Green Power Partnership New Renewable Requirements
One of the main goals of the Green Power Partnership is to expand U.S. renewable energy markets. To support the development of more renewable energy capacity nationwide, EPA helps to increase demand by requiring Partners to use green power from "new" renewable energy facilities.
EPA defines "new" facilities as those that have been operational or repowered as of January 1 of the calendar year 15 years prior to the current calendar year. This rolling 15-year new date restricts the amount of eligible capacity in the market and helps to continuously drive the development of new renewables.
Note, however, Green power sourced from long-term supply contracts and Partner-owned projects will be recognized as “New” throughout the term of the original contract or project commitment long as the project was eligible as a “New” Renewable resource (i.e., less than 15-years) at the time when the contract or project commitment was initiated. Only supply contracts or self-generation put in place after January 1, 1997 are eligible. Partners may seek eligibility approval from GPP on a case-by-case basis for projects located at a partner facility that are second-owner self-generation or second-off taker supply contracts.
EPA considers facilities put into service before the new date to be "existing" facilities. Facilities placed into operation before the 15-year new date may qualify as new if one or more of the following conditions are met:
- The facility has been re-powered on or after the 15-year new date such that 80 percent of the fair market value of the project stems from new generation equipment installed as part of the re-powering.
- A separable improvement to or a complete improvement of an existing operating facility provides incremental generation that is separately metered from the existing generation at the facility.
- In addition, if the incremental generation is sold as a green power market product, then it must be contractually available for sale and not claimed under a state renewable portfolio standard or consent decree (Regulatory Surplus).
- The facility is a biomass co-firing operation that meets the eligibility requirements (resource eligibility) and began co-firing eligible biomass with non-eligible fuels on or after the 15-year new date.
- The facility is a separately metered landfill gas resource that was not used to generate electricity before the 15-year new date.