State CES implementation and analysis: How state policy design affects clean energy deployment and emissions reductions

A growing number of states are adopting goals that target carbon-free or net-zero-carbon economies. For the electricity sector, clean energy standards (CES) are one of the available tools for achieving emissions reductions. Although this type of state legislation typically includes long-term targets (e.g., 100% by 2050), the precise details concerning implementation remain largely unclear or undefined. Choices surrounding CES design include, but are not limited to: which load-serving entities the standard applies to; how to determine the required quantity of clean energy credits to be procured in a given period; which technologies are eligible for producing credits; and whether and how credits can be traded with other states. 

 The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) will host an interactive meeting with researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), open exclusively to state and federal employees. In this meeting, NREL researchers will showcase preliminary analysis demonstrating the impact of varying policy design choices on future state energy portfolios. The presentation will briefly discuss how state CESs are incorporated into a long-term planning model for the U.S. electricity sector and subsequently illustrate the effect of different policy levers on state-wide emissions, system costs, capacity additions and retirements, and other key metrics. Following the presentation, NREL will lead a moderated discussion, engaging state regulators, planners, and experts to better inform analysis surrounding CES definition. Through this discussion, NREL hopes to facilitate knowledge sharing amongst individual states and gain a more comprehensive understanding of state energy legislation for implementation in future analysis.  

To register, please email Meghan at [email protected]. You must be a state or federal employee to register. Please fill out this short set of questions to help guide our discussion.