Non-Wind Renewable Portfolio Standard Could Be Adopted This Year
In late December, 2009, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) circulated a working document for stakeholder input, called a “strawman,” which would establish a 500 MW “non-wind” renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for Texas. Under the original RPS, established in 1999 and expanded in 2005, wind has dominated, accounting for 98.5% of renewable generation since 2002 and has discouraged a “portfolio” of renewable sources from emerging. While the success of wind in Texas is to be celebrated, it is important to adopt a “nonwind” RPS to encourage the generation of energy from solar, biomass, geothermal, landfill gas, and/or hydrokinetic sources.
This January 2010 summary from Good Company Associates explains what the proposed non-wind RPS is and what it means for the Texas electricity market:
Non-Wind Renewable Portfolio Standard Could Be Adopted This Year
Comments on the PUC strawman are due by February 12, 2010, after which a formal rulemaking will proceed. Please contact Good Company for additional clarification.