PURPA Reform Implications for Utilities and Climate Change

摘要

>At a recent EUCI conference on Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) reform in Denver, Colorado, it was clear among speakers and participants that technology and market circumstances have changed significantly since PURPA's enactment in 1978. The changes in many parts of the country, the West Coast, East Coast, and part of the central United States, have been so profound that many of the states, utilities, and representatives in Congress are advocating for PURPA reform or abolishment. Considering the impact PURPA has had in helping diversify the fuel mix in electric generation and the penetration of grid‐edge and utility‐scale renewable energy, PURPA has been a resounding success, although not without some challenges along the way.