RENEWABLE ENERGY 2005: A MID-YEAR REVIEW

摘要

As we enter into mid-2005, the prospects for renewable energy development in the United States are good overall, even if still fragmented into many state-level minimarkets. This brief article gives an overview of the markets today. The key drivers for new renewable electricity installations in the United States are the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) that exist in 18 states plus the District of Columbia, which compel investor-owned utility companies to supply a minimum percentage of electricity from renewable sources by a selected date. Other drivers include the emergence of "green power" markets in which utilities offer green pricing programs; deregulated markets where "green tags" and carbon credits are being issued, traded, and bought; green power purchasing programs organized by EPA and the World Resources Institute for industrial companies; and system benefit funds that subsidize and encourage new renewable energy projects.