Renewable Portfolio Standards Work

Renewable Portfolio Standards Work

We will get Maryland to 50% renewable electricity by 2030 by expanding the renewable portfolio standard. Renewable Portfolio Standards are a proven policy method that directly result in the expansion of wind and solar. A report by the Berkeley National Laboratory found that in 2016 Renewable Portfolio Standards directly caused 70-90% of the renewable energy that was installed in the Mid Atlantic region.

While Renewable Portfolio Standards unfortunately define some dirty sources of energy such as burning trash as a “renewable,” the good news is that expanding the renewable portfolio standard does not cause dirty renewables to increase. It causes wind and solar to increase.

To meet our Renewable Portfolio Standard goal, Maryland uses renewable energy sourced in Maryland and states that share our regional grid. 95% of all of the renewable energy sources Maryland uses that have been built since Maryland passed its first Renewable Portfolio Standard in 2004 are wind and solar.

This means that 95% of all the new electricity production capacity that has been added because of Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard comes from Wind and Solar.

If we increase the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 50% by 2030 the massive new demand for renewable energy will be met almost entirely by wind and solar.

Renewable Capacity Registered for MD RPS that was Built Since MD RPS was Passed is shown in the graph above.