AMERICAN COUNCIL ON RENEWABLE ENERGY
User’s Guide
Overview
This report is intended to provide an executive summary on the status of renewable energy implementation at the state-level. To accomplish this objective, the report provides a two-page, high-level overview on the key developments that have shaped the renewable energy landscape in each state, including information on installed and planned capacity, market trends, economic development, resource potential, and policy.
The report does not attempt to evaluate or rank success in state utilitization of renewable energy. There is no one silver bullet for success in the industry; rather, it is a combination of policies and investment in addition to resources that lead to well-established markets. All factors are not explored in this report, but there is emphasis on strong market drivers such as policies, investment trends, proximity to supply chains, resource potentials, and related factors that cause investors and companies to develop renewable energy projects, manufacturing plants, and research centers within a state’s borders.
Although states have taken great strides in the advancement of many clean technologies, the technologies profiled in this report are renewable energy technologies exclusively. The report assumes some familiarity with the renewable energy industry, and technical terms are defined in glossary.
Each state summary is divided into the following sections:
- Summary
- Capacity Chart
- Market
- Economic Development
- Resource Maps
- Policies
…
Renewable Energy in Maine
Summary
Maine is endowed with plentiful bioenergy, on and offshore wind, hydropower, and ocean energy resources, rendering it New England’s largest renewable energy producer. Non-hydro renewables are responsible for 27% of in-state generation, the highest amount of any other state. Through sustained research and development, supportive policies, and eased permitting requirements, the state is developing strong, nationally-recognized markets. Notably, offshore renewable energy development could create hundreds of megawatts of clean energy to meet both mainland demand and the demand of Maine’s numerous offshore islands.
Market
- Maine is committed to transforming its traditional logging industry into a sustainable bioenergy industry. Many biomass generation facilities are housed in the state, a majority of which use forestry residue as feedstock.
- Maine is home to the first tidal energy device in North America to generate electricity for the power grid. The turbine is stationed on the bottom of Cobscook Bay and can generate enough electricity to power 30 homes.
- A Norwegian oil company has requested a commercial lease to build an offshore, floating wind farm with a capacity of 12 MW.
Economic Development
Employment
- Green Goods and Services Jobs, 2010: 13,925
Private Sector Investment (Disclosed Amount, Disclosed/Total Deals)
- Asset Finance, 2010-2011: $195.0m, 3/5 deals
- Venture Capital & Private Equity, 2010-2011: $6.1m, 2/2 deals
Recovery Act Funding (Total Awarded)
- Energy Contracts, Grants & Loans: $237.8m
- 1603 Cash Grant Program: $258m
(Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (Employment), Bloomberg New Energy Finance (Private Sector Investment), and Recovery.gov (Recovery Act Funding). “Employment” includes all jobs in the green goods and services industry, as defined by BLS. “Private Sector Investment” figures include new build/new investment transactions for all completed, disclosed renewable energy deals. “Recovery Act Funding” includes federal funding awarded to present through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for energy-related contracts, grants, loans, and entitlements.)
Read full report (PDF) here: Renewable Energy in the 50 States
About American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE)
www.acore.org
“The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization, is dedicated to building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy. ACORE provides a common educational platform for a wide range of interests in the renewable energy community, focusing on technology, finance and policy. We convene thought leadership forums and create energy industry partnerships to communicate the economic, security and environmental benefits of renewable energy.”
Tags: 50 States, ACORE, Green, Renewable Energy, Sustainability
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