Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires all of Rhode Island's electricity to originate from renewable energy sources by 2030.

Highlights:

• Requires all obligated entities to obtain at least 3 percent of the electricity they sell at retail to Rhode Island end-use customers, adjusted for electric line losses, from eligible renewable energy resources, escalating, according to the following schedule (Sec. 1.a):

• At least 3 percent of retail electricity sales in compliance year 2007;

• An additional 0.5 percent of retail electricity sales in each of the following compliance years 2008, 2009, 2010;

• An additional 1 percent of retail electricity sales in each of the following compliance years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, provided that the Public Utilities Commission has determined the adequacy, or potential adequacy, of renewable energy supplies to meet these percentage requirements;

• An additional 1.5 percent of retail electricity sales in each of the following compliance years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, 2020 and 2021.

• An additional 4 percent of retail electricity sales in 2022;

• An additional 5 percent of retail electricity sales in 2023;

• An additional 6 percent of retail electricity sales in 2024;

• An additional 11 percent of retail electricity sales in 2025, 2026, and 2027; and

• An additional 11.5 percent of retail electricity sales in 2028, 2029 and 2030 to achieve the goal that one hundred percent (100 percent) of Rhode Island's electricity demand is from renewable energy by 2030 and each year thereafter.

• Requires the Public Utilities Commission to develop and adopt regulations on or before December 31, 2005, for implementing a renewable energy standard, which regulations shall include, but be limited to, provisions for (Sec. 1.a):

• Verifying the eligibility of renewable energy generators and the production of energy from such generators, including requirements to notify the commission in the event of a change in a generator's eligibility status;

• Standards for contracts and procurement plans for renewable energy resources to achieve the purposes of this chapter;

• Flexibility mechanisms for the purposes of easing compliance burdens; facilitating bringing new renewable resources on-line; and avoiding and/or mitigating conflicts with state-level source disclosure requirements and green marketing claims throughout the region; which flexibility mechanisms shall allow obligated entities to:

• Demonstrate compliance over a compliance year; and

• Bank excess compliance for 2 subsequent compliance years, capped at 30 percent of the current year's obligation.

• Annual compliance filings to be made by all obligated entities within one month after NE-GIS reports are available for the fourth quarter of each calendar year. All electric-utility-distribution companies shall cooperate with the commission in providing data necessary to assess the magnitude of obligation and verify the compliance of all obligated entities.

• Authorizes municipalities to include in their aggregation plan terms that would allow voluntary renewable energy products to be counted toward meeting such percentages. In 2024, the commission, with input from the office of energy resources, division of public utilities and carriers, obligated entities, other market participants, and the public, shall assess the impact of allowing voluntary renewable energy purchases to be counted toward meeting the annual percentages (Sec. 1.c).

• Authorizes the commission to suspend or revoke the certification of generation units that are found to provide false information or that fail to notify the commission in the event of a change in eligibility status or otherwise comply with its rules. Financial penalties resulting from sanctions from obligated entities shall not be recoverable in rates (Sec. 1-5).

• Authorizes an electric distribution company to propose and implement pilot programs to own and operate no more than 15 megawatts (15 MW) of renewable-generation demonstration projects in Rhode Island and may include the costs and benefits in rates to distribution customers (Sec. 1-6.b).

Full Bill Text