Full Title: Getting the Most Out of Low-Cost Solar and Wind: Seven Strategies for State Regulators
Author(s): Fredrich (Fritz) Kahrl, Max Dupuy
Publisher(s): The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Publication Date: February 19, 2021
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
The steep decline in wind and solar generation costs in the past decade opens up new opportunities for electric utilities and their customers. In an increasing number of regions, it can be cheaper to build new solar and wind generators than to operate existing fossil-fired plants. Yet vertically integrated utilities have often been slow to take advantage of low-cost renewables.
Utility regulators can act as a catalyst for translating these market forces into savings for electricity customers and reductions in emissions.
This paper outlines seven practical strategies that public utility commissions can use to reduce obstacles to this technological change and speed utilities’ acquisition of low-cost solar and wind — ensuring just and reasonable rates for consumers.