Pennsylvania Commits to Green Power

Pennsylvania became the 16th state to pass a renewable portfolio standard in November 2004, requiring that 18% of the state’s energy come from alternative sources by 2020. More notably, this is the first statewide renewable-energy standard to include a fossil fuel component. The bill defines Tier 1 energy sources as solar, wind, low-impact hydro, geothermal, biomass, biological and coal-mine methane, and fuel cells. Tier 2 sources include waste coal, distributed generation systems, demand-side management, large-scale hydro, municipal solid waste, wood byproducts, and integrated combined coal gasification technology. According to the bill, 1.5% of energy must come from Tier 1 sources within two years. The required Tier 1 percentage increases by 0.5% each year to 8% in 2020. Tier 2 sources must make up 4.2% of the state’s energy for the first four years, with percentages increasing to 10% by 2020.