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Mid-Year Update Highlights Recent U.S. Green Tariff Programs

New information supplements existing resources outlining 36 approved or pending programs in 19 states

As demand for renewable energy continues to expand, CEBA remains committed to developing resources for large energy buyers to take advantage of new and existing methods to procure renewable energy. One option is green tariffs, which are programs offered by electric utilities that allow eligible customers in traditional, regulated markets to buy energy from a renewable energy project. Since the first green tariff was proposed in 2013, 19 programs have brought more than 3.7 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy to the electric grid.

To help its members identify green tariff opportunities across the U.S., CEBA has released a Mid-Year Green Tariff Update. The update highlights nine recently approved green tariff programs and supplements the U.S. Electricity Markets: Utility Green Tariff Update, which was released in 2019 and describes 31 green tariff programs that had been approved or proposed across 18 states.

Compiled in collaboration with colleagues at the World Resources Institute, the July 2020 update summarizes changes and approvals to green tariff programs in Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, Virginia, and Wyoming. Seven of the programs are offered by utilities that already have green tariff offerings in place while the remaining two are offered by utilities new to green tariffs. This brings the total number of approved or pending programs to 36 in 19 states.

Looking forward, trends in green tariff offerings are encouraging due to changes in program size and eligibility. While most offerings have ranged from 50-400 megawatts in the past, two programs approved in the last six months have met or exceeded 1 gigawatt. There is also a shift from using green tariffs to target new customers and generate load growth to focus on meeting the needs of existing customers. Additional information about these trends will be available in the next full green tariff report, which is scheduled to be released in October 2020 .

Members can access the full Green Tariff Update on the CEBA InterConnect, our member portal, our member portal. If you are interested in learning more about green tariffs, email innovation@cebuyers.org.

If you are interested in becoming a CEBA member to access the Green Tariff Update and additional resources on the CEBA InterConnect, our member portal, our member portal, please contact the CEBA Membership Team at membership@cebuyers.org.