Maryland’s Clean Energy Jobs Act will drive 1,250MW of solar by 2020

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Last month, Maryland achieved a clean energy victory when the legislature voted to override governor Larry Hogan’s veto of the Clean Energy Jobs Act in a 32-13 vote.

The new Act not only raises the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 25% by 2020, but also elevates the solar carve-out to 2.5% by 2020 and creates incentives for around 1.3GW of new clean energy capacity.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The US Department of Energy (DOE) forecasts this 2.5% solar set aside to result in the development of more than 1,250MW of solar capacity by 2020.

The legislation is also expected to create 1,000 clean energy jobs annually through 2020.

Maryland renewable portfolio standard targets. Source: EIA

The RPS breakdown

Maryland’s new increased RPS is divided into two tiers. Tier 1 includes electricity generation from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro and other renewable technologies. It also includes the technology specific targets, setting aside 2.5% of solar sales by 2020, as mentioned, up from 1.15%, and an offshore wind target that has not yet been determined.

Tier 2 renewables include hydroelectric power other than pump-storage generation. Tier 2 requirements will sunset, dropping to 0% in 2019 and beyond.

Maryland RPS compliance credits and costs (million MWh). Source: EIA

According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) solar makes up only a small part of the state Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) used for compliance, but a relatively larger share of the cost of compliance. For example, of the RECs used for compliance in 2015, only 4% were from solar, but solar made up 31% of the cost of compliance.

The recent increase of in-state solar has meant that the cost of solar RECs has declined significantly. Conversely, tier 1 non-solar REC prices increased from just under US$1 per REC in 2008 to almost US$14 per REC in 2015, according to the EIA. 

Maryland RPS compliance credits and costs (million MWh). Source: EIA
21 May 2024
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 21-22 May 2024, will be our third PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2025 and beyond.
8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
26 November 2024
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2025. PV ModuleTech Europe 2024 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA
Solar Media Events
April 17, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
May 1, 2024
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2024
Napa, USA