DENVER, CO (February 18, 2004): Renewable energy generation
in the West will be tracked and verified -- a first for the
region -- under a system being developed by Western governors
and the California Energy Commission. All interested parties,
from consumers to utilities, are encouraged to follow and comment
on proposals and recommendations developed over the next year.
Stakeholder committees were recently formed to develop recommendations
on where the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information
System would be housed and how it should operate. Stakeholders
can track that work and offer comments via the Web at: http://www.wregis.org or
by joining the Working Group Listserve at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WREGIS-WG/join.
"Western states need a way to issue, track and verify
renewable energy generation for use by state regulators and
voluntary green market programs," said New Mexico Gov.
Bill Richardson, Chairman of the Western Governors' Association. "Increasing
renewable energy in the West is a priority for me as WGA's
Chairman, and the role of WREGIS in that effort will be discussed
at WGA's North American Energy Summit in April."
"WREGIS will become instrumental in the fulfillment of
California's Renewable Portfolio Standard, "said Energy
Commissioner John Geesman, chair of the Commission's Renewables
Committee. Geesman said "the system will ensure that renewable
energy production is transparent, precise and accurate as our
state strives to meet its RPS goal of producing 20 percent
of its electricity supply from renewable sources by 2010."
Public workshops were held in six Western states last fall
to receive comments on the draft report: Needs Assessment for
a Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System. The
needs assessment was revised and stakeholder committees formed
following those workshops.
The WREGIS is expected to be operational in 2005. It is envisioned
to create the market design and the guidelines for tracking
and trading renewable energy certificates within the Western
states region. Renewable energy certificates include the underlying
electricity and the environmental attributes of renewable energy
production. The entire Western interconnection covers 11 Western
states, two Canadian provinces and northern Baja California.
About
the Western Governors' Association
The Western Governors’ Association is an independent,
nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18
states and three U.S.-flag islands in the
Pacific. Through their Association, the governors identify and address key
policy and governance issues related to natural resources, the environment,
human services, economic development, international relations and public management.
Increased renewable energy development will be a key topic
at WGA’s
North American Energy Summit on April 14 – 16, 2004,
in Albuquerque, N.M. The Western Regional Air Partnership,
which is managed by WGA and the National Tribal Environmental
Council, has also supported the WREGIS because of its potential
to encourage renewable energy development and reduce emissions
that cause haze. Additional information is available on the
Web at www.westgov.org and www.wrapair.org.
About
the California Energy Commission
Based in Sacramento, the California Energy Commission is the state's primary
energy policy and planning agency. The Commission was created by the Legislature
in 1974 to fulfill five major responsibilities. It is tasked with forecasting
future energy needs and keeping historical energy data; licensing thermal power
plants 50 megawatts or larger; promoting energy efficiency through appliance
and building standards; developing energy technologies and supporting renewable
energy; and planning for and directing state response to energy emergencies.
When California's electricity industry was deregulated in
1998, the Energy Commission took on the additional roles of
overseeing funding programs that support public interest energy
research; advancing energy science and technology through research,
development and demonstration; and providing market support
to existing, new and emerging renewable technologies.
Contacts:
Jeff Burks, WGA and Utah Energy Office, (801) 538-5414
Rasa Keanini, California Energy Commission, (916) 654-5379
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