Purpose and Background

The State of the States project identifies those states that are leading the way in developing a clean energy economy. The report:

1. Identifies state trends in renewable energy resource development
2. Identifies policies being implemented by states and territories to support renewable energy development
3. Investigates the link between state policy implementation and increased renewable energy development to increase understanding of policy impacts
4. Identifies and discusses other contextual factors that impact renewable energy development.

The intent is to complement the traditional approach to policy analysis (based on case studies and best-practice designs) with a more quantitative approach (based on results, in terms of real renewable energy generation).

Although there are many individual success stories highlighting renewable energy projects – and a field of literature on policy design practices – a quantitative connection between the implementation of policies and a corresponding increase in clean energy generation has not yet been made. Making this connection will support the more qualitative policy evaluation methods currently in use and further inform effective policy design.

About the Analysis Report

The analysis — which is described in the full report "State of the States 2009: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy" (PDF 4.2 MB) on the NREL Web site — examines a quantitative connection between state renewable energy policy and renewable energy resource development (see Chapter 4 of the report). That connection is built on understanding the status and recent market developments of renewable-based electricity generation at the state level (see Chapter 2), and opening the discussion regarding the role of different contextual factors (including policy) in the development of renewable energy resources (see Chapter 5). Chapter 3 contains summary policy definitions, implementation status within the states, and available policy design best practices that are referenced throughout the report. Chapter 6 presents the overall next steps for research to better understand the role of policy in renewable energy development and inform state policymakers on the impact of policies (and portfolios of policies) to promote renewable energy within individual state contexts. There is also a section providing resources for state policymakers to better understand and maximize the use of renewable energy technologies. The Appendix contains tables that rank the states on total renewable electricity generation, renewable generation by source, growth metrics, and a variety of other metrics designed to measure renewable development across the states. Download Adobe Reader.