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Incorporating DERs, microgrids, and thermal energy into Renewable Portfolio Standards

MCLI Recommendation: “RPS should include mandates for solar energy, possibly specifically for DG sources, as well as mandates for energy storage and microgrid capacity.”

LPDD Recommendation: “State legislatures should enact RPS that focus not only on the generation of electricity, but also on thermal energy systems that can contribute to decarbonization, such as heat pumps and district heating thermal energy.”

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11 resources

Example States and State Governments

North Carolina RPS

North Carolina’s RPS defines a REC as equivalent to 1 MWh of electricity derived from a renewable energy source, or an equivalent amount of thermal energy in the case of CHP and solar water heating, o...
Resource States and State Governments

Colorado’s Geothermal Energy Legislation

In May 2022, Colorado enacted legislation encouraging of the use of geothermal energy by providing it similar treatment to solar energy. The legislation expressly includes geothermal as a renewable re...
Resource States and State Governments

Report, Renewable Thermal in State Renewable Portfolio Standards

This 2018 report from the Clean Energy States Alliance provides an overview of how states across the country are incorporating renewable thermal technologies into their RPS programs. It covers technic...
Example States and State Governments

New Hampshire RPS

New Hampshire’s SB 218, effective June 2012, created a Thermal Subclass in the state RPS, setting targets and requiring NHPUC to adopt procedures for the metering, verification, and reporting of usefu...
Example States and State Governments

Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard

Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard includes a tier for useful thermal energy from the production of electricity, essentially qualifying CHP. It also includes demand-side management r...
Example States and State Governments

Maryland’s 2019’s Clean Energy Jobs Act

With 2019’s Clean Energy Jobs Act, Maryland’s RPS upped the carve-out requirement specifically for solar production, requiring that a total of 14.5% of retail electricity sales come from solar resourc...
Example Local Governments

Austin TX’s RPS

Austin TX’s RPS goal is 65% of electricity consumption from renewables by 2025, which is among the most ambitious targets in the country. Within the RPS, the City Council approved a solar carve-out in...
Example Local Governments

DC’s Law 22-257 (2019)

DC’s Law 22-257 (2019) increases the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 100% by 2032, and establishes a solar energy standard post 2032. In terms of qualifying resources, DC’s RPS allows for solar therma...
Example States and State Governments

Maine’s LD 1494

Maine’s LD 1494 (2019) updated the State’s RPS to require the creation of a new thermal portfolio standard to incentivize efficient heating and cooling installations. In March, 2020, the Maine PUC ope...
Example States and State Governments

Virginia Adds Geothermal to RPS

Virginia’s SB508 (2024) makes geothermal heating and cooling systems located within the state eligible resources under the state’s renewable portfolio standard.
Example States and State Governments

Wisconsin’s RPS

Wisconsin’s RPS allows certain resources that produce a measurable and verifiable displacement of conventional electricity resources to also qualify as eligible resources, including solar water heater...