Since hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleanians have advocated for a more equitable city. Thousands of families have invested in energy efficiency and solar to reduce our energy bills and take action on climate, but we still suffer with the second worst energy burdens in the country.
We deserve better than the plan Entergy has put forward, which includes an expensive new gas plant that would continue to pollute our city with over 700 million lbs of greenhouse gases every single year. In Summer of 2018 the Alliance joined forces with 30 local, regional, & national organizations to ask the New Orleans City Council to open a Renewable Portfolio Standard rulemaking. In Spring 2019 we got our docket.
On May 20th, 2021 the full New Orleans City Council unanimously voted to adopt R-20-182,
establishing a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) for the city of New Orleans.
We deserve better than the plan Entergy has put forward, which includes an expensive new gas plant that would continue to pollute our city with over 700 million lbs of greenhouse gases every single year. In Summer of 2018 the Alliance joined forces with 30 local, regional, & national organizations to ask the New Orleans City Council to open a Renewable Portfolio Standard rulemaking. In Spring 2019 we got our docket.
On May 20th, 2021 the full New Orleans City Council unanimously voted to adopt R-20-182,
establishing a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) for the city of New Orleans.
After over two years of work on a policy to get polluting and fossil fuels out of New Orleans’ energy mix, thanks to petitions, symposia, community meetings, online town halls, and your input, the New Orleans Council has voted to approve the first Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard in the Gulf South. New Orleans joins the now 32 states and three US territories that have established renewable energy mandates.
This policy is a crucial step in the race to solve climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions for New Orleans to zero and transitioning energy to the lowest cost resources. This policy prioritizes local solar and efficiency first.
The RCPS is a legal mandate that requires that, by 2040, all of the electricity Entergy supplies to New Orleans comes from energy sources that do not add to the climate crisis, with up to 10% offsets allowed. By 2050 Entergy must entirely eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
The City Council’s RCPS moves us in the right direction, but we didn’t get everything we asked for. This RCPS does include nuclear energy from Entergy’s poorly run and expensive Grand Gulf plant. Nuclear energy is not renewable and creates hazardous radioactive waste. We were successful in removing some false solutions like carbon capture and other offsets from the policy and we will continue to advocate for more local, resilient, and affordable energy in the Integrated Resource Plan and other venues.
Thanks to you, the adoption of the RCPS is a win for New Orleans and Louisiana!
Big shouts out to the Energy Future New Orleans Coalition, including 350 New Orleans, Audubon, Climate Reality NOLA, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance, Justice and Beyond, Sunrise New Orleans, Sierra Club, PosiGen, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Vote Solar. You can’t go this far without going together.
Read the Lens and the Advocate's reporting on the Council’s action.
On June 15, 2019 the Alliance and 8 of other organizations hosted a Symposium for learning and listening, opening the collaboration to anyone in the New Orleans community, including the participants in the Greater New Orleans Foundation's Climate Action Equity Project.
The Energy Future New Orleans Coalition used the input from the Symposium to create a Resilient-Renewable Portfolio Standard. Click below to read the R-RPS! |
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Resilient and Renewable Portfolio standard draft rule
Energy Future New Orleans Coalition's (EFNO) draft rule for the Council to adopt a Resilient and Renewable Portfolio Standard (“R-RPS”). It is a central pillar of the R-RPS to provide economic opportunity for low-income communities in New Orleans, through programs that produce bill savings and new local workforce opportunities in the energy services industry, and to ensure that the costs and benefits of the program are equitably shared.
Also at the core of the program design is the desire to achieve an electric system in New Orleans that is more resilient, by hardening critical infrastructure with stand-alone microgrids and providing opportunities for customers to install and utilize resilient renewable energy resources that can provide emergency power during outage conditions and valuable grid services to the utility during ordinary operating conditions. |
Renewable Portfolio Standard Symposium Program
Hosted on June 15, 2019 the symposium focused on "Building an Equitable and Resilient Energy Future." The Alliance for Affordable Energy, Tulane University Center for Environmental Law, Union of Concerned Scientists, PosiGen, Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association, 350 New Orleans, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Vote Solar, Audubon Louisiana, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation all participated in the symposium.
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An Overview of Renewable Portfolio Standards
A Renewable Portfolio Standard is a requirement that utility companies increase the percentage of energy generated by renewable sources, like solar, wind, geothermal. It is a way of reducing the use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and worsen air quality.
Louisiana is one of 13 states without a RPS. The majority of other states without a RPS are also in the southeast. Check out this infographic to learn about the different types of RPS's, how a RPS can benefit New Orleans, and which states in the US already have RPS's. |
Jospeh Daniel, Union of Concerned Scientists
Renewable Portfolio Standard 101: What is a renewable energy portfolio standard? How have other cities/states developed a RPS? Costs and net benefits of an RPS? What would an RPS mean for New Orleans?
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Logan Burke, Alliance for Affordable Energy & Thad Culley, Vote Solar
Drafting a Renewable Portfolio Standard for New Orleans. Important ingredients for an equitable and resilient energy future.
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Casey DeMoss, PosiGen
A look at comments to the City Council on a Renewable Portfolio Standard.
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New Orleans Energy Future
Breakdown of major differences between EFNO, Entergy, Advisor, and other proposals for New Orleans Energy Future
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