Renewable Energy & Other Cleaner Fuels – Spring 2012 Page 1 of 15 RENEWABLE ENERGY & OTHER CLEANER FUELS – ENERGY POLICY TO SAVE THE PLANET, THE COUNTRY, AND THE ECONOMY Law 270.7 Public Policy Special Topics 290 Monday 8 am to 9:50 am Room 170 Boalt Hall Lecturers: Jennifer Granholm and Steven Weissman Office : 358 Boalt Hall (Weissman) Office Hours: Monday 2-4 pm Phone: 510/642-0508 Email: [email protected] Course Description: Our nation is a profligate energy user and yet we have no coherent national energy policy. We have a massive jobs deficit and have been unable or unwilling to turn clean energy into a job creation engine. This course will develop a national energy policy that respects the states, encourages partnership with the private sector, and tears down the regulatory barriers to renewable energy development. We will explore the emerging field of renewable and alternative energy supplies, and review local, state, and federal laws and policies that promote (and impede) such sources. The course will identify policies that empower everyday people to produce their own renewable power through distributed generation, and will survey the range of emerging clean energy technologies. Requirements: Students are expected to attend class, complete the required readings each day, and contribute to the classroom discussion. In addition, each student will participate in a group project leading to a written report and class presentation. There will be no final exam. GRADING Final grades will be determined by the following formula: 1. Class participation 25% 2. In-class group presentation 15% 3. Group written report 20% 4. Individual chapter in written report 40% Renewable Energy & Other Cleaner Fuels – Spring 2012 Page 2 of 15 Syllabus Class 1: January 9 Introduction 1. Introduction to Renewable Energy Options and Potential, and Electric Systems Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race? 2010, The Pew Charitable Trust Read pp.2-13 (top). http://www.youtube.com/ucberkeley#p/l/xIx4O9-kP_g 11 Prospects for Distributed Electric Generation (2003) Congressional Budget Office, http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=4552&type=0 Read only the information in the box starting on the first page of the Introduction. We will get back to distributed generation later. 1 Renewable Energy Potential maps from the U.S. Department of Energy: o National Resources and Map http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_energy.html#one (Read this page to gain an initial understanding of the most prominent renewable energy options in the United States.) o New England http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/rpmap/rp_new- eng.html o California http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/rpmap/rp_ca.html o Middle Atlantic http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/rpmap/rp_mid- atl.html o South Central http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/rpmap/rp_esc.html o Mountain http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/rpmap/rp_mountain.html o Pacific http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/rpmap/rp_pacific.html (Look at each of these maps to be able to answer the following questions: 1. Are all states and regions created equal in terms of opportunities to rely on renewable energy? 2. Which renewable options predominate in which parts of the country?) 7 Overview of the Electric Grid (U.S. Department of Energy) http://nomoretowers.org/Documents/GridWorks%20Overview%20of%20the %20Electric%20Grid.htm 3 Renewable Energy Sparks a Probe of a Modern-day Land Rush, by Louis Shagun, Los Angeles Times, June 1 2009 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar1-2009jun01,0,6845540.story (How do we find the appropriate balance between the need to develop renewable energy projects, and the desire to protect sensitive public lands?) 3 Renewable Energy & Other Cleaner Fuels – Spring 2012 Page 3 of 15 Energy Regulatory Chief Says New Coal, Nuclear Plants May Be Unnecessary, by Noelle Straub and Peter Behr, NYT April 22, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/04/22/22greenwire-no-need-to-build- new-us-coal-or-nuclear-plants-10630.html?pagewanted=1 (Commissioner Wellinghoff is the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates wholesale power sales and much of the nation’s transmission grid. What are the points of contention related to the Chair’s perspective?) 3 Western Grid 2050: Contrasting Futures, Contrasting Fortunes. Clean Energy Vision Group of the Western Grid Project 2012. Read the Executive Summary. http://www.cleanenergyvision.org/clean-energy-vision-technical- report/western-2050-executive-summary/ (This is just one of various visions for our energy future. What lies ahead under a Business-as-Usual scenario? What would we have to do to break our reliance on coal-fired power? How feasible is the vision offered in this report?) 5 Class 2: January 23 Federal, State, and Local Efforts to Promote Renewable Energy 2. Federal Renewable Energy Programs (1): PURPA, (2): EPAct 1992, and EPAct 2005, EISA 2007, ARRA 2009 – The basic concepts underlying the economic regulation of energy. In addition, discussion, of three federal acts that form reference points for our national conversation about renewable energy. FERC v. Mississippi (1982) 456 U.S. 742 abridged. (What is PURPA? What did PURPA require states to do? What obligation must states create for regulated utilities that affects renewable energy development? On what grounds did Mississippi challenge this law? What did the majority conclude? What concerns did Powell raise in his partial dissent?) 7 The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (1993) Congressional Research Service Report 93-134 ENR, pp.CRS-33 to CRS-36 (top) and CRS-55 (first paragraph under Subtitle B) (How would you characterize the efforts of Congress to promote renewable energy, as reflected in EPAct 1992? Which strategy appears to be the most promising? What others things could Congress have done?) 5 CRS Report to Congress – Energy Policy Act of 2005 – Summary and Analysis of Enacted Provisions (2006) http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/06Apr/RL33302.pdf, pp.80-81 “Cogeneration and Small Power Production…” (How did Congress in 2005 alter PURPA’s requirement for utilities to purchase power from small renewable energy power producers? Why did the change occur?) pp.12-16 Renewable Energy & Other Cleaner Fuels – Spring 2012 Page 4 of 15 General Provisions (How would you characterize Congress’ general approach in 2005 for promoting renewable energy? What other things could Congress have done?) 5 CRS: Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (2007) pp.CRS-2, CRS- 5&6, and CRS-12 through CRS-14 http://www.state.vt.us/psb/document/ElectricInitiatives/CRS%20Report.pdf (What did Congress do for renewables in 2007? What didn’t it do? Why do you think that certain provisions failed?) 6 CRS Report to Congress – Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues (Updated April 18, 2008) http://www.cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports/08Feb/RL33578.pdf, pp.1-8 (How has Federal energy tax policy evolved over time? What does Federal tax policy encourage people to do? How must it change in order to promote optimal renewable energy development?) 8 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Summary of the Renewable Energy Tax Provision from Greene Radovsky (pp.1-5 [first half of the page]) 5 Preliminary Evaluation of the Impact of the Section 1603 Treasury Grant Program on Renewable Energy Deployment in 2009, Mark Bolinger, Ryan Wiser, Naïm Darghouth, Lawrence Berkeley Lab 2010 http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/EMP/reports/lbnl-3188e.pdf Read the Executive Summary, pp. i-iv. (What is the initial assessment of the effectiveness of the cash grant program discussed in this paper?) 4 Non-Tax-Related Excerpts From: Energy Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L.111-5) Congressional Research Service March 12, 2009 http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40412_20090312.pdf Note: Although the above link provides the entire report, you are only asked to read a three-page excerpt which is available on b-Space. (What are the major non-tax provisions in the ARRA to promote renewable energy development?) 3 Class 3: January 30 3. State Programs and Regional: Integrated Resource Planning, Renewable Portfolio Standards, Net Metering and Renewable Energy Credits – A look at the state laws and federal debate about requiring energy service providers to maintain a specified mix of renewable resources. In addition, an effort to create tradable renewable energy credits raises many strategic choices and some Commerce Clause concerns. Renewable Energy & Other Cleaner Fuels – Spring 2012 Page 5 of 15 Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United States – A Status Report with Data Through 2007 by Ryan Wiser and Galen Barbose (2008) http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/lbnl-154e-revised.pdf, Required: pp.1-10 and 12-13 Recommended: everything else through p.31. (What is a Renewable Portfolio Standard? How widespread are these requirements? How do they differ from state-to-state? Where are the most ambitious programs? Is there a relationship between the existence of an RPS requirement and the rate of renewable energy development in a state?) 12 Redefining RECs (Part 2) Untangling Certificates and Emission Markets by Michael Gillenwater (August 2007) http://www.princeton.edu/~mgillenw/REC-OffsetPaper-PartII_v2.pdf pp.1-12 (plus 2 lines on p.13) (What are the relationships between voluntary REC markets, RPSs and emission cap-and-trade schemes? How should RECs be defined to best encourage renewable energy investments without conflicting with emission markets?) 12 Renewable Portfolio Standard Quarterly Report CPUC 3rd Quarter 2011 http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/2A2D457A-CD21-46B3-A2D7- 757A36CA20B3/0/Q3RPSReporttotheLegislatureFINAL.pdf pp.2-6 (How successful are California utilities in meeting their RPS targets?) 5 The Solar and Wind Energy Chain in Michigan, Environmental Law & Policy Center 2011 http://elpc.org/wp- content/uploads/2011/03/ELPCMichiganSolarandWindReport2011.pdf 1 and 6-13 9 Wheelabrator Lisbon, Inc.