Arizona REST
From Interwest Energy Alliance Wiki
[edit] Introduction
On 31 October 2006, after a three-year review, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) approved "Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff" ("REST") rules requiring regulated utilities to derive an increasing amount of their electricity from renewable energy resource until they reach the level of 15% by 2025 (with threshold levels of 2.5% by 2010, 5% by 2015, 10% by 2020 & 15% by 2025). The standard has a requirement that 30% of the energy come from distributed resources and 15% of the distributed resources being located on customers’ facilities (homes & businesses). On 15 June 2007, the Arizona Attorney General certified these rules, thus clearing the last hurdle for final implementation of this new policy.
The Arizona REST applies to investor-owned utilities serving retail customers in Arizona but contains an exemption for distribution companies with more than half of their customers outside Arizona. The standard contains a requirement that up to 30% of this energy must be generated from distributed sources under 2000 MW. The distributed energy requirement starts at 5% in 2007 and reaches 30% of the total renewable mix after 2011.
See a chart comparing the Arizona standard to other standards in the Western U.S. Download a PDF file of the chart.
[edit] Previous Standard
Arizona's original Environmental Portfolio Standard (EPS) required regulated utilities to generate a certain percentage of their electricity with renewable energy with 60% generated from solar technologies. The requirement began at .2% and increased to 1.1% on the following schedule:
- 0.2% in 2001
- 0.4% in 2002
- 0.6% in 2003
- 0.8% in 2004
- 1.0% in 2005
- 1.05% in 2006
- 1.1% in 2007-2012
