Last week, Michigan joined more than a dozen other states that have signed legislation committing to transition their power grids to use 100% clean or renewable energy — though most states operate on varying timelines.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) signed legislation last week committing to supplying 100% of the Michigan energy demand with renewable sources by 2040 and a requirement for state utilities to get 15% of their electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, by 2027. That percentage will gradually go up to 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2035.
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Michigan is now the 12th state to pass landmark legislation that requires a 100% clean electricity deadline for utilities.
Rhode Island, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Washington are all on fast track to have 100% clean energy by 2040, 2045, or earlier. In comparison, Virginia has a target of 2050 for 100% clean energy.
Among those, four states — Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Connecticut — are requiring utility providers to transition to 100% carbon-free energy by 2040, according to The Clean Energy States Alliance. Rhode Island has a goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2033.
Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) signed a new goal to provide 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 into law in February, becoming the latest state before Michigan to implement the plan within the same timeline.
The law calls for utilities to generate at least 55% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2035. It will further require public utility companies operating in Minnesota to provide 80% carbon-free and 60% for other electric utilities by 2030; and 90% of electricity for all utilities by 2035.
“Climate change impacts lives and livelihoods in every corner of our state,” Walz said on Feb. 7. “Minnesota will continue to lead the way on combatting climate change, and we’ll create clean energy jobs in the process. This bill is an essential investment in our future that will continue to pay off for generations to come.”
Connecticut
Lawmakers in Connecticut approved Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D-CT) goals for zero-carbon emissions from the state’s electric supply by 2040 last year.
“Committing Connecticut to a 100% zero-carbon electricity supply by 2040 not only will have a positive impact on improving our air quality, but it will also support the growth of clean energy jobs,” Lamont said in an April 2022 press release. “This is an important action we are taking to help mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis that we are already starting to experience.”
However, not all natural gas-fired power plants will be shutting down because most of the New England states, including Connecticut, share a regional electric grid in order to provide services at the lowest cost. In Connecticut, more electricity is produced than consumed because it serves a broader region.
Connecticut can buy renewable energy credits (RECs) from other renewable energy producers located in the region, despite not being used by Connecticut residents directly.
Oregon
In 2021, Oregon passed the Clean Energy Targets bill, which outlined plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity sold by 80% in 2030 to 90% by 2035, and companies would need to operate by 100% emission-free electricity sources by 2040.
The bill passed with support from environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council — and two of the state’s largest investor-owned utilities, Portland General Electric and Pacific Power.
In May, Pacific Power released its plan to achieve those zero-carbon goals, pushing for almost four times the company’s current wind and solar resources. Portland General Electric also released its company’s plan, writing they have “already reduced emissions from power sold to Oregon retail customers by 25 percent below 2010-2012 baseline emissions.”
New York
In 2019, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) signed strict climate legislation to require 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and a carbon-free economy by 2050, including 70% renewable energy generation by 2030. The legislation focused on increasing the state’s use of wind and solar energy and existing nuclear and hydroelectric power generation.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) gave a progress update in November as part of the state’s 10-Point Action Plan to expand the renewable industry. Hochul said New York is on track to meet their goals, attributing the transition to large clean energy investments.
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New York has seen “$55 billion in 145 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments,” Hochul said.
“These and other investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2021 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011,” Hochul added.
