Renewable Portfolio Standards - New York

In September 2004, the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted a renewable energy portfolio standard that requires 25 percent of the state's electricity to be supplied from renewable energy sources by 2013. The NY RPS will require about 3,700 megawatts (MW) of new renewable fueled electricity projects to come on-line between 2006 and 2013.

The new RPS will increase the state's reliance on renewable energy to 25 percent from the current level of 19.3 percent with minimal impacts on ratepayers. In fact, one projection has ratepayer costs decreasing over the life of the program.

A unique and innovative aspect of New York's RPS is that it reserves a small portion of the 25 percent requirement to be "customer-sited" (a.k.a. behind-the-meter generation). Cutomer sited generation includes fuel cells, photovoltaics, and wind resources (under 300 kW). Problematic aspects of their customer-sited provisions in terms of the fuel cell eligibility is that the rules don't appear to require the hydrogen for the fuel cells to be derived from renewable resources.

The NY PSC disqualified municipal solid waste incineration technology from meeting the RPS. In the order the PSC noted, "The practice of mass incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) that typifies New York's existing waste-to-energy facilities results in emissions of mercury and other heavy metals at levels that the Commission finds troubling."

More:

• Order Approving Renewable Portfolio Standard Policy - issued by the NY Public Service Commission, September 24, 2004
• Background on RPS Proceeding in New York - from the PSC
• PSC Press Release - September 22, 2004

Other Resources:

• Renewable Portfolio Standard Fact Pack - State Environmental Resource Center, 2004
• The Renewables Portfolio Standard in Texas: An Early Assessment - by Ryan Wiser, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, November 2001
• The Renewables Portfolio Standard: A Practical Guide - by Nancy Rader and Scott Hempling, February 2001
• A Powerful Opportunity: Making Renewable Electricity the Standard - by the Union of Concerned Scientists, August 1999
• Interstate Renewable Energy Council
• Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE)