Movement toward 100 percent clean energy uneven across states, S&P Global says

Published on August 26, 2019 by Kevin Randolph


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An entirely renewable or zero-emission electric power grid may be possible, but movement toward the goal is uneven across states, S&P Global Market Intelligence said in a recent post on its website.

S&P noted that supporters say proposals in Congress for utilities to gradually increase sales from renewable or carbon-free sources may be a more measured path for states to increase clean generation.

Earlier this year, 13 members of the U.S. Senate and 95 lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives, most of whom are Democrats, backed a resolution that suggests the federal government should create a Green New Deal that involves working toward an electric grid with 100 percent renewable, clean or zero-emission energy.

S&P noted, however, that the current Congress is unlikely to advance federal legislation aimed at 100 percent clean energy.

During 2018, 13 states got more than half of their electricity from renewable and nuclear plants, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. California and Washington have set targets for 100 percent carbon-free electricity. New York, Nevada, and New Mexico have set targets for 100 percent renewable and carbon-free electricity. Maine has set a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Many other states have set mandates and goals for below that threshold, according to S&P.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has said that the United States could achieve 70 to 80 percent renewable energy by 2050. S&P noted that this level of renewable generation, combined with existing nuclear capacity, would result in a grid that is close to 100 percent emissions-free.

“We are continually learning what we can do with the power grid,” Paul Denholm, a principal energy analyst at NREL, said. “It was really only about 15 years ago when I think there was a general consensus among the utilities that maybe 10, 15, 20% was about as far as you could go with wind and solar… As we’ve studied the grid, as we’ve deployed these technologies, we keep moving that [goal post] forward.”

In May, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), introduced a bill that would direct U.S. retail electricity suppliers to increase the amount of power they supply each year from clean sources and set a goal of zero net carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector by 2050.

In June, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), introduced a bill that would require utilities generating over 1 million MWh of electricity per year to gradually increase the amount of power they sell each year from renewable sources. The bill would put the country on a path toward getting at least half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035.

Under the bills, electricity suppliers that could not meet their clean energy targets could purchase credits to satisfy their obligations or make alternative compliance payments.

“Clean energy standard legislation has a bipartisan history in the Senate, and several states have recently adopted clean energy standards,” Smith told S&P Global Market Intelligence. “Of course I’d like to pass my bill sooner rather than later because I want the United States to lead, but getting a menu of proposals out there and having these critical discussions is a long game.”