From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin:
MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) today [December 18, 2009] announced that all 118 Wisconsin electric providers have met their renewable portfolio standards (RPS) for 2008, and 112 providers exceeded the requirements for the year, creating excess renewable resource credits that can be banked and used for compliance in future years. Wisconsin utilities are well on their way to meeting the increase in renewable energy that will be required by 2015.
Our current RPS law requires Wisconsin retail electric providers to produce 10 percent of their electricity from renewable resources by the year 2015. For the years leading to 2015, Wisconsin utilities are required to report their progress in meeting the renewable milestones to the PSC. Wisconsin electric providers continue to take steps towards achieving their renewable energy goals. In 2008, Wisconsin utilities increased the amount of renewable electricity provided by nearly one percent over what was provided in 2007.
From the newsletter of Customers First!:
With a nationwide renewable portfolio standard (RPS) likelier than any other energy policy choice to be included in federal climate legislation, a newspaper survey has found many states—not including Wisconsin—failing to meet their own RPS goals.
In October, USA Today reported that it found nine states where efforts to boost reliance on renewable energy were not making the grade. Thirty-five states have adopted some form of RPS. Some states, the story noted, require utilities that don’t produce or purchase enough renewable energy to pay fees to finance renewable projects. That system allows utilities to comply with program requirements without necessarily adding renewable generation capacity.
States that have already missed or are expected to miss all or part of their mandated targets include Arizona, California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, and Ohio. In aggregate, Wisconsin utilities currently obtain roughly 4 percent of their power from renewable sources, against a current-law target of 10 percent by 2015.