State policies to foster renewable energy have historically made valuable contributions to the creation andmaintenance of the renewables industries, and have helped to reduce the environmental footprint of the U.S.electric sector. As electric restructuring proceeds, some states are again taking a leadership role in encouragingthe deployment of renewables. This paper focuses on the two policies receiving the most scrutiny as part ofstate restructuring proceedings: system-benefits charges and renewables portfolio standards. After a reviewof the status of current state efforts with these two policies, the paper estimates the likely impacts of thesepolicies on renewables development and highlights early lessons in policy and program design.
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