OHIO GOES FOR 25 BY ‘25

Ohio's Governor Strickland wants his state to become the 26th to mandate a requirement for its utilities to obtain a portion of their electricity from renewable sources.

NewEnergyNews continues to advocate for dropping the arcane phrase “Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)” in favor of the more obvious phrase “Renewable Electricity Standard (RES),” notwithstanding the Ohio governor’s use of “advanced energy” in this legislative proposal.

Ohio’s goal of ‘advanced energy’ by 2025 deemed achievable
Jim Provance, August 31, 2007 (The Toledo Blade)

WHO
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, PUCO Chairman Alan Schriber

Ohio wind energy industry component manufacturers. (click to enlarge)

WHAT
Strickland has proposed legislation for a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) mandating that Ohio utilities obtain 25% of their electricity from “advanced energy.”

WHEN
- Strickland would require reaching the goal by 2025. His proposal was announced August 29.
- Ohio electricity deregulation goes into effect Jan. 1, 2009, and many state legislators want to postpone action on renewable electricity until after that is handled.

WHERE
The standard would apply to Ohio.

WHY
- Strickland’s “advanced energy includes fuel cells, clean coal & nuclear as well as renewable sources (solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, landfill gases).
- Half (12.5%) of the 25% would be required to come from renewables.
- Half must also be generated in Ohio.
- Much of Strickland’s emphasis has been on the development of Ohio’s significant wind energy resources but the legislation also pushes solar tech development. The University of Toledo is doing cutting-edge photovoltaic research.
- Strickland has been getting opposition from utilities and industry for the stiff mandate and from environmental groups because it is not stiff enough and because it includes nuclear.
- Republican legislators want to wait until electricity deregulation is in place before dealing with an “alternative energy” standard.

Ohio solar energy industry component manufacturers. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Strickland: "We want that standard to be firm, but we also understand that it would be desirable for us to have a kind of flexibility as we move toward achieving that standard…I would expect the [Public Utilities Commission of Ohio] to continue to monitor the efforts toward achieving that standard.''
- Schriber: "We think it's achievable…2025 is a long way off. A lot can happen. We could have 50 percent advanced energy by 2025. On the other hand, if we find there's an economic or technical struggle, we would have the ability to revisit it.''
- Erin Bowser, Environment Ohio: "Illinois - a state much like Ohio in that it is a large manufacturing state, a big coal state, and a big nuclear state - just passed a renewable energy standard that is 25 percent all clean renewable energy by 2025…It's one of the most aggressive in the country.'' (NewEnergyNews: Politically, Ohio may be a long way from Illinois.)