Analysis: Nation ripe for a federal RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard)

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/70819.html

A national renewable energy portfolio standard could decrease greenhouse gas emissions and simultaneously shrink electric bills, some experts say.

The mandate would require electric utility companies to generate a specific percentage of their power from renewable energy sources or buy renewable energy credits from others. Almost half of the states already have renewable portfolio standards in place -- 23 plus the District of Columbia, and including Oregon and New Hampshire, the two most recent to pass RPS legislation.

However, this medley of standards has created confusion among electricity providers, many of whom operate in multiple states, said Marilyn Brown, a commissioner for the National Commission on Energy Policy.

"Many large companies now ... face this hodgepodge of different rules," she told UPI. "Different renewable resources qualify in one state and not the other, so it really is a competitiveness issue. How can the U.S. compete and be effective if the regulations aren't uniform?" A federal RPS would attempt to reconcile the current patchwork of standards and distribute the burden of renewable-energy development among the states, eliminating so-called "free-rider" states that benefit from the efforts of their neighbors but impose no mandates within their own borders. Adopting a federal RPS isn't a new idea. Various U.S. policymakers have proposed a national standard 17 times since 1996, but none has passed into law. This year, the legislation comes from Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., requiring that 15 percent of electricity come from renewables by 2020 and allowing states to create higher standards if they chose to do so.

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It's not very big yet, and only provides enough power to run a string of lights, a fan and a computer, but it's a start. I'm planning to put up a wind turbine/ grid-tie system soon.

It's a start.