We'd also like to see Kentucky join the majority of states that have enacted a renewable portfolio standard: Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)    In 2009, KySES joined with like-minded organizations to form the Kentucky Sustainable Energy Alliance ("KYSEA").  We presently seek a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) and other provisions to encourage efficiency and renewables.     The proposed RPS would have Kentucky obtain 12.5% of its electricity from renewables by 2020.  A majority of states have some sort of RPS.     What does it cost?  Other states' experience indicates no more than 2% or so on the monthly bill as a "renewables" surcharge.  Utilities pool the money and use it as incentives to customers to install renewable energy, or to themselves build large solar arrays, wind farms or other resource.     The pooled money lowers the high initial costs of systems.  Renewable power hits the grid.

An RPS is the foundation for a transition to renewable energy.     Some Kentucky utilities claim "it's too hard" or "it's too expensive."  It's neither.  Other states are way ahead of us. Ohio, for instance, has an RPS and is busy building a cadre of trained solar professionals and scaled-up companies that now come to Kentucky and do work that Kentuckians should be doing.       Our nation's security, prosperity and health demand that we start transitioning to clean renewable energy.      Large utilties in other states encourage renewables.  These utilties include (but are certainly not limited to) North Carolina-based Duke Energy and Minnesota-based Xcel Energy.     Xcel has voluntarily set a "30% by 2020" RPS for itself in Minnesota.  Duke participates in and promotes large renewable projects in a number of states.     It's neither too hard nor too expensive, and we can do it.  See Duke Energy's position on Renewable Portfolio Standards See Xcel's position on renewable energy Please report broken links here