The Examiner’s David Freddoso over on the Beltway Confidential blog wrote about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s (R) plan to scale back the Garden State’s renewable portfolio standard from 30 percent renewables by 2021 to a “still ludicrous” 22.5 percent.
One thing the article does not mention is the current share of renewable electricity generated in New Jersey. As of 2009, the federal Energy Information Agency reports, wind, solar, and all other renewables (not including nuclear or hydro) made up 1.2 percent of electric generation in 2009 — up from 1.1. percent a decade earlier. At least it’s headed in the right direction!
Maryland’s RPS law requires state utilities meet a similarly ludicrous mandate of 20 percent renewables by 2022. EIA data (Tables 4 and 5) shows that from 1999-2009, net renewable power generation (not including nuclear and hydroelectric) decreased. Over that time period, renewable energy accounted for a whopping 1.1 percent of Maryland’s energy capacity. Maryland does count some small hydroelectric generation toward the RPS but overall hydroelectric accounts for less than five percent of total capacity.
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