We're Number One!
By Bonnie Phillips / ecoRI News staff
The state ranks second in percent increase in electric
vehicle (EV) registration, and 17th in the nation for growth in percent
increase in solar energy production, according to the online Renewables on the Rise 2024
dashboard, which charts the growth of six key energy technologies by
state over the past decade: solar power, wind power, battery storage, energy
efficiency, electric vehicles, and electric vehicle charging stations.
“It’s amazing the difference that a decade can make,” said Rex Wilmouth, Rhode Island director of the nationwide nonprofit. “We’ve made fantastic progress in Rhode Island. Now we have to keep up the momentum in order to meet our goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2033.”
According to Environment America, Rhode Island has seen a
4,975% increase (50-fold) in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun
since 2014; a 1,664% increase (more than 17-fold) in wind power production
since 2014; and as of 2023 generates enough wind and solar power to meet 17% of
its electricity demand.
When it comes to percent increase in battery storage
capacity, however, Rhode Island ranks 33rd, according to the dashboard.
The state is on the hook to meet specific climate goals laid
out in the 2021 Act on Climate law, which requires decreasing levels of
greenhouse gas emissions reaching net zero by 2050. The state met the first
mandate, a 10% reduction from a 1990 baseline, by 2020. Next is a 45% reduction
by 2030, an 80% reduction by 2040, and a 100% reduction by 2050.
Massachusetts ranks 35th in percent increase
for wind generation; 10th for solar generation; 12th for
EV registration; and 5th for EV charging ports.
Connecticut ranks 41st in percent increase
for wind generation between 2014-2023; 23rd for solar
generation; 23rd for EV registration; and 20th for
EV charging ports.
The three states are working together in the first
cooperative agreement of its kind to procure a combined 2,878 megawatts of
offshore wind energy from three projects by three developers. The procurement,
announced in September, was a result of coordinated requests for proposals
issued last fall by the three states.
Rhode Island selected 200 megawatts (MW) from the SouthCoast
Wind project, by developer Ocean
Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE.
Construction on the project is expected to start in 2025 and to deliver power
by 2030.
Massachusetts selected 2,678 MW of power from three
projects. They will include 1,087 MW from SouthCoast Wind; 791 MW from New England Wind 1 (formerly called Park City
Wind), built by the developer Avangrid; and 800 MW from Vineyard Wind 2, built by the developer
Vineyard Offshore.
In addition to highlighting states that have made the most
progress in adopting renewable energy technologies, the dashboard also details
the gains achieved nationally over the past decade. According to the report,
America produced more than three times as much renewable electricity from the
sun and the wind in 2023 as in 2014 — enough to power nearly 39 million homes
in 2023.
When it comes to EVs, there were nearly 3.3 million on
American roads at the end of 2023 — a 25-fold increase from 2014. Meanwhile,
the number of EV charging ports nationwide exceeded 176,000 — a nearly
seven-fold increase from 2014 and a 22% increase from the year before.