The US state of California has the top renewable credentials in a document compi ...

The US state of California has the top renewable credentials in a document compiled by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). The report compiles data on US renewable energy developments and resource potentials on a state-by-state basis, as well as looking at financial, market and policy information. The state summaries show the wide variety in renewables development in the US, ranging from Louisiana, with 200 kW of grid-connected solar power and production capabilities for 1.5mn gallons of biofuels per year, to California, with 2.7 GW of wind power, 2.6 GW of geothermal power, 1.1 GW of grid-connected solar power, 705 MW of biomass power, and production capabilities for nearly 200mn gallons of biofuels per year. The report also notes the policies to encourage renewable deployment in each state. In California, such policies include a renewable energy requirement; a mandate for utilities to provide grid connections and net metering for solar and wind energy systems; a programme to invest $2.17bn in grid-connected solar power over 10 years; a feed-in tariff for renewable energy systems; and a number of other grants, tax incentives, and financing programs for renewable energy. ACORE describes the report, Renewable energy in America, as a ‘living’ document - it is online and interactive, and will be updated on a quarterly basis. Visit www.acore.org to view the report. Renewable sources provided 11% of US energy production in the first six months of 2010 according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) - almost equal to the amount provided by nuclear power in the country. The largest single renewable energy source was biomass (including biofuels) which accounted for 50% of renewable energy production, followed by hydropower at 33%. Wind, geothermal, and solar sources provided 11%, 5%, and 1% of the total renewable energy output respectively.