Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS), created on November 30, 2004 and revised in 2007 and 2008, requires each electric distribution company (EDC) and electric generation supplier (EGS) to retail electric customers in Pennsylvania to supply 18% of its electricity using alternative-energy resources by 2020.

The standard calls for utilities to generate 8% of their electricity by using "Tier I" energy sources and 10% using "Tier II" sources by May 31, 2021. Tier I sources include (new and existing) photovoltaic energy, solar-thermal energy, wind, low-impact hydro, geothermal, biomass, biologically-derived methane gas, coal-mine methane and fuel cells. Tier 2 resources include energy efficiency, hydropower, waste coal, and municipal solid waste generation. There is already enough waste coal generation in the state to meet the tier 2 targets for many years.

Act 129, passed in October 2008, established an energy efficiency resource standard in Pennsylvania for investor-owned utilities. Each electric distribution company with at least 100,000 customers must reduce energy consumption by a minimum 1% by May 31, 2011, increasing to 3% by May 31, 2013. Peak demand must be reduced by 4.5% by May 31, 2013. Ten percent of both consumption and peak demand reductions are to come from "federal, state, local government, including municipalities, school districts, institutions of higher education and nonprofit entities."

Relevance to Public Power : Both Pennsylvania’s AEPS and energy efficiency resources standard apply only to the state’s investor owned utilities.

Adhere to federal appliance standards.

As of March 2010, climate change legislation has not been signed into law at the state-level.

Learn more about the Climate Protection Agreement!