The New RPS: Reliable Portfolio Standard
AMY COOKE
JANUARY 20, 2023
“Would you get on an airplane that is 100% unreliable?” Of course not.
That was a serious question a former Utilities Commission staffer asked me after I shared this confession Carolina Journal uncovered in a 2018 N.C. solar power application: “Solar is an intermittent energy source, and therefore the maximum dependable capacity is 0 MW.”
In other words, because solar is weather-dependent, it is 100% unreliable. The same is true for wind. They may be available when we need power, or they may not. It’s a crapshoot. That’s why they are considered “nondispatchable” energy sources. They cannot be relied upon whenever customers want to turn on a light or heat their homes.
Unless someone has a death wish, most of us wouldn’t buy a ticket on an airplane that is 100% unreliable. So why would we as ratepayers pay for a grid that relies on power from a source that is 100% unreliable? Investment in unreliable sources takes away much-needed capital to invest in reliable, dispatchable, and clean baseload sources like nuclear, natural gas, and coal with carbon sequestration.
Despite the lack of reliability of renewable sources, 29 states and the District of Columbia have a Renewable Portfolio Standard in statute, meaning utilities must provide a certain percentage of power from unreliable renewable energy sources. In 2007, North Carolina proudly boasted its 12.5% RPS, the first in the Southeast. It also came with a generous package of financial incentives, including a 35% state income tax credit in addition to a 30% federal tax credit. The state tax credit has since expired.
https://www.carolinajournal.com/opinion/the-new-rps-reliable-portfolio-standard/
