Report outlines role of policy in renewable energy development

The report, State of the States 2008: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy, was recently release by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The report takes steps to identify the impact of renewable energy policy on renewable energy development. The authors found that the:

• Existence of an RPS is significantly correlated to higher renewable percentages of overall electricity generation
• Production incentives at the state level, while a small sample (n=6), are significantly correlated to higher renewable electric capacity and generation, as well as individual resource categories.
• Interconnection policies meeting best practices ... are correlated with increased renewable energy capacity and generation overall, as well as individually with higher biomass, hydroelectric, and PV capacity.

While general correlations were made between renewable energy policy and development, further research is needed to quantify direct policy impacts.

The report also provides a comprehensive overview of renewable energy policies including market and production incentives and provides, when able, best practices in policy development. The authors also report which states have enacted various types of renewable energy policies and grades them on whether they encourage or hinder renewable energy development. The full report can be found here.