Prepared for:
The Green Power Partnership
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Prepared by:
The Cadmus Group LLC
IGF International, Inc.
EPA 400-R-22-001
vvEPA
GREEN
POWER
PARTNERSHIP
National Assessment of
Consumer Access to
Green Power Supply:
Leadership and
Impact Considerations
-------
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 1
Introduction 3
Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power 4
Analysis Data Sources 5
Key ResultsGreen Power Access 6
Utility Green Pricing Programs 9
Competitive Green Marketing Products 10
Community Choice Aggregation 11
Power Purchase Agreements 12
Physical PPAs 12
Financial PPAs 13
Renewable (Green) Energy Tariffs 14
Community Solar and Shared Renewables 14
On-site Generation 15
Summary of U.S. Green Power Access 16
Residential Green Power Access 17
Non-Residential Green Power Access 18
Consumers With Retail RECs as the Only Green Power Access Option 19
Conclusions 21
Appendix A. Approach and Methodology for Green Power
Access Analysis 22
Appendix B. Percentage of Consumers With Access to Voluntary
Green Power and Potential Consumption by State 35
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
List of Figures
Figure 1. Green Power Access by Number of Consumers 8
Figure 2. Green Power Access by Potential Electricity Consumption 8
Figure 3. Utility Green Pricing Programs - Green Power Access as a Percentage
of Total State Electricity Sales 10
Figure 4. Green Power Marketing Products (Competitive Retail Markets) - Green Power
Access as a Percentage of Total State Electricity Sales 11
Figure 5. States Authorizing Physical PPAs (third-party ownership) 13
Figure 6. States With Community Solar and Shared Renewables State Policies 15
Figure 7. Number of Policy-based Green Power Access Options by State 17
Figure 8. Aggregate Green Power Access for Residential Consumers as a
Percentage of Total State Residential Electricity Sales 18
Figure 9. Aggregate Green Power Access for Non-Residential Consumers as a
Percentage of Total State Non-Residential Electricity Sales 19
n
-------
Executive Summary
The market for green power in the United States has grown substantially in recent years. From 2010 to
2019, renewable energy production increased from 8 quadrillion Btu to close to 12 quadrillion Btu per
year. This growth represents between 11% and 13% of total annual energy production over this period.1
Both regulatory and voluntary demand for electricity produced from renewable resources have
contributed to the U.S. green power market's growth.
State compliance policies establish a minimum requirement for how much generation must come from
renewable resources to serve all ratepayers. The compliance policies are often referred to as renewable
energy portfolio standards, which defines minimum amounts of generation that load-serving entities
must provide to consumers from renewable resources. In contrast, voluntary consumer demand is
driven primarily by consumer preference for specific resources that offer a benefit they value, such as
renewable energy certificates (RECs) ownership.
RECs are a market instrument representing the technology and environmental attributes of electricity
generated from renewable sources. A certificate can be sold separately from the underlying generic
electricity with which it is associated, either into compliance or voluntary markets. The use of a single
market instrument in the United States has several benefits for voluntary consumers, including
substantiating claims related to their actions, establishing ownership to generation produced to meet
their demand, ensuring that their demand is incremental to what is otherwise available or generated
due to a mandate, and avoiding double counting between other consumers and sources of demand for
renewable electricity.
Voluntary demand for green power is served by a wide range of green power supply options that offer
consumers multiple pathways for accessing green power. Each supply option pathway gives consumers
the same underlying market instrument (i.e., REC), which substantiates ownership and green power use
claims.
As the voluntary market evolves, questions have emerged regarding the voluntary consumer's role in
market transformation. What constitutes leadership in today's market? How can consumers have the
greatest impact through their purchase of green power? Is a consumer's choice of supply options a clear
indicator of impact? How should consumers talk about their leadership and impact? While these
questions are important, there is a tendency to assume that access to green power supply options is
relatively uniform and available to all consumers.
For this report, EPA conducted a nationwide analysis of consumer access to green power supply options
to evaluate relative access to green power in both residential and non-residential consumer segments.
The purpose was to stimulate discussion relating to consumer access and evaluate the need for a wide
1 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Electricity, 2020, https://www.eia.gov/electricitv
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
range of credible green power supply options. Several assumptions were made related to supply
options, policy effects, and consumer profiles. This report seeks to answer the following questions:
How many consumers in the U.S. have access to each green power supply option?
What percentage of consumers have access to different green power options?
What percentage of utility electricity sales could be covered by each supply option?
What percentage of consumers have access to at least one green power supply option other
than RECs? Does this vary between residential and non-residential consumers?
State policies and state electricity market regulatory structures present challenges and opportunities for
accessing green power. Also, technical factors unrelated to state policies influence consumers' access to
specific green power supply options. EPA used available data from the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, Center for Resource Solutions, World Resources Institute, Database of State Incentives for
Renewables and Efficiency, Energy Information Administration, and other sources in its assessment.
Key findings indicate that access to green power supply options is not uniform across the United States
or for specific consumer segments.
An estimated 19.2 million residential consumers (~16% of total U.S. residential consumers) and
3.7 million non-residential consumers (~22% of total U.S. non-residential consumers) do not
have access to any green power supply option other than RECs.
Except for RECs, no individual procurement option covers more than half of electricity
consumers or half of the total U.S. electricity sales.
There is still much work to be done in today's market to make green power supply more widely
accessible.
Lack of access to green power supply options that offer consumers key benefits is a deterrent to faster
market transformation. EPA's findings indicate that consumers may have difficulty meeting their green
power objectives. Lack of access to a variety of green power supply options can also be a barrier for
policymakers hoping to meet long-term environmental objectives.
Findings for each green power supply option are presented in the report (see Table 1).
2
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Introduction
From 2010 to 2019, renewable energy production in the United States grew from 8 quadrillion Btu to
close to 12 quadrillion Btu per year, representing between 11% and 13% of annual energy production.
During this period, the growth in renewables was primarily from solar and wind resources, with an
output increase of 1,140% and 300%, respectively.2
In the United States, both compliance policies and voluntary consumer action create demand for
renewably generated electricity. Compliance policies establish a minimum requirement for how much
generation must come from renewable resources to serve all ratepayers. The resulting renewable
energy stemming from compliance policies requires no proactive action by electricity consumers to
receive renewable electricity. However, voluntary consumer action and demand for green power builds
upon the demand created by compliance policies. Voluntary demand plays a significant role in today's
market as a driver for change.
This report assesses the status of consumer access to green power supply options across the United
States, including the following procurement options:
Utility Green Pricing
Competitive Green Marketing Products
Community Choice Aggregation
Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)
o Physical
o Financial
Renewable (Green) Energy Tariffs
Community Solar/Shared Renewables
On-site Generation
The availability of most of these options (outside of on-site generation) depends on applicable policies in
a given state. RECs become the only viable option for consumers who do not have access to these
options.
Lack of access to specific green power supply options is a potential deterrent to faster market
transformation and a potential barrier to policymakers and programs. Thus, the findings of this report
can be used to inform the need for additional green power policies and programs.
2 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Electricity, 2020, https://www.eia.gov/electricitv
3
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Assessment of Consumer Access to
Green Power
Consumers have a wide range of options for procuring green power. However, access to these supply
options can be limited to a small percentage of consumers based on policy, consumer class, and
creditworthiness. This assessment evaluated access to green power supply options, in terms of both the
number of consumers and the potential electricity consumption; access is estimated for residential and
non-residential consumers across the United States. Appendix A provides details on the methodology
used to develop these estimates.
All consumers in the United States have access to green power through RECs. RECS are a credible way
for consumers to specify green power use and claim ownership to renewable electricity generated.
Because electrons on the grid cannot be distinguished, retaining ownership of RECs allows consumers to
make credible claims of using green power. However, some consumers may not be aware of RECs. In
contrast, others may choose to purchase green power through utility offerings, generate their own, or
directly purchase through a different green power supply option.
While the United States is considered a well-developed renewable electricity market, there are still
significant gaps in providing consumer access to renewable electricity.
Increased access to available supply options could lead to higher
green power market participation, as consumers will be more
likely to find options that fit their needs
In 2018, EPA undertook a national assessment of consumer access to green power. The assessment's
primary objective was to provide a snapshot of the current landscape of green power supply options in
every state. EPA evaluated access based on the consumer class of residential and non-residential
consumers (i.e., commercial and industrial).
This section details EPA's national consumer access assessment to green power and aims to answer the
following questions:
How many consumers in each state have access to each green power supply option?
What percentage of utility electricity sales could be covered by each supply option?
How many consumers have access to at least one green power supply option other than retail
RECs? How is this different for residential and non-residential consumers?
The consumer access assessment used certain assumptions to account for the lack of comprehensive
data, data accuracy, and limited resources. The assumptions were fairly conservative to avoid
underestimating the current accessibility of green power. The analysis measures the potential access to
green power based on evaluated policies, mandates, and regulations that permit or limit consumer
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
access. The analysis does not explore economic considerations, incentives, social factors, motivation,
and other aspects that may influence consumers' decisions or ability to purchase green power.
ANALYSIS DATA SOURCES
In 2018, EPA obtained data on state policies and programs, along with utility green power purchase
options, from the following sources (representing data from 2016 to 2018 depending on the source):
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provided data related to the U.S. voluntary
green power markets,3 the U.S. utilities offering green pricing programs,4 the policy review of
community solar programs across various U.S. states,5 and the analysis of the technical potential
of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) power in the continental United States.6
The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) list of nationally available residential, commercial, and
wholesale Green-e certified green power options7 was used to evaluate consumer access.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) provided data related to various renewable energy green
tariff programs in the United States.8
The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE)9 provided information
on the various federal, state, and local policy programs related to green power.
Additional sources of information on green power options were obtained from several federal
and state policy proceedings, renewable energy and environmental stakeholder groups (e.g.,
Solar Energy Industries Association [SEIA]), nonprofit organizations promoting green power (e.g.,
Local Energy Aggregation Network [LEAN]), and corporate green power procurement reports.
EPA used data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates for the number
of applicable consumers and total megawatt-hour (MWh) sales from residential and non-
residential consumers. EIA tracks the total number of residential, commercial, and industrial
consumers and the total electricity sales for each electric utility in the United States, grouped by
state and consumer class.10 The data was used to estimate the number of residential and non-
residential customers with access to green power options through both state and utility-level
programs.
3 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data),"
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
4 Eric O'Shaughnessy, "Utility Green Pricing Program List," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, January 2018.
https://www.nrel.gov/analvsis/green-power.html
5 Jeffrey J. Cook and Monisha Shah, "Focusing the Sun: State Considerations for Designing Community Solar Policy," National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, January 2018. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70663.pdf
6 Pieter Gagnon, Robert Margolis, Jennifer Melius, Caleb Phillips, and Ryan Elmore, "Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the
United States: A Detailed Assessment," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, January 2016. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl6osti/65298.pdf
7 "Find Green-e Certified - Renewable Energy," Green-e, Center for Resource Solutions, accessed April 2018. https://www.green-
e.org/certified-resources
8 Letha Tawney, Priya Barua, and Celine Bonugli, "Emerging Green Tariffs in U.S. Regulated Electricity Markets," World Resources Institute,
February 2018.
9 "Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency," a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy, the North Carolina Clean
Energy Technical Center, and North Carolina State University, https://www.dsireusa.org/
10 U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Sales (Consumption), Revenue, Prices & Customers, by State and Utility, data released
November 6, 2017, accessed March 2018.
5
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
ICF's Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Technical Potential Database estimates building
energy loads and encompasses all large commercial and industrial facilities capable of
supporting a CHP installation of 50 kilowatts (kW) or larger. It identifies applicable buildings
based on associated electricity use when access to green power supply options is limited to
large customers.
KEY RESULTSGREEN POWER ACCESS
Results of the Consumer Access Assessment summarize the number of green power supply options
available in each state and the aggregate green power access, organized by both the number of
consumers and total electricity sales. Key findings include:
The utility green pricing programs offered in 37 states are available to more U.S. consumers
than any other green power supply option outside of RECs.
Community solar programs are offered in 17 states, and 40% of total U.S. electricity consumers
can source this green power supply option.
Less than a quarter of U.S. electricity consumers are estimated to have access to on-site green
power generation through rooftop solar.
Access to renewable (green) energy tariffs (2.4% of consumers) and community choice
aggregation (0.3% of electricity sales) options are currently limited.
Financial power purchase agreements are available to less than 1% of consumers but could
potentially cover close to a quarter of the country's total electricity sales.
Table 1 shows the summary results for green power access through each supply option. For more detail,
Appendix B provides estimated percentages of residential and non-residential consumers with access to
green power as well as the estimated total electricity consumption by state and green power
procurement option.
6
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Table 1. Summary of Results for
Green Power Access Green
Power Supply Option
Number
of States
With
Green
Power
Access
Total Green Power Access by
Supply Option
Total Green Power Access
Compared to Total U.S. Retail
Electricity Sales Data
Number of
Consumers
(million)
Electricity
Sales (billions
of kilowatt-
hours [kWh])
Percentage of
Consumers
Percentage
of Electricity
Sales
Utility Green Pricing
Programs
37
58.3
1,097
43.0%
35.0%
Competitive Green Power
Marketing Products
19
45.2
1,017
33.0%
32.2%
Community Choice
Aggregation
7
3.3
9
2.4%
0.3%
Physical Power Purchase
Agreements
27
21.8
659
15.9%
20.9%
Financial Power Purchase
Agreements
50
0.21
756
0.2%
23.9%
Renewable Energy (Green)
Tariffs
16
3.2
76
2.4%
2.4%
Community Solar/Shared
Renewables
17
54.3
270
40.0%
8.6%
On-site Generation
I
00
33.7
570
24.7%
18.1%
Retail (unbundled) RECs2
50
All
All
100%
100%
1 On-site generation excludes Hawaii and Alaska (data available for continental U.S. only).
2 RECs are accessible to all consumers in the United States. They are a credible way to specify green power use and claim ownership to
renewable electricity generated to meet consumer demand.
Although consumers can access green power through several supply options, there is no individual
procurement option, except retail RECs, that covers even half of utility consumers or half of total U.S.
electricity sales. Increased access to available supply options could lead to higher green power market
participation, as consumers will be more likely to find options that fit their needs.
Green power access varies according to consumer type. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate total green power
access for residential versus non-residential consumers for each supply option - by the number of
consumers and by total electricity consumption. The percentage values in the figures represent the
accessibility of each option to either the residential or non-residential consumer class.
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Figure 1. Green Power Access by Number of Consumers*
Utility Green Pricing
Community Solar/Shared Renewables
Competitive Green Power Marketing
On-Site Generation
Physical Power Purchase Agreements
Community Choice Aggregation
Renewable Energy Tariffs
Financial Power Purchase Agreements
42.8%
41.3%
60
50
32.2%
26.2%
16.8%
41.8%
| 28.6%
¦ 39.1%
| 14.2%
9.8%
40 30 20 10
Millions of Customers
2.4% H 2.4%
2.0% m 5.2%
1.2%
0
10
20
I Residential
i Non-Residential
*Total residential consumers: 120 million; total non-residential consumers: 17 million (EIA, 2018)
Figure 2, Green Power Access by Potential Electricity Consumption*
Financial Power Purchase Agreements
Physical Power Purchase Agreements
14.:
L%
25.6%
On-Site Generation
25.0% |
13.2%
Community Solar/Shared Renewables
Renewable Energy Tariffs
Community Choice Aggregation
12
.4%
0.7% |
0.3% |
Ijj^g 5.8%
m 3-e%
0.3%
750 500 250 0 250 500 750 1,000
Electricity Consumption (Milliion MWh)
¦ Residential ¦ Non-Residential
*Total residential electricity consumption: 1,300 billion kWh; total non-residential consumption: 1,860 Billion kWh (EIA 2018)
8
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
The residential sector tends to dominate the number of potential customers. In contrast, the total
potential consumption tends to be weighted toward the commercial and industrial sectors. The supply
options are assessed in the following sections, with information on applicability, coverage, and key
assumptions.
UTILITY GREEN PRICING PROGRAMS
This analysis evaluated utility green power pricing programs using NREL and Green-e data at the utility
level. These data sources were used to determine which customer segments have access to a utility
green pricing program and how many customers are covered. Additionally, this analysis evaluated the
percentage of retail electricity sales relative to the state's total electricity sales.
According to NREL data, utility green pricing programs are offered by more than 450 utilities across 37
states as of 2018.11 While this option is primarily offered in states with regulated, vertically integrated
utilities, some programs are offered by smaller municipal and cooperative (co-op) utilities in deregulated
states. The total estimated access for utility green pricing programs in the United States is 58.3 million
consumers (43% of U.S. total), which results in 1,097 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of potential
consumption (35% of U.S. total). Figure 3 shows utility green pricing program access as a percentage of
total electricity sales in each state.
11 Eric O'Shaughnessy, "Utility Green Pricing Program List," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, January 2018.
https://www.nrel.gov/analvsis/green-power.html
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
9
-------
Figure 3. Utility Green Pricing Programs - Green Power Access as a Percentage of
Total State Electricity Sales
Percent of State
Electric Sales
~ o%
~ 1-20%
~ 21-40%
~ 41-60%
| >60%
COMPETITIVE GREEN MARKETING PRODUCTS
Competitive retail markets (restructured markets) involve a utility supply option called "green power
marketing products." This supply option allows customers to procure green power from a competitive
retail electricity supplier that may not be their local distribution utility. This option is usually available to
both residential and non-residential customers. Nineteen states allow this green power supply option,
which results in an estimated 45.2 million consumers with access (33% of U.S. total), with an estimated
potential consumption of 1,017 billion kWh (32.2% of U.S. total). Figure 4 shows the states with
competitive retail markets and the percentage of state electricity sales eligible for this option.
To evaluate the number of electricity consumers with access to green power marketing products, the
analysis assumes that all consumers within a competitive state have access to green power if multiple
retail green power suppliers are identified within the respective state boundaries. The assumption used
in this analysis, that all electricity consumers in the state have access, may overestimate the total
number of consumers with access. Many suppliers choose to serve limited geographical areas or
consumer segments (e.g., large accounts) in a particular state. The evaluation of various competitive
retail energy providers and the number of consumers they each serve by geographic region within a
state was beyond the scope of this analysis.
10
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Figure 4. Green Power Marketing Products (Competitive Retail Markets) - Green Power Access as a
Percentage of Total State Electricity Sales
The community choice aggregation (CCA) supply option is primarily available for all consumers within
the specified location. As of 2018, only seven states allowed CCAs, with only five- California, Illinois,
Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio - providing green power options through a CCA. For this
assessment, NREL data related to CCAs12 were used. For CCAs, there are an estimated 3.3 million
consumers with access (2.4% of U.S. total) with an estimated 8.7 billion kWh of potential consumption
(0.3% of U.S. total).
Recently, especially in California,13 CCAs have been developed extensively with the option for green
power. The results indicated in this analysis represent a snapshot from 2018. They do not capture this
supply option's extensive and evolving changes. As such, findings likely underestimate the total
consumer access through the CCA supply option.
12 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data),"
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
13 Dr. J.R. DeShazo, Julien Gattaciecca, and Kelly Trumbull, "The Growth in Community Choice Aggregation," UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation,
Next 10, July 2018. https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/The Growth in Community Choice Aggregation.pdf
~ >90%
COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION
ii
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS
In some states, organizations can contract directly with a specific third-party owned generator to obtain
green power. Direct purchase options include both physical power purchase agreements (PPAs) and
financial PPAs. Both types of arrangements offer an organization a tangible and clear association with a
specific renewable energy facility.
The power purchase agreement (PPA) supply options (both physical and financial) present some
challenges regarding assessing consumer access. PPAs for on-site generation are limited based on
electricity load requirements and the organization's creditworthiness. PPAs for off-site projects are
generally only available to large, creditworthy consumers.
For off-site green power generation, this analysis looked at physical PPAs from the perspective of what
size load would be required to make a PPA contract viable. PPAs for off-site projects are typically limited
to large, creditworthy consumers. For the analysis, the smallest known off-site PPA - a 10-megawatt
(MW) wind energy contract - was used to estimate the minimum size for buildings that could support a
physical PPA (about 2.5 MW average load considering wind turbine capacity factors). Electric loads from
applicable buildings in ICF's CHP Technical Potential Database14 were estimated for each state, with the
total PPA potential capped at EIA electricity sales totals for industrial-scale consumers.15
There may be smaller buildings owned by large corporations that could be part of a PPA portfolio, but
these potential consumers are not currently captured in estimates based on applicable building sizes.
This could lead to underestimating total consumer access to off-site PPAs. Another factor that was not
considered is the creditworthiness of potential consumers, which could limit PPA viability.
For on-site generation, smaller physical PPAs of potential rooftop solar installations on the consumer
side of the meter were included if authorized by the state. The on-site generation of green power is
further driven by other policy constraints, such as net-metering caps. Additionally, limitations are
created by nonpolicy constraints, such as a project site's physical suitability. (See the on-site self-
generation supply option section for an explanation of the methodology to assess on-site green power
potential, along with a discussion of these constraints.)
Physical PPAs
Physical PPAs are long-term contracts (often 10 to 20 years) between an organization purchasing green
power and a party that generates that electricity. Both the consumer and producer must be within the
same power market to allow for the electricity's physical delivery. State authorization of PPAs can
include projects that are located both on-site and off-site.
As of 2018, physical PPAs are offered in 27 states (typically states with competitive electricity markets).
Based on the total estimated electricity sales for buildings large enough to support off-site PPAs and the
14 ICF's CHP Technical Potential Database includes estimates for energy loads from commercial, institutional and industrial buildings that are
large enough to support a combined heat and power installation sized 50 kW or larger. This includes all buildings that would be sized large
enough to support a 10 MW wind energy contract (the smallest known PPA as of March 2018).
15 U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Sales (Consumption), Revenue, Prices & Customers, by State and Utility, data released
November 6, 2017, accessed March 2018.
12 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
estimated potential for on-site rooftop solar installations, physical PPAs could provide access to an
estimated 21.8 million consumers (15.9% of U.S. total) while providing approximately 659 billion kWh of
renewable energy consumption (20.9% of U.S. total). These figures do not account for the project's
financial feasibility or the creditworthiness and technical and spatial limitations of eligible consumers.
Figure 5 shows the states that allow physical PPAs.
Figure 5. States Authorizing Physical PPAs (third-party ownership)
State allows physical PPAs
Financial PPAs
Financial PPAs for green power, also known as "virtual PPAs/' are financial contracts between a green
power generator (seller) and a green power consumer (buyer). Under this supply option, the buyer often
receives the RECs associated with the project, but the physical power is sold into the wholesale power
market by the project developer. Given the complexity of negotiating, transacting, and executing a
financial PPA, this green power supply option is limited to large, creditworthy commercial and industrial
consumers.
Financial PPAs are not regulated by states16 and can be considered as a nationwide green power
procurement option. For the analysis, the same methodology for off-site physical PPAs was applied:
Estimating the total potential for buildings that could support a 10 MW wind energy contract in each
state and capping the total potential at ElA-reported industrial-scale electricity sales.17 While this
analysis assumed that each building was a potential PPA consumer, data limitations prevented the
analysis from looking at the aggregation of multiple facilities for a single buyer, which is likely to be the
16 If not structured properly, financial PPAs can trigger special accounting requirements under federal tax regulations.
17 U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Sales (Consumption), Revenue, Prices & Customers, by State and Utility, data released
November 6, 2017, accessed March 2018.
13
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
most practical approach for this supply option. Therefore, this analysis may not reflect the true access
potential of this supply option. However, it is also true that financial PPAs are primarily only in the
domain of large corporate or institutional buyers.
The analysis identified an estimated 756 billion kWh of potential for financial PPAs (23.9% of U.S. total).
However, with minimum annual consumption set to output from a 10 MW wind energy project, only
approximately 212,000 estimated consumers are eligible in the United States (0.2% of U.S. total). These
figures do not account for the financial feasibility of projects or the creditworthiness and technical
limitations of eligible consumers. Despite the data limitations of this analysis, it is still reasonable to
assume that financial PPAs are only accessible to larger, more sophisticated buyers, even if aggregation
was considered. Financial PPAs provide a strong mechanism for a small number of businesses to make a
large impact on green power adoption.
RENEWABLE (GREEN) ENERGY TARIFFS
Renewable (green) energy tariffs, also called "sleeved contracts," are utility-facilitated offerings that
allow individual consumers to purchase green power from a renewable generator through a long-term
contract. This option is mostly only available to commercial and industrial consumers,18 sometimes with
a minimum size requirement put in place. This supply option analysis used data from WRI,19 utility rate-
cases, and state proceedings to determine the number of utilities offering this supply option and
associated limitations such as capacity, consumer class, and length of contracts.
As of 2018, 16 utilities were offering renewable (green) energy tariffs, providing access to an estimated
3.2 million consumers (2.4% of U.S. total) and the potential for an estimated 76 billion kWh (2.4% of U.S.
total). Renewable (green) energy tariffs are typically targeted toward large consumers in traditional,
non-competitive markets. Some utilities have program caps that limit the total permitted RECs allowed.
Although these caps can potentially be expanded in the future, this analysis assumed the current caps as
the limit on access to this green power option.20
COMMUNITY SOLAR AND SHARED RENEWABLES
Community solar and shared renewables are supply options that allow multiple consumers to buy, lease,
or subscribe to a portion of a shared renewable electricity project often located off site from their home
or business. The program can be local community-owned, utility-owned or facilitated, or third-party
owned. This option is primarily for residential and commercial consumers and is offered in 17 states,
shown in Figure 6 below. However, some states do not allow consumers to retain REC ownership. In
contrast, in some states, the REC ownership is determined on a project-by-project basis.
For this supply option, the analysis assumes that the consumers have REC ownership in those states
where the community solar policies do not explicitly clarify or determine the ownership of RECs. While
18 Xcel Energy tariffs are open to the residential consumer class in Colorado and Minnesota.
19 Letha Tawney, Priya Barua, and Celine Bonugli, "Emerging Green Tariffs in U.S. Regulated Electricity Markets," World Resources Institute,
February 2018.
20 "U.S. Renewable Energy Map: A Guide for Corporate Buyers," World Resources Institute, May 2017. http://www.wri.org/resources/maps/us-
re-corporate-buvers-map
14
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
consumers could potentially receive the RECs, most are not likely to do so in practice. Either through
lack of awareness or based on developer interests to improve the economic opportunity for subscribers
only. Thus, potential consumer access to RECs may be limited, as the ownership of RECs might be
determined by the transactions or contracts of each community solar or shared renewables project.
In states that allow consumer-owned RECs from community solar and shared renewables projects, more
than 54 million consumers have access (40% of U.S. total) and approximately 270 billion kWh of
potential green power use (8.6% of U.S. total). Figure 6 shows the states that allow community solar and
shared renewables, distinguished by whether the consumers are allowed to own the RECs.
Figure 6. States With Community Solar and Shared Renewables State Policies
ON-SITE GENERATION
On-site generation is when a consumer either owns or leases a renewable electricity project housed on
the consumer's property. Leasing a green power project is also considered a physical PPA, although this
can also be located off site.
The on-site generation option is available to all consumer segments in all states, limited only by site
suitability characteristics. However, physical PPAs are limited to 27 states, as discussed in the "Physical
PPAs" supply option section. For this analysis, only on-site solar PV potential was considered21 since it is
the most common form of on-site generation and can be used as a proxy to measure the total green
21 Pieter Gagnon, Robert Margolis, Jennifer Melius, Caleb Phillips, and Ryan Elmore, "Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the
United States: A Detailed Assessment," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, January 2016. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl6osti/65298.pdf
15
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
power potential in a state. Because the results are based only on the rooftop technical potential from
the NREL analysis22 for solar PV generation, the assessment underestimates the potential to install PV
panels on parking lot canopies, or privately owned land suitable for solar power generation.
Additionally, the analysis limits the potential to generate green power only to solar PV, thus
underestimating the total access to green power. However, the analysis does not include economic
factors, site load limitations, or net metering caps that may influence the size and viability of on-site
generation options. This may lead to some overestimating of on-site generation potential, particularly in
the residential sector.
Based on NREL's solar technical site potential estimates, an estimated 33.7 million consumers can access
green power through on-site generation (24.7% of U.S. consumers), and there is an estimated 570 billion
kWh of potential green power use (18.1% of U.S. electricity sales).23 The residential sector accounts for
more than 90% of potential consumers for on-site green power and an estimated 57% of the total
potential for electricity consumption from on-site generation.
SUMMARY OF U.S. GREEN POWER ACCESS
Some states have several renewable energy procurement options available to residential and/or non-
residential consumers, while others are more limited. Data for each green power supply option was
assembled and consolidated, considering potential overlap in states with multiple green power access
options to avoid double-counting. The total number of consumers with access to a green power option
outside of retail RECs is estimated for each state. States with multiple policy-based procurement options
are more likely to provide extensive green power access than states with one or zero policy-based
options. The number of policy-based options for green power access is quantified in Figure 7. Note that
the presence of a policy-based option does not indicate full coverage for a state, as most policies only
apply to certain utilities or consumer classes.
22 Ibid.
23 The data evaluated cover only the continental United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii due to credible data limitations, etc.
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
16
-------
Figure 7. Number of Policy-based* Green Power Access Options by State
Number of applicable
policy-based* options
* Financial PPAs , On-site generation, and Unbundled RECs are not included, as they are not considered to be policy-based options
Residential Green Power Access
When the different green power supply options are combined, approximately 84% of residential
consumers have access to at least one green power option outside of retail RECs, Nine states are
estimated to provide all residential electricity consumers with green power access through a
combination of green power supply options, and several more are close to providing access to all
consumers. Only four states - Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and West Virginia - do not provide
access to green power options outside of self-generation and retail RECs. Residential access to green
power by state is illustrated in Figure 8.
17
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Figure 8. Aggregate Green Power Access* for Residential Consumers as a Percentage of Total State
Residential Electricity Sales
While a high percentage of residential consumers nationwide have access to green power supply
options, many of these consumers have access to a limited number of options that may or may not suit
their needs. Utility green pricing programs are the most predominant green power access option for
residential consumers; however, these programs often represent a cost premium to the residential
consumer compared to standard electricity service.
Non-Residential Green Power Access
Compared to the residential sector, different procurement options are available to commercial and
industrial consumers. Unlike residential consumers, large non-residential customers have access to
physical and financial PPAs. These options cover a relatively small number of consumers but could be
applied to a relatively high percentage of electricity sales. As noted earlier, PPAs require scale,
creditworthiness, and a level of knowledge and sophistication to navigate some technical and market
aspects of these supply options.
The same four states - Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and West Virginia - that did not have access
to options outside of self-generation and retail RECs in the residential sector also offer no policy-based
options for non-residential consumers. However, large and credit-worthy consumers in these states
could potentially access financial PPAs. Eight states are estimated to provide all non-residential
electricity consumers with green power access through various supply options, and several more are
close to providing this same level of access. As discussed earlier, certain green power supply options
such as financial PPAs, physical PPAs, and renewable green tariffs are almost exclusively offered or
suitable to large non-residential consumers. The results of the analysis are summarized in Figure 9.
Percent of Residential
Consumers with
Green Power Access*
*Estimated access to one or more renewable energy options, not including access to retail RECs
18
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Figure 9. Aggregate Green Power Access* for Non-Residential Consumers as a Percentage of Total
State Non-Residential Electricity Sales
Excluding retail RECs, green power supply options are available to approximately 78% of non-residential
consumers in the United States and could be applied to 85% of non-residential electricity sales. Utility
green pricing programs are prominent for non-residential consumers. They are the only policy-based
green power access option in 12 states.
Consumers With Retail RECs as the Only Green Power Access Option
Retail RECs are a viable and credible option for procuring green power. They are the only supply option
for consumers who do not have access to the various other green power supply options reviewed in this
analysis. Retail RECs are available to all consumers without restriction. Consumers can access green
power by purchasing RECs that have been unbundled and are sold or billed separately from the
underlying electricity. Retail RECs are the only green power option for about 20% of U.S. consumers
nationwide.
For residential consumers, retail RECs are the only green power option for:
o 19.2 million consumers (~16% of total U.S. residential consumers)
o 286 billion kWh of electricity sales ("22% of total U.S. residential electricity sales)
For non-residential consumers, retail RECs are the only green power option for:
o 3.7 million consumers (~22% of total U.S. non-residential consumers)
Percent of Non-
Residential
Consumers with
Green Power Access*
'Estimated access to one or more renewable energy options, not including access to retail RECs
19
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
o 111 billion kWh of potential green power (~15% of total U.S. non-residential electricity
sales)
Overall, retail RECs are the only option for many consumers. For significantly more consumers, only one
or two additional green power access options are available. Therefore, increasing the number of viable
options will ensure more consumers have access to green power.
20
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Conclusions
The opportunity for compliance and voluntary demand to drive the electricity sector's transformation
and increase green power production is significant. However, drivers for the voluntary market inherently
rely on consumers having access to green power supply options. This report assessed the relative access
that U.S. consumers have to a range of voluntary green power supply options across residential,
commercial, and industrial consumer segments in each of the 50 U.S. states.
The analysis showed that green power supply options are not uniformly or equally accessible either
geographically or across residential, commercial, and industrial consumer segments. Individual state
policies play a significant role in providing consumers access to green power supply options. Due to the
highly variable state policy landscape, consumer access to green power is also decidedly uneven.
Approximately 16% of residential and 22% of commercial consumers have access to only one
green power supply option (e.g., retail RECs).
Except for retail RECs, no individual procurement option covers even half of the electricity
consumers or half of total U.S. electricity sales in the United States.
There is still much work to be done in today's market to make green power widely accessible.
The implications of these findings are important. Administrators of national programs that seek to
recognize environmental performance based on a voluntary green power use criterion should consider
whether specifying a narrow range of eligible green power supply options would either help or hinder
market transformation. Since many green power supply options are not widely available regionally or to
some consumer segments, narrow eligibility criteria tends to discourage voluntary demand.
The transformative market effect of voluntary demand relies on aggregated voluntary consumer action.
Voluntary green power use is still relatively uncommon in today's market, representing only about 3% of
total U.S. retail electricity sales.24 While some consumers have access to more than one green power
supply option, many do not have access to supply options that provide cost savings or economic benefits
compared to the consumers' standard electricity service offering.
Green power consists of three main attributes: energy benefits, economic benefits, and environmental
benefits. The procurement methods outlined in this paper feature different benefits related to energy
and economics. As the market continues to expand, consumers will weigh benefits differently.
Consumers must gain access to the benefits most important to them through multiple voluntary
procurement options to reduce barriers and continue expanding green power access.
24 U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, "Status and Trends in the Voluntary Market," 2019.
21
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Appendix A. Approach and Methodology for
Green Power Access Analysis
Below are the approaches to assessing the access to green power supply options, including the
resources and the assumptions underlying each assessment.
GENERAL ASSUMPTIONS
The analysis estimates only potential access to green power supply.
The analysis evaluates policies, mandates, and regulations that permit or limit consumer access
to green power.
The analysis evaluates consumer access to green power based on building type (i.e., residential
vs. non-residential) and relative building location within the state, utility, and market contexts.
The report does not explore economic considerations, incentives, social factors, motivation, and
other traits that may influence the decision to purchase green power.
The report aims to quantify current access to green power options and does not provide any
analysis or recommendations for renewable electricity policy or regulatory actions.
RENEWABLE (GREEN) ENERGY TARIFFS (SLEEVED CONTRACTS)
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Identify all states and corresponding utilities with current and pending Renewable
(Green) Tariffs.
Step 2: Identify consumer segments and other restrictions (minimum consumer loads, consumer
class, program caps, etc.) for all the identified renewable (green) energy tariff programs in Step
1.
Step 3a: Utilize EIA data to evaluate green power access based on States' restrictions (with no
electrical size limitations) and corresponding utilities identified in Step 2.
Step 3b: For states with electrical size limitations, utilize the ICF CHP Technical Potential
Database to determine the total number of buildings and electricity sales eligible for renewable
(green) energy tariffs.
Total electricity sales in MWhs calculated are limited by program caps for each renewable
(green) tariff, though the number of consumers with green power access remains the same.
Assumptions
Renewable (green) energy tariff contracts in Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Tennessee
have not been included in the database since these states do not have renewable tariff policies
22 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
and/or were involved in renewable contracts implemented separately between a third-party
organization and a utility.
The ICF CHP Technical Potential Database covers mainly commercial and industrial consumers.
Thus the data are provided in terms of buildings rather than individual companies.
Resources
WRI,25 NREL,26 individual utility websites, EIA data, and ICF CHP Technical Potential Database.
UTILITY GREEN PRICING PROGRAMS
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Gather the list of utility green pricing programs from NREL's Utility Green Pricing
Programs database.
Step 2: Utilize EIA data to evaluate green power access for each utility providing green pricing
programs, as identified in the NREL database discussed in Step 2.
Assumptions
Utility green pricing programs are assumed to be renewable energy procurement options for the
residential sector and commercial sector consumers only.
Resources
NREL27,28 and EIA data
COMPETITIVE GREEN POWER MARKETING PRODUCTS
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Identify all restructured states that provide electricity retail choice/direct access tariffs
and limitations by consumer segment class.
Step 2: Identify states with more than one retail renewable energy provider to ascertain
accessibility to green power across the state.
Step 3: Utilize EIA data to calculate the number of consumers and total electricity sales utilizing
the information provided in Step 1 and Step 2.
25 Letha Tawney, Priya Barua, and Celine Bonugli, "Emerging Green Tariffs in U.S. Regulated Electricity Markets," World Resources Institute,
February 2018.
26 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data),"
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
27 Eric O'Shaughnessy, "Utility Green Pricing Program List," National Renewable Energy Laboratory, January 2018.
https://www.nrel.gov/analvsis/green-power.html
28 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data),"
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
23
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Assumptions
The green power access assessment assumes that all consumers within a restructured state
have access to green power if more than one retail renewable energy provider has been
identified within the respective state boundaries.
Evaluating the retail energy providers by specific geographic region within a restructured state
to assess the number of consumers with green power access is beyond this task's scope.
Resources
Green-e certified resources database (CRS),29 American Coalition of Competitive Energy
Suppliers (ACEES),30 Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE),31
individual state utility commissions, NREL,32 EIA data, and ICF CHP Technical Potential Database.
PHYSICAL POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS (PPA)
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Identify all states that allow physical PPAs (authorization of third-party ownership of
power resources).
Step 2a: For off-site applications, within states identified in Step 1, utilize the 10 MW wind
installation (the lowest PPA by electric size implemented) - with an estimated 25% capacity
factor as the threshold criteria to evaluate the accessibility of green power within the large
commercial and industrial consumer segments.
Step 2b: Utilize the ICF CHP Technical Potential Database to apply electrical size limitations to
determine total number of buildings and electricity sales feasible for physical power purchase
agreements. However, the ICF database includes some facilities that self-generate electricity, so
each state's total potential is then capped at the reported industrial-scale electricity sales from
EIA. This represents the potential electricity sales to large consumers that could be converted to
PPAs.
Step 3: For on-site applications, within states identified in Step 1, include all residential and non-
residential consumers with measured on-site rooftop solar PV potential as evaluated under the
on-site self-generation green power supply options that utilizes the NREL analysis.33
29 "Find Green-e Certified - Renewable Energy," Green-e, Centerfor Resource Solutions (CRS), retrieved April 2018. https://www.green-
e.org/certified-resources
30 "State-by-state Information," American Coalition of Competitive Energy Suppliers, retrieved April 2018.
http://competitiveenergy.org/consumer-tools/state-bv-state-links
31 "Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency," a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy, the North Carolina Clean
Energy Technical Center, and North Carolina State University, https://www.dsireusa.org/
32 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data),"
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
33 Pieter Gagnon, Robert Margolis, Jennifer Melius, Caleb Phillips, and Ryan Elmore, "Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the
United States: A Detailed Assessment," National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), January 2016.
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl6osti/65298.pdf
24
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Step 4: Combine data from on-site and off-site applications measured in previous steps to
evaluate total access to green power through Physical PPA supply option.
Assumptions
Beyond Scope: Measuring the creditworthiness, financial feasibility, technical limitations, and
spatial limitations of an organization to be able to procure green power through physical PPAs.
Currently not considering corporations with potential for multi-state PPA portfolios due to lack
of available data.
The current analysis represents a snapshot in time and thus is limited by the information
available. For instance, in the future, the size of PPAs implemented might decrease further,
which will reduce the threshold criteria utilized as a part of this analysis. Furthermore,
innovations in aggregating demand could also change the findings.
Resources
Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) - Third-party Solar PPA
Policies,34 NREL,35 ElAdata, and ICF CHP Technical Potential Database.
FINANCIAL PPAs
Assessment Approach
Step 1: All states allow financial contracts (NREL).
Step 2: Within states identified in Step 1, utilize a 10 MW wind installation (the lowest PPA by
electric size implemented) with an estimated 25% capacity factor as the threshold criteria to
evaluate the accessibility of renewable energy within the large commercial and industrial
consumer segments.
Step 3: Utilize the ICF CHP Technical Potential Database to apply electrical size limitations to
determine the total number of buildings and electricity sales feasible for financial power
purchase agreements. However, the ICF database includes some facilities that self-generate
electricity, so each state's total potential is then capped at the reported industrial-scale
electricity sales from EIA. This represents the potential electricity sales to large consumers that
could be converted to PPAs.
Assumptions
Beyond Scope: Measuring the creditworthiness, financial feasibility, technical limitations, and
spatial limitations of an organization to be able to procure green power through physical PPAs.
34 "Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency', a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy," the North Carolina
Clean Energy Technical Center, and North Carolina State University, http://ncsolarcen-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-
content/uploads/2018/03/DSIRE 3rd-Partv-PPA March 2018.pdf
35 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data),"
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
25
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Currently not considering corporations with potential for multi-state PPA portfolios due to lack
of available data.
The current analysis is just a snapshot in time and thus limited by the information available
currently. For instance, in the future, the size of PPAs implemented might decrease further,
reducing the threshold criteria utilized as part of this analysis.
Resources
NREL,36 Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE),37 EIA data, and ICF
CHP Technical Potential Database.
COMMUNITY SOLAR/SHARED RENEWABLES
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Identify states that currently have policies that promote community solar/shared
renewables projects.
Step 2: Identify limitations within each community solar/shared renewable projects, including
based on policies in states identified in Step 1, with regards to:
o Renewable Energy ownership (e.g., REC ownership)
o Consumer class and electricity sale size
o Minimum/maximum number of participants
Step 3: Utilize EIA data to calculate renewable energy access by the number of consumers and
electricity sales based on the limitations identified.
o Ratios of residential to commercial consumers by each state were utilized along with solar
irradiance and program caps specific to each state to calculate renewable energy access.
Assumptions
States without legal policies that enable community solar/shared renewable projects have not
been considered for the Consumer Access to Green Power Supply assessment.
Consumers are assumed to have renewable energy ownership in states with community solar
policies that do not provide explicit clarification on renewable energy ownership or states where
the renewable energy ownership can vary by project.
Both residential and non-residential consumer segments are assumed to have access to
participation in community solar programs unless specified by the individual community solar
policy in the state.
36 Ibid.
37 "Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency," a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy, the North Carolina Clean
Energy Technical Center, and North Carolina State University, https://www.dsireusa.org/
26
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Resources
NREL,38 Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA),39 Shared Renewables website,40 and EIA data.
COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION (CCA)
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Identify the states that have mandatory CCA policies - 7 states only. Within the states,
identify regions/counties that have access to and/or are currently pursuing CCA programs.
Step 2: Utilize the data available from "Status and Trends from Voluntary Green Power Markets
(2016)" report to estimate the number of consumers and total electricity sales (MWh) with
green power access via community choice aggregation.
o Since all the identified CCA programs are opt-out, it is assumed that the total number of
consumers enrolled in CCA programs are equal to the total number of consumers with CCA
access.
Assumptions
States without legal policies that enable community choice aggregation have not been
considered for the Consumers Access to Green Power Supply Assessment.
Measuring the number of consumers who opted out of a CCA program (or the consumers with
access to renewabel energy through CCA but not utilizing the option) is beyond the scope of this
analysis.
Resources
NREL,41 Local Energy Aggregation Network (LEAN),42 and EIA data.
ON-SITE GENERATION
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Utilize NREL study on total solar potential by each state and building size to host on-site
generation as reference for total green power access for consumers in residential and non-
residential.
Step 2: Utilize EIA data to apply the percentage of buildings, total number of consumers, and
total electricity sales that can be generated using solar by consumers.
38 Jeffrey J. Cook and Monisha Shah, "Focusing the Sun: State Considerations for Designing Community Solar Policy," National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL), January 2018. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70663.pdf
39 "Community Solar," Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), retrieved April 2018. https://www.seia.org/initiatives/communitv-solar
40 "USA Shared Energy Map," Shared Renewables HQ, retrieved April 2018.
41 Eric O'Shaughnessy, Jenny Heeter, Jeff Cook, and Christina Volpi, "Status and Trends in the U.S. Voluntary Green Power Market (2016 Data)",
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), October 2017. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl8osti/70174.pdf
42 "CCA by State," Local Energy Aggregation Network (LEAN), retrieved April 2018. http://www.leanenergyus.org/cca-bv-state
27
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Assumptions
Solar is used as a proxy to estimate the total green power potential.
Identifying states that allow on-site generation of green power and identifying restrictions based
on generation size, location, etc., is beyond the scope of this study.
Percentage of small buildings (< 5000 sq. ft.) with solar potential is used to estimate potential
green power generation at the residential level.
Percentage of medium and large buildings (>5000 sq. ft.) is used to estimate potential green
power energy generation at the non-residential level.
Resources
NREL,43 IPOPScience,44 and EIA data.
43 Pieter Gagnon, Robert Margolis, Jennifer Melius, Caleb Phillips, and Ryan Elmore, "Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the
United States: A Detailed Assessment," National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), January 2016.
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fvl6osti/65298.pdf
44 Pieter Gagnon et al., "Estimating rooftop solartechnical potential across the US using a combination of GIS-based methods, lidardata, and
statistical modeling", 2018 Environ. Res. Lett. 13 024027. http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa554/pdf
28
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
EFFECT OF ASSUMPTIONS ON ESTIMATES FOR GREEN POWER ACCESS
Some of the assumptions made in assessing consumer access to green power may have led to overestimating the potential, while other
assumptions may have led to under-estimating the potential, in terms of the number of consumers, the total electricity consumption, or both of
these metrics. Table A.l summarizes the primary assumptions made for each green power procurement option and whether these assumptions
are believed to over or underestimate the potential access to green power.
Table A.l: Assumptions Made and Estimated Impact on Green Power Access Results
Impact of Assumptions on Green Power Access Assessment Results
Green Power Supply
Option
Key Assumption
Potential Impact on
Assessment Results
Additional Notes
Utility Green Pricing
Programs
Assumes only residential and commercial
customers of utilities have access to green
pricing programs.
Underestimate
Utility green pricing programs are typically offered to
residential and commercial customers, but some utilities may
offer this supply option to industrial customers, which could
increase the total green power access results.
Competitive Green
Marketing Products
Assumes that all consumers within a
restructured state have access to green
power if more than one retail green
power provider has been identified within
the respective state boundaries.
Overestimate
Though more than one competitive retail green power
supplier may be identified in a particular state, many of these
suppliers may serve limited geographical areas or consumer
segments (e.g., large accounts) in any specific state and may
increase the total green power access results.
Community Choice
Aggregation (CCA)
2016 NRELdata used for analysis due to
lack of other credible and updated
information.
Underestimate
CCA assessment reflects a snapshot in time of the total green
power access, as of 2016, underestimating the total
consumer access in the subsequent year of 2017.
Physical Power
Purchase Agreements
Beyond Scope: Measuring the
creditworthiness, financial feasibility,
technical limitations, and spatial
limitations of an organization to be able to
procure green power through physical
PPAs.
Overestimate
Typically, financial feasibility and creditworthiness play a key
role in entering a PPA agreement. Thus the assessment
overestimates the total access to green power through
physical PPA.
29 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Impact of Assumptions on Green Power Access Assessment Results
Green Power Supply
Option
Key Assumption
Potential Impact on
Assessment Results
Additional Notes
Assessment does not account for
consumer load aggregation. A single PPA
can be entered by a single consumer for a
portfolio of buildings spread across
multiple regions.
Underestimate
While a portfolio of buildings may be part of large
commercial establishments, this assumption (due to a lack of
credible data resources) underestimates total consumer
access to the physical PPA supply option, both in terms of the
amount of retail sales and the total number of consumers.
The smallest known off-site PPA-a 10
MW wind energy contract as of March
2018 - was used as a proxy to estimate
potential suitability to large commercial
and industrial consumers to execute a
physical PPA.
Underestimate
Since the analysis represents a snapshot in time, smaller PPA
contracts may be executed from the time of this analysis,
opening up a larger set-off for companies that may access
green power through PPA contracts.
Financial Power
Purchase Agreement
Beyond Scope: Measuring the
creditworthiness, financial feasibility,
technical limitations, and spatial
limitations of an organization to be able to
procure renewable energy through
financial PPAs.
Overestimate
Typically, financial feasibility and creditworthiness play a key
role in entering a PPA agreement. Thus the assessment
overestimates the total access to green power through
financial PPA.
Assessment does not account for
consumer load aggregation. A single PPA
can be entered by a single consumer for a
portfolio of buildings spread across
multiple regions.
Underestimate
While a portfolio of buildings may be part of large
commercial establishments, this assumption (due to a lack of
credible data resources) underestimates total consumer
access to the financial PPA supply option, both in terms of
the amount of retail sales and the total number of
consumers.
The smallest known off-site PPA-a 10
MW wind energy contract as of March
2018 - was used as a proxy to estimate
potential suitability to large commercial
and industrial consumers to execute a
financial PPA.
Underestimate
Since the analysis represents a snapshot in time, smaller PPA
contracts may be executed from the time of this analysis,
opening up a larger set-off for companies that may access
green power through PPA contracts.
30
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Impact of Assumptions on Green Power Access Assessment Results
Green Power Supply
Option
Key Assumption
Potential Impact on
Assessment Results
Additional Notes
Limiting the option to off-site
non-residential consumers.
Negligible
Though unlikely, residential consumers could feasibly enter
into a financial PPA agreement.
Renewable (Green)
Energy Tariffs
States without official renewable tariff
policies and separately negotiated
renewable tariffs (between utility and
third-party) have not been included.
Underestimate
Renewable energy tariff contracts in Alabama, Arizona, Iowa,
Oklahoma, and Tennessee45 have not been included in the
assessment since these states do not have renewable tariff
policies or involve renewable contracts implemented
independently between a third-party organization and utility.
Overall green power caps and individual
limits to accessing renewable tariff
programs are not assessed.
Overestimate
The analysis to evaluate renewable tariff access by program
cap or individual limits was beyond the scope of this effort,
and as such overestimates the total access to renewable
tariff supply option.
Community Solar/
Shared Renewables
States without legal policies that enable
community solar/shared renewable
projects have not been considered for the
Consumer Access to Green Power Supply
assessment.
Underestimate
Measuring accessibility to community solar/shared
renewables in states without legal policies can be inaccurate
due to lack of information on ownership of RECs associated
with the community solar programs, which may vary across
each project. This assumption (due to lack of data on legal
regulations) may underestimate total green power access.
Consumers are assumed to have REC
ownership in states with community solar
policies that do not provide explicit
clarification on REC ownership or in states
where the REC ownership can vary by
project.
Overestimate
While consumers could potentially receive the RECs, in
practice, most are not likely to receive either through lack of
awareness or based on developer interests to improve the
economic opportunity for subscribers by avoiding the cost of
REC purchase. Thus the potential consumer access to RECs
may be overestimated, as the ownership of RECs might be
determined by the transactions/contracts of each community
solar/shared renewables project.
45 Letha Tawney, Priya Barua and Celine Bonugli, "Emerging Green Tariffs in U.S. Regulated Electricity Markets," World Resources Institute, February 2018.
31
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Impact of Assumptions on Green Power Access Assessment Results
Green Power Supply
Option
Key Assumption
Potential Impact on
Assessment Results
Additional Notes
Both residential and non-residential
consumer segments are assumed to have
access to participate in community solar
programs unless specified by the
individual community solar policy in the
state.
Overestimate
May overestimate the total access to green power.
On-site Generation
Only rooftop solar PV potential was
considered.
Underestimate
The results might underestimate the ability to generate
green power through other green power resources.
Though typically limited, the assessment underestimates the
potential to generate RECs on privately owned land suitable
for solar power generation.
The analysis did not include local and state
limitations related to net-metering caps.
Overestimate
Net-metering limits the economic and interconnection limits
to renewable energy generation on-site but not the ability to
generate renewable energy for self-consumption, thereby
accessing RECs. Since economic incentives play a role in self-
financed green power generation, this assumption might
overestimate the total accessibility to green power.
32
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
EVALUATING STATEWIDE AGGREGATE GREEN POWER ACCESS
The green power access assessment evaluated the aggregate green power access for each state by the
number of consumers and total electricity sales from each green power access option available in each
state. Below is the approach utilized to account for the overlap in green power access by consumers and
total electricity sales.
As described earlier, retail RECs are a valid green power procurement option available to all consumers
across the United States without restrictions. Thus, retail RECs are assumed to be the default option for
consumers who do not have access to various greenpower procurement options discussed in this
analysis.
Assessment Approach
Step 1: Identify green power access options available in each state by residential and
non-residential consumer segments in each state and corresponding limitations in electricity
sales.
Step 2: Identify overlap by consumers and electricity sales in states with multiple green power
access options to estimate aggregate green power access.
o For instance, some residential consumers in Illinois have green power access to Utility
Green Pricing programs, Shared Community Solar, Community Choice Aggregation, and
Competitive Retail Choice.
Step 3: Utilize EIA and the ICF CHP Technical Potential Database (to apply the percentage of
buildings) to estimate the total aggregate green power access by consumers and electricity sales
in each state by consumer segment (excluding on-site generation potential).
Step 4a: For all states with less than 100% green power access estimated in Step 3, the on-site
generation potential is multiplied with the difference between total state electricity sales and
total electricity sales with green power access (evaluated in Step 3).
o Residential on-site generation potential is applied to the residential consumer segment
and similarly to the non-residential consumer segment.
Step 4b: The value calculated in Step 4a is added to the value estimated in Step 3 to calculate
the total green power access by state from the various green power procurement options
discussed in this analysis.
Step 5: Estimate the percentage of aggregate green power access by state by comparing with
total consumers and electricity sales data from EIA (2016).
Assumptions
Since the EIA data (utility data) and the ICF CHP Technical Potential Database (site-by-site
electricity load data) are not interchangeable, in cases where the aggregate green power access
analysis has conflict in the source data (EIA vs. ICF CHP Technical Potential Database), EIA data
was preferred and utilized.
33 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Thus, for some states data calculated in Step 3, the ICF CHP Technical Potential Database is replaced
with the corresponding state's EIA data.
34
National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Appendix B. Percentage of Consumers With Access to Voluntary
Green Power* and Potential Consumption by State
Table B.l: Percentage of States' Consumers With Access to Green Power Supply Options*
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
At least one
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
option available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Alabama
88%
84%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
19%
11%
90%
87%
Alaska
14%
13%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
14%
14%
Arizona
74%
71%
0%
0%
0%
0%
32%
4%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
32%
3%
82%
72%
Arkansas
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
23%
11%
23%
12%
California
51%
45%
0%
100%
4%
4%
44%
32%
0%
1%
0%
0%
100%
0%
44%
31%
100%
100%
Colorado
78%
77%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
18%
0%
1%
55%
57%
0%
0%
27%
17%
84%
81%
Connecticut
0%
0%
94%
88%
0%
0%
28%
24%
0%
2%
0%
0%
100%
98%
28%
22%
100%
100%
Delaware
0%
0%
86%
79%
0%
0%
22%
11%
0%
2%
0%
0%
100%
98%
22%
9%
100%
99%
35 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
At least one
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
option available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
District of
Columbia
0%
0%
100%
100%
0%
0%
4%
11%
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
100%
4%
11%
100%
100%
Florida
8%
8%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
30%
16%
36%
23%
Georgia
94%
88%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
14%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
12%
95%
90%
Hawaii
63%
54%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
1%
0%
0%
100%
99%
0%
0%
100%
99%
Idaho
87%
70%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
4%
90%
72%
Illinois
2%
3%
84%
81%
56%
56%
24%
14%
0%
1%
0%
0%
100%
99%
24%
13%
100%
99%
Indiana
62%
61%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
20%
9%
70%
65%
Iowa
81%
80%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
12%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
11%
86%
83%
Kansas
27%
20%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
14%
47%
32%
Kentucky
76%
71%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
16%
9%
80%
74%
Louisiana
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
18%
12%
18%
13%
Maine
0%
0%
96%
93%
0%
0%
40%
22%
0%
2%
0%
0%
100%
97%
40%
20%
100%
100%
36 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
At least one
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
option available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Maryland
0%
0%
99%
97%
0%
0%
21%
20%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
21%
17%
99%
98%
Massachusetts
2%
2%
82%
80%
33%
33%
26%
24%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
26%
22%
88%
73%
Michigan
87%
84%
83%
79%
0%
0%
31%
16%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
31%
15%
91%
87%
Minnesota
78%
69%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
48%
47%
100%
97%
23%
15%
83%
74%
Mississippi
24%
30%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
21%
11%
39%
38%
Missouri
44%
43%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
28%
15%
60%
52%
Montana
79%
73%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
1%
85%
74%
Nebraska
40%
22%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
20%
14%
52%
34%
Nevada
70%
65%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
19%
0%
1%
0%
94%
0%
0%
22%
18%
77%
72%
New Hampshire
0%
0%
99%
99%
0%
0%
32%
23%
0%
2%
0%
0%
100%
97%
32%
21%
100%
100%
New Jersey
0%
0%
98%
98%
0%
0%
25%
17%
0%
2%
0%
0%
100%
98%
25%
16%
100%
100%
New Mexico
89%
83%
0%
0%
0%
0%
33%
12%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
33%
11%
93%
85%
New York
0%
0%
81%
83%
2%
2%
25%
13%
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
100%
25%
13%
100%
100%
37 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
At least one
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
option available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
North Carolina
67%
59%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
100%
99%
24%
11%
100%
99%
North Dakota
21%
12%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
18%
6%
36%
19%
Ohio
14%
13%
77%
74%
4%
4%
23%
15%
0%
3%
0%
0%
0%
0%
23%
12%
84%
79%
Oklahoma
83%
77%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
17%
88%
81%
Oregon
91%
82%
0%
72%
0%
0%
23%
12%
0%
1%
0%
42%
100%
90%
23%
11%
100%
96%
Pennsylvania
0%
0%
94%
95%
0%
0%
23%
14%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
23%
11%
95%
95%
Rhode Island
0%
0%
99%
98%
0%
0%
31%
28%
0%
2%
0%
0%
100%
97%
31%
25%
100%
100%
South Carolina
55%
54%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
19%
7%
63%
58%
South Dakota
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
30%
9%
30%
11%
Tennessee
97%
96%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
10%
98%
97%
Texas
6%
5%
100%
100%
0%
0%
22%
14%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
13%
100%
100%
Utah
83%
76%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
11%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
9%
87%
79%
Vermont
72%
76%
0%
0%
0%
0%
40%
20%
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
100%
40%
20%
100%
100%
38 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
At least one
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
option available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Virginia
65%
60%
78%
77%
0%
0%
21%
13%
0%
1%
0%
59%
100%
99%
21%
12%
100%
80%
Washington
90%
83%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
100%
93%
18%
9%
100%
94%
West Virginia
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
17%
6%
17%
7%
Wisconsin
88%
86%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
6%
0%
0%
28%
13%
91%
88%
Wyoming
54%
48%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
13%
2%
60%
49%
Total U.S.
43%
42%
32%
39%
2%
2%
17%
10%
0%
1%
2%
5%
41%
29%
26%
14%
84%
78%
"Voluntary green power by definition means that the supply option gives REC ownership to the consumer and ensures that the use of green power goes above and beyond what would have
otherwise occurred absent voluntary procurement and goes beyond regulatory requirements.
1 Not including retail RECs.
2 Hawaii and Alaska were not evaluated for on-site self-generation as data was available only for the continental U.S.
39 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Table B.2: Percentage of States' Total Electricity Consumption Covered by Different Voluntary Green Power Supply Options*
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
At least one
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
option
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Alabama
89%
37%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
56%
0%
0%
0%
0%
19%
11%
91%
82%
Alaska
14%
3%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
34%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
14%
68%
Arizona
79%
55%
0%
0%
0%
0%
32%
36%
0%
33%
0%
0%
0%
0%
32%
3%
86%
80%
Arkansas
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
57%
0%
0%
0%
0%
23%
11%
23%
68%
California
53%
41%
0%
100%
1%
1%
44%
59%
0%
28%
0%
0%
1%
0%
44%
31%
73%
100%
Colorado
77%
48%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
59%
0%
42%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
17%
83%
81%
Connecticut
0%
0%
94%
65%
0%
0%
28%
43%
0%
21%
0%
0%
0%
0%
28%
22%
95%
73%
Delaware
0%
0%
87%
47%
0%
0%
22%
45%
0%
36%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
9%
56%
52%
District of
Columbia
0%
0%
100%
100%
0%
0%
4%
11%
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
100%
4%
11%
100%
100%
Florida
8%
8%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
15%
0%
0%
0%
0%
30%
16%
36%
62%
Georgia
95%
53%
0%
49%
0%
0%
22%
53%
0%
40%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
12%
96%
89%
40 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
At least one
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
option
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Hawaii
63%
32%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
55%
0%
55%
0%
0%
100%
45%
0%
0%
63%
61%
Idaho
86%
37%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
43%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
4%
89%
68%
Illinois
3%
4%
78%
62%
11%
11%
24%
39%
0%
26%
0%
0%
100%
74%
24%
13%
100%
90%
Indiana
62%
21%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
66%
0%
0%
0%
0%
20%
9%
69%
88%
Iowa
78%
29%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
66%
0%
55%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
11%
84%
74%
Kansas
26%
16%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
42%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
14%
46%
64%
Kentucky
76%
31%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
59%
0%
5%
0%
0%
16%
9%
80%
91%
Louisiana
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
59%
0%
0%
0%
0%
18%
12%
18%
64%
Maine
0%
0%
96%
92%
0%
0%
40%
32%
0%
12%
0%
0%
100%
88%
40%
20%
100%
97%
Maryland
0%
0%
99%
96%
0%
0%
21%
23%
0%
6%
0%
0%
0%
0%
21%
17%
99%
97%
Massachusetts
3%
4%
78%
52%
2%
2%
26%
54%
0%
33%
0%
0%
0%
0%
26%
22%
86%
63%
Michigan
87%
52%
84%
81%
0%
0%
31%
57%
0%
42%
0%
23%
0%
0%
31%
15%
91%
86%
41 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
At least one
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
option
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Minnesota
77%
41%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
47%
40%
0%
6%
3%
23%
15%
82%
89%
Mississippi
24%
11%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
53%
0%
0%
0%
0%
21%
11%
40%
68%
Missouri
46%
35%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
31%
0%
1%
0%
0%
28%
15%
61%
71%
Montana
75%
58%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
28%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
1%
82%
86%
Nebraska
38%
18%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
48%
0%
3%
0%
0%
20%
14%
51%
64%
Nevada
76%
24%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
66%
0%
48%
0%
1%
0%
0%
22%
18%
81%
51%
New Hampshire
0%
0%
99%
98%
0%
0%
32%
33%
0%
12%
0%
0%
100%
88%
32%
21%
100%
99%
New Jersey
0%
0%
98%
96%
0%
0%
25%
25%
0%
10%
0%
0%
100%
90%
25%
16%
100%
98%
New Mexico
96%
53%
0%
0%
0%
0%
33%
57%
0%
46%
0%
0%
0%
0%
33%
11%
97%
97%
New York
0%
0%
74%
63%
0%
0%
25%
21%
0%
9%
0%
0%
100%
91%
25%
13%
100%
97%
North Carolina
68%
50%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
35%
0%
1%
0%
0%
24%
11%
75%
88%
North Dakota
26%
4%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
29%
0%
0%
0%
0%
18%
6%
40%
35%
42 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
At least one
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
option
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Ohio
14%
8%
75%
47%
1%
1%
23%
58%
0%
46%
0%
0%
0%
0%
23%
12%
82%
73%
Oklahoma
83%
47%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
41%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
17%
88%
78%
Oregon
89%
54%
0%
65%
0%
0%
23%
54%
0%
43%
0%
2%
100%
57%
23%
11%
100%
90%
Pennsylvania
0%
0%
94%
88%
0%
0%
23%
30%
0%
19%
0%
0%
0%
0%
23%
11%
95%
90%
Rhode Island
0%
0%
99%
97%
0%
0%
31%
37%
0%
11%
0%
0%
1%
1%
31%
25%
99%
98%
South Carolina
57%
21%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
55%
0%
0%
0%
0%
19%
7%
65%
84%
South Dakota
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
38%
0%
0%
0%
0%
30%
9%
30%
49%
Tennessee
97%
57%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
40%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
10%
98%
93%
Texas
6%
3%
100%
100%
0%
0%
22%
56%
0%
43%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
13%
100%
100%
Utah
84%
47%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
54%
0%
45%
0%
33%
0%
0%
25%
9%
88%
82%
Vermont
75%
45%
0%
0%
0%
0%
40%
62%
0%
42%
0%
0%
100%
58%
40%
20%
100%
100%
Virginia
64%
61%
77%
86%
0%
0%
21%
38%
0%
26%
0%
61%
0%
0%
21%
12%
82%
94%
43 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
-------
Green Power Supply Options
Competitive
Financial
Total
State
Utility Green
Green
Community
Physical Power
Power
Renewable
Community
At least one
Pricing
Marketing
Choice
Purchase
Purchase
Energy (Green)
Solar/Shared
On-site Self
option
Programs
Products
Aggregation
Agreements
Agreements
Tariffs
Renewables
Generation
available
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Res
Non-
Res
Washington
87%
47%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
45%
0%
0%
100%
55%
18%
9%
100%
96%
West Virginia
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
53%
0%
0%
0%
0%
17%
6%
17%
56%
Wisconsin
88%
45%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
50%
0%
0%
0%
0%
28%
13%
92%
52%
Wyoming
56%
12%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
51%
0%
2%
0%
0%
13%
2%
62%
16%
Total U.S.
43%
29%
30%
34%
0%
0%
14%
26%
0%
41%
1%
4%
12%
6%
25%
13%
78%
85%
*Voluntary green power by definition means that the supply option gives REC ownership to the consumer and ensures that the use of green power goes above and beyond what would have
otherwise occurred absent voluntary procurement and goes beyond regulatory requirements.
1 Not including retail RECs.
2 Hawaii and Alaska were not evaluated for on-site self-generation as data was available only for the continental U.S.
44 I National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations
------- |