Pennsylvania Joins States Pushing Greener Power

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be generating 18% of its energy from cleaner sources by 2020, according to legislation signed in December by Gov. Edward G. Rendell . With this move, Pennsylvania joins a growing list of states backing the development of more environmentally friendly energy resources.

The new Pennsylvania law defines a two-tier strategy which requires 8% of retail electricity to come from traditional renewable sources, such as solar and wind generation. The second tier calls for larger-scale clean sources, including hydropower, coal gasification and municipal solid waste.

One example of a Tier II resource is the Champion Refuse Pile , containing 37.5 million tons of waste coal, which will be used to power a new 300-MW generating station. Over its projected 25-year lifespan, it is anticipated to generate $2.1 billion in revenue while returning the site to a developable state.

A recent report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory details growing state-level interest in such efforts.

According to “The Impact of State Clean Energy Fund Support for Utility-Scale Renewable Energy,” nine states have committed more than $345 million to support 163 large-scale renewable-energy products capable of producing more than 1 MW of electricity. Fourteen states have established clean-energy funds, backed by a surcharge on retail electricity rates, with an aggregate total of more than $300 million annually.

Many of these states also have been active in promoting smaller-scale distributed-generation installations, the report’s authors note.

Gathering the funds has apparently been easier than spending them. Only 707 MW of state-supported capacity has been constructed, out of a total commitment of 2,288 MW, resulting in 1,500 MW still in the development pipeline.

Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our WTWH Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.