|
This page is designed to provide access to descriptions of both pending and existing state and federal policy and legislative policy and programs that affect renewable and efficient energy technology development, installation, and practices. Use the brief descriptions below each link to gain understanding of the major policy in play currently, as well as future policy that could support/deter renewable and efficient energy growth.
Note: Many of the links on this page will take you to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), a non-profit organization that provides a comprehensive, up-to-date listing and description of federal and state financial assistance programs and policy related to energy.
PA State Policy
The PA Public Utility Commission summarized the effects that Act 129 and the impending electricity deregulation will have on Pennsylvania's consumers.
Mandated by Act 129, Allegheny Power, Penelec, and PPL have filed plans to promote energy conservation and reduce peak demand. View the plans and/or corresponding summary materials listed below to discover how Act 129 and your electric utility might affect you or provide you with opportunities.
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
The Center works with the legislature, educators, state and federal executive branch agencies, and national, statewide, regional and local organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve Pennsylvania's 3.4 million rural residents.
In Pennsylvania, investor-owned utilities must offer net metering to residential customers that generate electricity with systems up to 50 kilowatts (kW) in capacity; nonresidential customers with systems up to three megawatts (MW) in capacity; and customers with systems greater than 3 MW but no more than 5 MW who make their systems available to the grid during emergencies.
Establishment of five Sustainable Energy Funds, that provide funding for energy-related education and activity throughour PA.
Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) requires each electric distribution company (EDC) and electric generation supplier (EGS) in Pennsylvania to supply 18% of its electricity using alternative-energy resources by 2020. This standard mandates a certain percentage of electricity be generated by photovoltaics (PV). Pennsylvania's AEPS also includes demand-side management, waste coal, coal-mine methane and coal gasification as eligible technologies.
Final eligibility requirements have been released concerning the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Applications will be accepted from July 17-August 14, 2009. Projects should expect funding if they meet the criteria, but this will be distributed on a first come first served basis. Projects must create or retain jobs and reduce energy consumption by 25%.
Penn Future compiled this description of HB 2200 (Act 129), a law designed to reduce the demand for energy, create thousands of green jobs, cut pollution, and reduce the need to build new power plants and transmission lines.
Pennsylvania developed a model local ordinance for wind energy facilities through a collaborative effort involving several state departments and stakeholder groups. The purpose of the model is to provide local governments with a general template for permitting wind energy facilities that they may change and adapt to fit their own needs.
Under a contract with Community Energy, Pennsylvania's state government will purchase annually 28% of the state government's total electricity use generated by wind power and hydropower. The governor has mandated this increases to 50% by 2010.
This site outlines both residential and commercial building codes in PA.
This PA Executive Order created a number of energy efficiency related requirements for state facilities.
Montgomery County - Wind Power Purchasing
Montgomery County approved contracts to purchase wind energy and renewable-energy credits (RECs), derived from wind energy, equal to 100% of the county government's electricity consumption.
PA Energy Independence Strategy
This pdf, developed by PA DEP Deputy Secretary for Energy and Technology Dan Griffiths, outlines the recent Energy Independence Strategy passed by PA state government. This includes program details of the highly awaited $650 million in renewable and efficient energy project funding, to be privately financed through the issuance of public funds in early 2009.
This site provides an overview of Governor Rendell's 2007 Energy Independence Strategy (EIS), containing the Alternative Energy Investment Fund and the Alternative Fuels Investment Fund. It also allows you to sign up to recieve notification of program funding availability.
This is the legislation behind Governor Rendell's 2007 Energy Independence Strategy (EIS). The title of the bill, its name and list of sponsors is on page one of the linked document. Pages 2 through 32 is "old language" that is struck out. Pages 33 through 63 contain the new law.
Federal Policy
Home Star Energy Retrofit Act
On Thursday May 6, 2010 the United States House of Representatives passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act (H.R. 5019). This bill is designed to create jobs, save energy and help to lower energy bills for American families. This is all designed to be done through the creation of incentives for families to make their homes more energy-efficient.
This bill is expected to help three million families and create 168,000 jobs. Over the next ten years it is estimated that this act alone will result in $9.2 billion in consumer savings. More information about the bill can be found here, and the full text of the bill can be found here.
This document, issued by the American Center of Renewable Energy (ACORE) outlines the $41 billion dollar portion of an almost $800 billion dollar nationwide economic stimulus bill which is allocated towards renewable energy development.
Pennsylvania has compiled all relevant programs resulting from the ARRA for its region. These can be browsed as well as information concerning the use of these funds and eligibility requirements for the grants.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is required to set appliance efficiency standards at levels that achieve the maximum improvement in energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and economically justified. This describes current appliance standards.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopted "small generator" interconnection standards for distributed energy resources up to 20 megawatts (MW) in capacity in May 2005. The FERC's standards apply only to facilities subject to the jurisdiction of the commission; mostly, these are systems that interconnect at the transmission level. The standards generally do not apply to distribution-level interconnection, which is regulated by state public utilities commissions. However, the FERC has noted that its interconnection standards for small generators should serve as a useful model for state-level standards.
The National Renewable Energy Lab compiled this report of existing wind ordinances nationwide. The purpose of the report is to educate and engage state and local governments, as well as policymakers, about existing large wind energy ordinances. It provides a collection of examples to utilize when attempting to draft new large wind energy ordinances in towns or counties without existing ordinances.
This is a link to an EPA summary of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended and expanded several previous goals and standards to reduce energy use in existing and new federal buildings. This describes renewable energy use mandated for federal buildings.
The Energy Independence and Security Act is an omnibus energy policy law that consists mainly of provisions designed to increase energy efficiency and the availability of renewable energy. This report describes the key provisions of the enacted law, summarizes the legislative action on H.R. 6, and provides a summary of the provisions under each of the titles in the law.
The most noteworthy elements of the Energy Independence and Security Act include the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), and the Energy Efficiency Equipment Standards. The CAFÉ law set a goal of 35 miles per gallon for the combined fleet of corporate vehicles by model year 2020 in order to reduce gas consumption and lower emissions. The Renewable Fuels Standard modified the old standard so that by 2008 9.0 billon gallons for renewable fuels are being used, and 36 billion gallons are being used by 2022. Lastly, the Energy Efficiency Equipment Standards creates new standards for lighting and appliance equipment for residential and commercial uses.
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act included goals to reduce energy use in existing and new federal buildings. It requires premium efficient products for electric motors, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment procurements. New federal buildings must be designed 30% below ASHRAE standards or IECC, and obtain 30% of their hot water demand from solar water heating.
|