Colorado may soon increase its renewable energy standard (RES).
The House Transportation & Energy Committee on Friday passed a bill that would require large utility companies to generate nearly one-third of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Gov. Bill Ritter has said the bill is one of his top priorities for 2010 It now goes to the House Appropriations Committee.
If passed, the bill would give Colorado the highest renewable energy standard in the Western US.
Rhode Island Creates Plan for Green Economy
The tiny New England state of Rhode Island is trying to improve its outlook for a green economy. The state’s Economic Development Corporation (ECD) on Tuesday release "A Roadmap for Advancing the Green Economy in Rhode Island."
A report issued in November by The New England Economic Partnership, found that the green economy would not be a major near-term growth engine for Rhode Island, but ECD has put together a three-part plan to try to improve the situation.
Step one: create a state energy plan for the next decade to increase the supply of renewable energy while reducing overall demand.
Step two: increase access to financing for green companies by doubling the size of the state’s Renewable Energy Fund from $2.5 million to $5 million.
Step three: improve technical education for wind and solar field; establish a research-and-innovation lab to determine which skills are needed.
Maryland Could Be Major Player in Offshore Wind
Electricity produced by wind turbines of the coast of Maryland could provide up to two-thrids of the state’s need, according to a new report by the Abell Foundation.
If aggressively developed, offshore wind could make the state a net exporter of electricity, the report says.
2,900 wind turbines could be placed right away in relatively shallow waters 28 miles to 43 miles off the Maryland coast, and as many as 12,000 turbines eventually could be deployed, as installation technology improves in the years ahead.
The Maryland Energy Administration is seeking expressions of interest from developers for placing turbines off the state’s shoreline, and has received five partial proposals to date, according to The Baltimore Sun.
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