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Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, good morning and thank you for the opportunity to address you regarding HB 2013.
CEP heartily supports a Renewable Portfolio Standard for Kansas to:
• Increase diversity and security of our energy supply;
• Reduce volatility of power prices, given zero fuel cost;
• Provide additional income to host landowners and counties;
• Create jobs;
• Increase investors’ and developers’ confidence in Kansas prospects;
• Invite manufacturing.
With over 30 existing Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United
States, data on challenges and successes is increasingly available.
Reports by EPA, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (linked below) identify key
elements of successful policy.
HB 2013 contains many of these successful elements: clearly defined
goals, a long timeline to encourage investment, specification of
eligible renewable resources, inclusion of net metering capacity toward
utility targets, and the selection of KCC to implement.
Additional aspects that would, according to the above reports, strengthen HB 2013 to best practice:
• Consider using energy generation rather than installed nameplate capacity as a target;
• Consider specifying whether existing and out-of-state generation,
including federal hydropower and Renewable Energy Certificate
purchases, count toward target;
• Consider cost recovery mechanism for utilities;
• Consider enforcement mechanism for noncompliance (alternative
compliance payments are frequently used to support new renewable energy
generation).
Further possibilities that may serve Kansas:
• Incentives for preferred energy development such as community wind,
solar, and distributed generation (Colorado credits in-state
electricity at 125% and community-owned wind at 150%);
• REC tracking system to ensure viability of generation to meet target.
CEP drew from the following reports, which contain excellent data for your consideration:
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy08osti/41409.pdf
http://epa.gov/CHP/state-policy/renewable_fs.html
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/lbnl-154e.pdf --- Nancy Jackson, www.climateandenergy.org For notes on the hearing, click here.
- If you would like to find your legislator and contact them about any specific piece of legislation, click here.
- For specific bill tracking, check out KNRC.
- For questions on the legislative process, call the Kansas Legislative Hotline - 1-800-432-3924, or check out the legislature's website.
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