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27 Jan 2009

Feed-in Tariffs for Renewable Energy

by John Farrell | Date: 27 Jan 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0

Vermont, Oregon, Gainesville, FL, and the Canadian province of Ontario have recently adopted feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, allowing any prospective renewable energy producer will get a guaranteed connection to the grid, a long term contract to sell their power, and a fixed price sufficient to recover their costs plus a reasonable profit. We believe that feed-in tariffs could turbocharge state level renewable electricity standards, reduce costs, and spread the economic benefits across many more project owners.

Green Building Requirements and Incentives for Private Development – West Hollywood, CA

This ordinance applies a suite of energy conservation and renewable energy requirements to both residential and commercial development. Some provisions apply to new building projects while others apply to remodeling projects at existing buildings. One of these is a requirement to prepare the building for the installation of future photovoltaic systems.… Read More

In-State Preference for Renewable Energy Systems – Washington

Two proposals were signed into law in 2005 in Washington. The new laws put distributed generation and renewable energy on the fast track in the state. The first bill (SB 5101) establishes a renewable energy production incentive that is larger if the equipment comes from in-state manufacturers. The second bill (SB 5111) provides corporate tax breaks for solar energy businesses in the state based on their sales.… Read More

Solar Initiative Program – California

In 2006, California enacted a "Million Solar Roofs" law. The bill reiterates and supplements the California Public Utilities Commission’s$2.9 billion California Solar Initiative. The new law extends the PUC solar energy incentives initiative to publicly-owned utilities -municipal and cooperatives. Including the publicly-owned utilities, the PUC must limit the cost of the California Solar Initiative to $3.35 billion over the next 10 years.… Read More

Solar Power on New State Buildings – California

This law required the Department of General Services, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, to ensure that solar energy equipment is installed, no later than January 1, 2007, on all state buildings and state parking facilities where feasible, as specified.… Read More

26 Jan 2009

The Benefits of North Dakota’s Pharmacy Ownership Law

by Justin Dahlheimer | Date: 26 Jan 2009 | posted in: Retail | 0

A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) concludes that repealing North Dakota’s Pharmacy Ownership Law would cost the state millions of dollars in annual economic activity and tax revenue, dramatically reduce the number of pharmacies serving rural areas, and degrade the overall quality of pharmacy services in the state.… Read More

Renewable Portfolio Standards – Connecticut

Connecticutoriginally passed an RPS law in 1998 but it proved to be flawed. The most recent changes to their RPS legislation was in 2007 and make Connecticut’s one of the most agressive in the nation (as of January 2009). The new law requires electricity providers to generate 27% of all retail electricity sales from renewable energy by 2020.

Renewable Portfolio Standards – Arizona

The Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC) adopted an Environmental Portfolio Standard in 2001 that required utilities to have 1.1 percent of sales from renewables by 2007. The program did not work. A new plan was announced in August 2005. The ACC’s new plan will require utilities to procure 15% of the state’s electricity from renewable resources by 2025. The ACC voted to require that 30% of the EPS requirement be met by local onsite renewables installed by homes and businesses.… Read More

Renewable Portfolio Standards – New York

In September 2004, The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC)adopted a renewable energy portfolio standard that requires 25 percent of the state’s electricity to be supplied from renewable energy sources by 2013. The NY RPS will require about 3,700 megawatts (MW) of new renewable fueled electricity projects to come on-line between 2006 and 2013. The NY RPS also requires a portion of the renewables to come from customer-sited generation.… Read More