History of Voluntary Markets
The following timeline provides an overview of different milestones that contributed to the emergence of the U.S. voluntary green power market.
- 1978 – The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act opens wholesale power markets to non-utility power producers
- 1978 – Advent of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for alternative energy sources
- 1983 – First state renewable energy requirement adopted—Iowa
- 1992 – Advent of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind
- 1995 – First mention of concept of certificate trading—California
- 1996 – First competitive retail green power pilot program—New Hampshire
- 1997 – Some European countries introduce tradable attribute certificates
- 1997 – First use of environmental disclosure electricity labels—New England
- 1997 – Introduction of environmental certification standards for voluntary renewable energy bundled products—Green-e launched
- 1998 – Electricity markets in California, Massachusetts and Rhode Island open to retail choice
- 1998 – First wholesale green power market opens in California—Automated Power Exchange (APX)
- 1998 – First retail renewable energy certificate (REC) product sold by AllEnergy Marketing Company (Massachusetts)
- 1999 – First Renewable Portfolio Standard with REC trading for compliance—Texas
- 2000 – EPA buys green power
- 2001 – EPA launches Green Power Partnership
- 2001 – EPA initiates first annual Green Power Leadership Awards
- 2001 – First REC tracking system established—Texas
- 2002 – Third-party certification and verification standard introduced for tradable certificates in the United States
- 2004 – First recognized EPA Green Power Community—Moab, Utah
- 2004 – EPA launches first Top 25 Partners list—Air Force largest user in the United States
- 2004 – Advent of the Solar Power Purchase Agreement—SunEdison/Renewable Ventures on behalf of Staples
- 2005 – National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report indicates that organizations, not residences, are pacing the growth of U.S. green power markets
- 2007 – First community solar offering—Sacramento Municipal Utility District, California
- 2008 – First allowance set-aside for voluntary renewable energy purchases under cap-and-trade program—Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
- 2010 – Compliance markets surpass voluntary markets in terms of total kilowatt-hours from new renewables
- 2010 – First voluntary offsite power purchase agreement in United States—Google
- 2012 – Federal Trade Commission updates Green Marketing Guidelines with clarifications for making renewable energy claims
- 2013 – First green tariff proposed by NV Energy
- 2013 – Ivanpah—world’s largest concentrated solar power plant built in the South California Mojave Desert
- 2014 – Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers Principles announced by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Resources Institute (WRI)
- 2015 – Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance finalized for reporting emissions relating to renewable energy purchases
- 2015 – Executive Order 13693 calls for 25 percent renewable energy use in federal agency buildings by 2025 and greenhouse emission reductions
- 2021 – United States approves first major American offshore wind project—Vineyard Wind
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