Renewable Energy in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania may have once been the kingdom of coal but in 2021, renewable energy sources generated 3% of electricity. While utility scale wind produces most of that, solar has grown as well. Clean energy sources are now cheaper to build than natural gas and coal plants. In fact, Pennsylvania’s largest coal fired plant is closing in July of 2023. So what kinds of renewable energy sources are there in PA? And can you purchase green energy for your home? Let’s go over all the details.
Why Use Green Energy in PA?
Laws have played a big part in making green energy grow in PA. In 2004 the state passed the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) Act. The act applies to both utilities PTC rates and to electric generation suppliers. Originally, the law required that 18% of all electric energy sold to retail customers come from clean energy sources by 2021. Recently, efforts to modernize the AEPS Act to further increase the share of green energy are underway.
There’s a more prudent reason as well- money. It’s now cheaper to generate new green energy than it is to use gas, coal, or nuclear sources. While wind and solar only cost $11-$45 per MWh to build new plants, nuclear energy soars up to $118–$192 per MWh. And coal can cost from $66–$152 per MWh. Natural gas ranges from $44–$68 per MWh.
Lastly, there’s the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The RGGI is a cooperative agreement between 12 states in the northeast to reduce greenhouse gasses in the region from power plants. For each ton of CO2 emitted, companies must buy an allowance at auction or from the states. To avoid buying allowances, companies can use green energy instead.
Green Electricity Sources in PA
While 3% of the whole PA electricity supply may not sound like much, investment is expanding its impact. Check out these PA renewable energy sources:
- A total of 26 wind farms in PA make up about 1,500 megawatts of generating capacity.
- Hydropower use water to spin up turbines either from rivers or pumped storage systems. PA has the potential to add 600 MW of hydropower capacity.
- Biomass uses organic waste to make energy. Biomass can involve burning crop stubble and waste wood to heat steam powered generators. It can also involve using animal manure and wood chips to make natural gas.
- Solar energy produced 11% of the state’s total renewable electricity in 2021. Around 30% of that comes from solar farms in Franklin and Lancaster counties. One proposed site would even build a 215 MW farm on top of a mountain of waste coal in Washington county.
Can You Buy a 100% Green Electricity Plan?
So can you buy an electricity plan that is 100% green? The answer is, sort of. While most electricity retailers don’t buy power from 100% green energy sources, they can offset this by purchasing something called a Renewable Energy Credit (REC).
RECs are essentially certificates stating that clean energy was generated and delivered to the grid. Since there’s no way to tell if electricity is green once it hits the grid, RECs help track the clean energy. This means that RECs can be bought and sold. Not only do RECs subsidize green energy companies but it also helps retail energy companies that sell energy to customers comply with the AEPS act.
Shop for a PA Renewable Energy Plan Today
So now you know what clean energy is available to you in PA. But where do you shop for cheap green energy plans? If you want to get the best electricity rate out there, you shop with PA Energy Ratings. You can compare providers, read reviews, and more. So don’t wait, visit https://www.paenergyratings.com/