Over the past year, solar power has accounted for 48% of the new renewable energy installed in the United States. However, policies like installation incentives and renewable energy standards vary widely from state to state. These policies affect the behavior of both corporations and individuals and thus are vital to the widespread implementation of solar and other renewable energy sources.
In a recent evaluation of state-to-state differences in solar policies by SolarPowerRocks.com, Delaware solar power policies ranked 4th in the nation for their more traditional solar installation subsidies as well as a other non-traditional solutions.
One of these innovative policies is Delaware’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). After its most recent update in 2009, this policy requires that retail electricity suppliers buy 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by 202o (25% by 2025), with 2.25% of that coming from solar energy (3.5% by 2025). Eligible renewable energies consist of solar electric, wind, ocean tidal, ocean thermal, fuel cells powered by renewable fuels, hydroelectric facilities, sustainable biomass, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas. However, solar electric is the only one on the list that was given a specified cut-out requirement.
If other states start to follow Delaware’s lead in terms of energy reform, the US can make a large dent in its dependence on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy.