REPS

I won't be dwelling on the legal or ethical problems associated with the Solyndra loan guarantee debacle; I'm sure investigators will be sorting that out soon enough. But I did want to clarify a few aspects of this situation, because apparently many folks are viewing this company's troubles as a failure of either public policy or the viability of renewable energy itself. Far from it. As a matter of fact, this story represents a stunning victory. Not only was the precipitous drop in the price of solar panels predictable, it was desired.

GOP gameplan: When you have a successful program that's good for health & welfare of citizens, repeal it:

Barely three years have passed since the state overhauled its energy policy to require electric utilities to meet energy demand through renewable resources and energy efficiency programs.

Now a legislative proposal introduced Wednesday would scrap the 2007 energy law, known as Senate Bill 3. Republican state Rep. George Cleveland's bill calls for the immediate repeal of the bill, which requires power companies to meet 12.5 percent of customer electricity demand through renewables and conservation by 2021.

Not even the utility companies want to repeal it:

It's not just a consolation prize:

In a rare show of bipartisanship, a group of Democratic and Republican senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require utilities nationwide to generate at least 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources like wind, solar and biomass by 2021.

“I think that the votes are present in the Senate to pass a renewable electricity standard,” Mr. Bingaman said in a statement. “I think that they are present in the House. I think that we need to get on with figuring out what we can pass and move forward.”

Bob Geary from the Indyweek crunches some numbers for energy generation and efficiency:

In North Carolina, the institute study found, renewables could supply 40 percent of the state's electricity by 2025. Costs would be comparable to those of conventional power sources—coal, nuclear, natural gas—but with major advantages in air quality, reduced water consumption and zero "climate impacts," it said.

North Carolina could reduce electricity usage by almost one-fourth by 2025. In the next 20 years, renewables (40 percent) combined with energy-efficiency (24 percent) could account for nearly two-thirds of the state's electric-power needs.

But there is a debate amongst proponents on whether (or not) we should reopen SB3 (REPS bill) for modification.

For those unfamiliar with Toben, he’s a green entrepreneur living on Chapel Hill, with a lot on his plate. Chosen by Governor Perdue to lead the North Carolina Energy Policy Council, Toben puts his money and his energy where his values are, and thank goodness for that. If there ever was a time when smart, committed people are needed in the environmental policy arena, this is it. I had the chance to catch up with Toben last week to get his thoughts about how things are going.

For all of its flaws, North Carolina's REPS package does contain some critical elements that make us part of an enlightened coalition of states that have already brought about some very promising changes in the way our nation approaches the generation of energy. But there is a bill sponsored by Fletcher Hartsell that is on the General Assembly's Crossover list that could make our state's REPS package completely useless in the promotion of renewable energy, and it needs to be stopped. Note: I really want you to read this diary, so I'm going to be very brief. Enjoy it while you can. ;)

*Major edit*

It's been brought to my attention that I pointed towards the wrong parts of this legislation previously, to wit: The max 10% requirement I referenced was for coops and municipalities (as opposed to utilities), and that hadn't been modified/revised from the original version in this new bill.

OK folks, I need your input here. Renewable energy legislation has been slowly starting to come together in the General Assembly and is at a crucial point.

A few weeks ago I live blogged here on BlueNC. One of the hot topics was the possibility of a renewable energy portfolio standard (REPS) in North Carolina. REPS would require utilities in our state to get a certain percentage of energy from renewable energy sources. Reps. Pricey Harrison, Jim Harrell, Carolyn Justice and I introduced a bill (HB77) that will do just that, along with some energy conservation measures. Sen. Charlie Albertson has filed a similar bill in the Senate.

Thursday morning at 9am we're holding a press conference