On January 4, Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) introduced Senate Bill 979 which amends the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act to establish a new Clean Energy Standard and encourage investment in carbon capture technology to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from power plants.

A clean energy standard requires a percent of retail electricity sales to come from low and zero-carbon electricity sources.

“The AEPS requires a certain percentage of energy purchased by utility companies for use by Pennsylvania consumers to fall under designated tiers of energy. The original AEPS gave an important boost to the renewable and alternative energy industries in Pennsylvania,” said Sen. Street.  “Our legislation builds on this success by investing in carbon capture technology and incentivizing the use of net-zero carbon emission fuel sources.

“This new and updated AEPS will expand from two to seven tiers to include carbon constrained coal and natural gas, existing and advanced nuclear, and hydrogen energy sources,” explained Sen. Street.  “These new tiers will work to keep Pennsylvania’s expansive energy industry alive and thriving, providing support for energy jobs and additional investment in carbon capture technology that will transform energy industries throughout the Commonwealth.

“Running parallel to the AEPS will be a Clean Energy Standard. The Clean Energy Standard is defined as an overarching standard for total reductions in carbon emissions encompassing all energy sources within the AEPS tier system,” said Sen. Street.  “Starting in 2022, the Clean Energy Standard will lay out a number of carbon reduction goals and the dates in which they should be accomplished.

“The end goal of the Clean Energy Standard will be to have a 100 percent carbon neutral Pennsylvania by the year 2050.

“Introducing a Clean Energy Standard and running it alongside a new and expanded AEPS will ensure Pennsylvania protects our important energy jobs and joins the rest of the world as a leader in tackling the challenges of climate change head on.

“Not only will the new AEPS tiers give a boost to integral Pennsylvania energy industries, the Clean Energy Standard promises to ensure an environmentally friendly Pennsylvania for a long time to come.”

Support For The Legislation

The PA Environmental Council provided this background on clean energy standards and carbon capture included in Senate Bill 979.

This week legislation (Senate Bill 979) was introduced by Senator Street that would reform our state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards to advance low and net-zero carbon electricity generation.

This includes expanding requirements for generation from renewable sources, providing a mechanism to sustain nuclear generation where justified, and establishing a pathway for emerging technologies like advanced nuclear and carbon capture.

PEC has advocated for Clean Energy Standard legislation for several years, and we applaud Senator Street for developing this bill.

Pennsylvania’s sizable electric generation sector provides both challenges and opportunities for meaningful emission reductions, and requires a full complement of policy approaches to spur investment and deployment of clean energy technologies.

One essential part of the mix is utilizing a market-based approach like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to both price and reduce emissions while also providing proceeds to further energy efficiency, emissions reductions, and net-zero energy investment. Initiatives like RGGI focus on the generation sources themselves.

A corresponding approach, which a Clean Energy Standard would support, is to set targets for net-zero generation by focusing on utilities and energy use: in other words, reinforcing measures that set clean energy objectives, but also provide the means to achieve those goals.

Several other states, including energy-producing states like Virginia, have already adopted these dual, complementary policy designs.

We need policies that drive greater emission reductions in a more immediate time frame, help advance Pennsylvania’s electricity portfolio for future demand, and ensure that diversified, ready, and cost-effective resources are available.

Citizens, businesses, and industry alike recognize that elimination of carbon pollution is more than aspirational; it is now essential.

Given that Pennsylvania has considerable fossil-based generation, and recognizing that renewables (and emerging technologies like energy storage) will take time to deploy even in ideal circumstances, achieving a net-zero profile over the short and long term will mean creating opportunities for approaches like carbon capture.

Importantly, Senate Bill 979 sets both emission and cost parameters on carbon capture, thus providing a pathway that ensures results.

PEC has developed a Fact Sheet to help explain the Clean Energy Standard concept, and why it is a critical piece of the larger climate change puzzle.

Pennsylvania needs an ‘all-in’ approach to emission reductions and clean energy deployment, and that requires a suite of policies to maximize technology and business development.

The Clean Energy Standard as provided in Senate Bill 979 is an essential part of that solution.

Related Articles:

-- PA Environmental Council: Carbon Capture, Utilization, Storage In PA: A Story Map

-- Why Carbon Capture? PEC Convenes Meeting On Carbon Capture, Utilization, Storage

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: As Federal Support Emerges, PA Wants To Be A Carbon Capture Hub

-- Wolf Administration Joins 6 States In Commitment To Develop Regional Carbon Dioxide Transport Infrastructure Plan To Promote Carbon Capture

-- Senate Environmental Committee Hears About Using Carbon Capture Technology To Reduce PA’s Carbon Footprint

-- DCNR Blog: Carbon Capture A Tool To Address Cause Of Climate Change

-- Guest Essay: Carbon Capture And Storage - A False Solution

[Posted: January 6, 2022]

1/10/2022