Clean Energy Finance Forum

Seven states – Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, South Carolina, and Vermont – have enacted legislation to promote pollinator-friendly solar development. A new white paper by the Clean Energy States Alliance provides an overview of these state efforts and offers suggestions for what other states can do to promote solar while also creating or preserving healthy habitats for pollinators.

"In Washington and many other states, we are using innovation and cooperation to grow jobs and protect the planet. As Washington’s governor, I know firsthand the obstacles states face when they respond to increasingly devastating floods, wildfires, and earthquakes, and other catastrophes made worse by a changing climate."

A projected spike in the rate Xcel Energy pays community solar projects caused stakeholders to reassess the formula.

CenterPoint Energy proposed a green tariff for renewable natural gas that was rejected by Minnesota regulators, but the utility says the fuel is a viable path to decarbonization.

Minnesota utilities have recently filed transportation electrification proposals with state regulators, sketching out how they plan to help grow electric vehicle adoption through development of incentives, charging infrastructure and new rates.

On June 26th, Governor Janet Mills signed new legislation to broaden customer access to net metering (known in Maine as net energy billing) and to promote distributed energy generation, including through competitive procurements for long-term contracts with the state’s transmission and distribution utilities.

Some residents are concerned about environmental impacts from proposed transmission lines.

More than a dozen states are adopting “community solar” programs that are bringing solar power and lower energy bills to low-income households from New York to California.