Pennsylvania Green Energy Requirements

Pennsylvania is a major producer and exporter of coal and natural gas. The state has stayed loyal to fossil fuel generation while other states have actively and intentionally steered away from them. Energy sources have started to slowly shift in Pennsylvania in recent years though, as wind, solar, biomass, and other renewable energy sources have become more and more attractive to power providers due to a growing number of Green Energy government and industry incentives. Loans, grants, and other renewable energy programs have been helping Pennsylvania to ultimately reach its Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard requirement of 18% by the year 2020.

What is a State Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard?

The Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard is a governmental energy policy that is designed to increase electric generation from surrounding renewable state resources. Electric providers enter the percentage of renewable power into their energy portfolios, along with where their power comes from, and from what sources the power was generated. This requirement provides consumers a chance to compare electric choices in Pennsylvania by reviewing the power provider's mandatory Electricity Generation Disclosure Statement (EGDS).

What is Green Energy?

Forms of Green renewable energy sources that comprise Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio are solar energy, wind power, hydroelectric dams, and geothermal energy, either from in-state production or from sources out-of-state. The AEPS also provides a solar set-aside, which mandates that a certain percentage of electricity should be generated by solar photovoltaic systems as well (Solar Panels). All of these diverse alternative energy resources combined help to bring Pennsylvania's electric rates down.

Five Quick - Solar Energy Industries Association - Green Facts:

Solar power growth has risen 60% over the past decade. The Solar Investment Tax Credit has fueled solar installation growth by 1600% since being enacted in 2006. The solar energy industry provides jobs to 260,000 American workers. That number is expected to rise to 360,000 workers by 2021. Shelf Life: The average home warranty period for a standard home solar system panel is up to 25 years; making initial installation a long term investment with instant gratification as far as early-on savings benefits from both subsidies and energy consumption savings. Nuclear reactors rely on fission from colliding uranium atoms to produce heat, then electricity. The sun uses the vastly more powerful and efficient nuclear fusion with which to power the Earth and our surrounding solar system.

Why Require State Alternative Energy Standards?

By setting green energy requirements nationally, the environment is the obvious winner, but iy is not the only winner. Pennsylvania electric providers end up gaining access to easily sustainable energy resources, then, local consumer electric rates become lower, due in part to those increasingly available multiple new resources. A win-win situation for both sides of the Pennsylvania energy market!

Green technology and social awareness are also encouraged by ongoing governmental incentive programs that then help comfortably nudge states away from having to rely on fossil fuels. Green energy is the best alternative solution for state electric providers to do this.

The fact that Green Energy doesn't run out like fossil fuel ensures both suppliers and consumers a renewable power source with substantial governmental allowances designed to promote cheaper ?Green? electric service.

Green Energy Tax Incentives

The Solar Investment Tax Credit (SITC) is a federal incentive program that promotes the distribution of solar power energy usage throughout the United States. The tax incentive was created by the Department of Energy to subsidize solar energy systems for residential and commercial use. This federal tax credit allows both businesses and consumers alike to deduct 30% of the cost of solar power installation from their federal taxes. The tax credit was due to run out in 2016, but it was then extended by the U.S. Congress to 2021, due in part to extensive Green Energy lobbying, thus giving investors in the ?Green? industry a sense of needed stability when it comes to the future market for alternative energy sources.