Preparing for more solar energy
The Senate passed an updated plan to help set the stage for the future of solar development in Rhode Island.The
bill (2024-S
2293)
sponsored by Senate Environment and Agriculture Chairwoman Alana M. DiMario
would create the Rhode Island Renewable Ready program to ensure renewable
energy projects, such as solar farms, are built without increasing electric
rates or clearing Rhode Island’s forests.
The
bill now heads to the House, where Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren,
Bristol) has introduced companion legislation (2024-H
7616).
“This bill has been improved from last year by incorporating suggestions from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources to more efficiently make use of federal funds for solar development. What hasn’t changed is the urgency to create our plan for the next decade of solar development in Rhode Island,” said Senator DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham).
“In order to fulfil the promise
of the Act on Climate and our commitment to go all renewable by 2033, we need
to use all available federal resources to facilitate development of renewable
energy projects on underused sites. This bill is a huge step forward in
ensuring our energy is affordable, clean and reliable.”
The
legislation would establish a new state program funded by federal funds within
the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank called Renewable Ready that would help
offset the costs to prepare certain sites for renewable energy development,
focusing first on sites that are owned by states and municipalities. Eligible
locations would include rooftops of large buildings, properties adjacent to
major roads and so-called brownfield sites.
A brownfield is a former industrial area where potential or actual contamination complicates development. Common examples of brownfields include former gas stations, metal plating facilities and dry cleaners.
Often, there is federal or settlement money available for the remediation of
brownfield sites that the Renewable Ready program could tap into to fund
clean-ups. That would ensure the costs to prepare these preferred sites for solar development would not be passed along to
ratepayers.
Under the Renewable Ready program, the Office of Energy Resources, along with the Department of Environmental Management, would identify sites such as brownfields or large rooftops for solar development over forested sites or greenspaces.
The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank would establish the fund with
available federal dollars to award to successful applicants to offset the costs
of connecting solar developments sited on these targeted areas to the electric
grid. The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank operates a revolving fund and works
with public and private capital
providers.
The
proposal was inspired by the innovative Site Readiness model, originally used
in the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown to promote economic
development. The model has now been used throughout Rhode Island via the RI
Ready program.
In
2021, the state passed the Act on Climate, committing the state to carbon
neutrality by 2050. In 2022, the state passed among the boldest clean energy
plans in the country, requiring 100% of the state’s electricity come from local
renewable sources by 2033, while also establishing a plan and a request for
proposals for offshore wind developments.
Now,
advocates say, the state must move swiftly to plan solar development.
“Passage
of the Renewable Ready Program and Fund encourages the environmentally sound
expansion of our solar industry by incentivizing development on previously
disturbed sites while investing in local clean energy jobs,” said Erica
Hammond, field director at Climate Jobs RI. “We thank Senate President
Ruggerio, Chairwoman DiMario and the Rhode Island Senate for their leadership
and support on this important initiative that will help us meet our Act on
Climate goals.”
Said
Chairwoman DiMario, “In our next ten years of solar development, we need to
focus on responsible land use, high labor standards and minimizing the impact
on ratepayers so we can all benefit from energy generation that is both cleaner
and less expensive than fossil fuels. Renewable Ready means protecting our
forests, creating jobs and producing more clean energy, all while using federal
or other available funds so ratepayers won’t see their bills go up. It’s
time to take this next step towards a modern, sustainable energy system.”