in Nevada's solar industry, the legislature successfully passed Assemblyman Brooks' Assembly Bill 405 to restore rooftop solar. AB 405 takes a two-pronged approach to improve the solar industry, establishing a net-metering system with transparent rates and adjustment charges, while also protecting consumers and establishing a Solar Bill of Rights. This net-metering system credits residential solar energy producers for the electricity they produce and put back into the grid. Over time, as solar becomes a larger portion of the energy supply in Nevada, a Net Metering Adjustment Charge will reduce the value of exporting solar energy. Rate information and more will be provided in full detail for every system sold, leased, or financed through a Power Purchase Agreement in Nevada, as part of a resident's solar rights. Other rights include the overall right to generate, consume, and store renewable energy, to use energy storage technology at a resident's home, and to have access to the same rate options as any non-solar customer.