The Clean Energy Standard (CES) was created to assist in reaching Massachusetts’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals adopted pursuant to the Climate Protection and Green Economy Act. The CES requires retail electricity sellers to demonstrate on an annual basis the use of clean energy for the generation of specific electricity sale percentages.

Clean Generation Resources

The CES allows two types of clean generation resources, those from existing units and those from new units. Clean existing generation refers to existing nuclear and hydroelectric generating units that have a capacity of more than 30 MW, started operations before 2011, and are

On August 9, 2018, An Act to Advance Clean Energy (H.B. 4857) was signed into law, requiring the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to develop the Clean Peak Energy Standard (CPS). The DOER officially established the first CPS in the nation in July 2020, directing retail electricity suppliers and distribution companies to meet a baseline minimum percentage of sales with qualified clean peak resources (those that dispatch or discharge to the distribution system during seasonal peak periods or reduce system load). Municipal lighting plants in Massachusetts are exempt from the standard. 

Qualified Clean Peak Resources

As part of

On April 15, 2020, the New Orleans City Council adopted a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) via Resolution R-20-104, with the goal to eliminate carbon emissions in 2050 and reach net-zero emissions in 2040. Entergy New Orleans must follow the standard.

Eligible Technologies and Resources

RCPS eligibility is broken down into three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 resources.

Tier 1 resources are any renewable energy resources (solar thermal, PV, wind, geothermal, fuel cell using renewable, hydroelectric, ocean wave, ocean thermal, tidal current, any additions/enchantments to such facilities), certain energy storage resources (batteries, flow batteries, fuel

New Mexico provides a 10% personal income tax credit (up to $6,000) for taxpayers that own a residence, business, or agricultural enterprise who purchase and install certified photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal systems on their property. Eligible systems include grid-tied commercial and industrial PV systems, off-grid and grid-tied residential PV systems, active solar thermal systems, and systems with or without storage. To be eligible, systems must first be certified by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The taxpayer must then apply for the tax credit with the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department within 12 months of

The community renewable energy program in Massachusetts was first brought to legislation on July 2nd, 2008 through Chapter 169 of the Act of 2008 within Massachusetts' session laws. This Act introduced "neighborhood net metering" to Massachusetts, establishing the framework for community net metering projects. Neighborhood net metering is any Class I, II or III net metering facility serving 10 or more residential customers, served by a single distribution company and located within the customers' neighborhood. Net metering facility classification definitions may be found within the act here.

An important addition to neighborhood net metering comes from the Code of

On September 17th, 2021, the Governor of the State of Delaware signed into law Senate Bill 2, which amended the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act and the Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1999 to accelarate the adoption of community-owned solar photovoltaic systems in Delaware and to establish a process relating to community-owned energy generating facilities (CEFS).

Below are some of the key features of this program.

1. The community-owned energy generating facility shall not have subscriptions larger than 200 kilowatts constituting more than 60% of its capacity.
   
2. A community-owned energy generating facility shall not exceed a capacity of 4 megawatts.
3. The

New Jersey's community solar program is governed by the Solar Act of 2021 (L. 2021, c. 169) which established a new Successor Solar Incentive Program, also known as the “SuSI Program”. The SuSI Program implements the Clean Energy Act of 2018 (L. 2018, c.17) and the Solar Act of 2021 (L. 2021, c. 169). The SuSI Program provides incentives to eligible solar facilities to enable the continued efficient and orderly development of solar renewable energy generating sources throughout the state.

The program provides one New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Certificate-II (NJ SREC–II) for every megawatt-hour (MWh) of solar electricity produced

Residents or businesses can choose to invest in, or lease, a renewable energy system installation on the rooftops of their homes or businesses, or on their properties. However, some Connecticut residents and businesses are either not able to, or elect not to, invest in or lease an individual property installation for a variety of reasons (e.g., high installation costs, unsuitable rooftop orientation, shaded property, or because they rent instead of own their properties). Subscription to a shared clean energy facility (SCEF) provides an option that can be used to overcome such barriers, thereby expanding access to renewable energy to more

Community Solar in the state of Maine is governed by by P.L. 2019 c. 478, P.L. 2021 c.390, and Chapter 313 of the Public Utility Commissions (PUC) rules. These rules govern the state's Net Energy Billing (NEB) Policy. Under NEB there are two programs which customers can participate in "Community" or shared renewable projects, a kWh credit program, which is available to all electric utility customers, and a tariff rate program, which is available to non-residential customers.

The kWh program allows customers to choose to participate in a larger project on a “shared” basis with other customers. These