The NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has released the Q1 2024 edition of the 50 states of decarbonization of power. The quarterly series provides updates on state and utility actions related to clean energy goals, emissions reduction goals and carbon policies, generation planning and procurement rules, integrated resource plans, and electricity generation capacity changes (RFPs, green tariffs, power plant shutdowns, etc.) .
The Q1 2024 report shows that 48 states, as well as DC and Puerto Rico, took a total of 507 actions related to electricity decarbonization and resource planning during the quarter (see figure below). Of the integrated energy plans recently submitted or under review by regulators in the first quarter of 2024, planned capacity additions totaled 84,212 MW for solar, 64,846 MW for wind, 52,689 for storage and 31,330 for natural gas, while planned coal withdrawals totaled 29,807 MW.
Q1 2024 Action for decarbonisation of energy supply and resource planning
The report discusses three trends in energy decarbonization actions undertaken in the first quarter of 2024: (1) integrated utility plans that predict significant load growth; (2) state lawmakers creating new barriers to coal plant retirements; and (3) carbon pricing programs facing an uncertain future.
“Through early 2024, load growth is a top priority for utilities as the impacts of increased generation, data centers and electrification are clearly visible in their resource planning,” said Justin Lindemann, policy analyst at NCCETC. “While clean energy generation sources are a consistent part of multiple utility plans, some, such as SWEPCO in Louisiana, Xcel Energy in Minnesota and Duke Energy in the Carolinas, have chosen to also plan gigawatts of new natural gas units. Fortunately, utilities continue to retire significant amounts of coal capacity, even as they replace it in some cases with new natural gas.”
The report states that the five most important policy developments of the first quarter of 2024 were:
- Arizona regulators vote to repeal state’s renewable energy standard;
- Lawmakers in Kentucky and Utah limit fossil fuel plant retirements;
- Lawmakers in Washington support linking the state’s carbon market to the California-Quebec market;
- The Colorado Energy Office releases a new roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas pollution; And
- Duke Energy has submitted a revised carbon plan, an integrated resource plan in the Carolinas due to significant changes in load forecasts.
“Some states, concerned about potential reliability issues believed to be related to reductions in dispatchable energy capacity, are adopting or considering restrictions on utilities’ ability to retire fossil fuel power plants,” said David Sarkisian , principal policy analyst at NCCETC. “These restrictions include utility commission review requirements, presumptions against plant retirements and required notice periods.”
News release from the NC Clean Energy Technology Center