Enabling Renewable Energy on both Sides of the Meter: a Focus on State-Level Approaches in New York and Texas
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ENERGY MARKETS (R SIOSHANSI AND S MOUSAVIAN, SECTION EDITORS)
Enabling Renewable Energy on both Sides of the Meter: a Focus on State-Level Approaches in New York and Texas Tom H. Cyrs 1 Published online: 21 February 2018 # Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Purpose of the Review This paper focuses on the impact of state renewable energy policies in the decentralized, patchwork energy policy framework of the present-day USA. Approaches in two states in particular, New York and Texas, are assessed qualitatively and quantitatively to gain further insights. Recent Findings Previous research has highlighted the importance of state-level policy making in the within the USA and—by extension—on the international stage. Studies have also shown that policy factors in the form of RPS programs, siting, and permitting, and other incentives can drive renewable energy capacity growth and consumer markets. Summary The paper finds that—through 2016—varying degrees of success in developing wind and solar markets have been achieved, including dramatic growth of large scale wind in Texas and more modest utility scale wind coupled with strong distributed PV growth in New York. Analysis and discussion also provides potential insights for state policymakers on the efficacy of various incentive structures, infrastructure and siting regimes, and other instruments in producing desired outcomes. Keywords Renewables . Energy policy . Distributed generation . Utility-scale generation . Federalism . States
Introduction Despite the severity of climate change and calls to action on a global scale, US policy to address this defining challenge of our time has fallen well short of what most experts have urged is necessary. While other countries have taken more aggressive approaches to scale up renewable energy development— such as legally binding emissions reduction targets and feed-in tariffs for producers—the USA has opted for a mix of voluntary approaches and intermittent tax incentives and has generally shied away from stronger national policies. Intransigence has been a consistent feature of US national climate policy since the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), or “Rio Summit,” first brought climate change to the fore of international discussion. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol—the framework for internationally binding emissions reduction commitments that stemmed from The article is part of the Topical Collection on Energy Markets * Tom H. Cyrs [email protected] 1
New York University, New York, NY, USA
the broad agreements of Rio Summit—was rejected by the US Senate and ultimately abandoned during the Presidency of George W. Bush [64]. US politicians at the time cited the exclusion of major developing nations from the agreement as a key flaw [41]. The successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, was endorsed by the administration of President Barack Obama, which aimed to meet commitments through a combination of fuel efficiency standards for the transportation sec
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