Which States Use the Most Renewable Energy… And How They Made it Happen

Which state gets 13 percent of its power from renewable sources?

California. By 2007 California utilities were getting 13 percent of their electricity from renewable sources according to the most recent figure at the CPUC. Actually, the RPS requirements are for utilities to get 20% by 2010, but approval problems related to the transmission grid are making that goal a bit of a stretch though here’s no shortage of announced mega deals for solar farms in the desert with California utilities.

By contrast, the 2007 California Solar Initiative is on target to easily exceed its 10 year goal of getting 3,000 MW of solar onto the grid; just using individual rooftops. No new transmission lines are needed and it is funded with $3.3 billion in incentives (in a sliding scale based on actual electricity production) to ease the upfront cost to homeowners and businesses.

Image: flikr user jimthatcher