Maryland

State Programs

Definitions

State Planning and Incentive Structures

Lead By Example—Energy Efficiency in Public Facilities

Status: Completed

Details: Senate Bill 267 (signed May 16, 2006) requires the Department of General Services to set reductions in energy consumption for State buildings: 5% by 2009 and 10% by 2010. This bill excludes the Department of Transportation's buildings.
On April 24, 2008, Governor Martin O'Malley signed S.B. 208, which establishes green building standards for state buildings and public schools, and H.B. 376, which requires buildings constructed or renovated solely with state funds to meet tough green building standards.

Lead By Example—Energy Efficient Appliance and Equipment Purchase Requirements for Public Facilities

Status: Completed

Details: Executive Order 01.01.2001.02 (2001) requires all new energy using products purchased by the state to be ENERGY STAR compliant or "be in the top 25% of energy efficiency when labeled [ENERGY STAR] products are unavailable."

Lead By Example—Clean Energy Goals for Public Facilities

Status: Completed

Details: Executive Order 01.01.2001.02 (March 13, 2001) calls for at least 6% of electricity used by state-owned facilities to come from wind, solar, landfill gas, and biomass sources, with the restriction that at least 50% of the green power must come from sources other than municipal solid waste. There are no penalties for non-compliance. Maryland's green power commitment is 50,000 MWh/year.

http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/
incentivesearch.cfm?Incentive_Code=MD07R&Search=TableType&type=Purchase&CurrentPageID=7&EE=1&RE=1

Lead By Example—Energy Efficiency and Alternative Fuel Goals for Public Fleets

Status: Completed

Details: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced plans on August 5, 2008, to build ethanol pump stations around Maryland to serve the state’s 1,200 flex-fuel vehicles. The state has been unable to meet a goal set in 2001 that flex-fuel vehicles in the state’s fleet use alternative fuels for half of their fuel consumption. O’Malley also announced a mandate that, whenever possible, the state’s 2,000 diesel vehicles should use biodiesel fuel.
Executive Order 01.01.2001.02 (March 13, 2001) directs the state to revise its fleet policy and purchasing guidelines to offer more flexibility in purchasing, where practical, low emission and alternative fuel vehicles for its fleet, and to ensure that at least 50% of the fuel used by its flex-fuel vehicles is alternative fuel.

State and Regional Energy Planning

Status: Completed

Details: On January 14, 2008, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) submitted a Maryland Strategic Electricity Plan to Governor O’Malley. The plan suggests a combination of options to reduce electricity consumption, finance and promote energy efficiency, and ensure reliable and clean energy for Maryland. A total of twenty recommendations are outlined in the plan.
In 2006, the Energy Working Group, comprised of representatives from various state agencies, released a comprehensive plan for Maryland's renewable energy future. The plan focuses on biofuels (e.g., ethanol, biodiesel), biomass, wind, and solar.

Determining the Air Quality Benefits of Clean Energy—Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Set Asides (NO_X Budget Trading Program)

Status: Completed

Details: MD's set-aside accounts for 436 tons or 3% of the trading budget. All renewable energy project sponsors are eligible.

http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/subtitle_chapters/26_Chapters.htm

Determining the Air Quality Benefits of Clean Energy—Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Set Asides (CAIR Budget Trading Program)

Status: No Activity Identified

Details: Maryland has opted to adopt the Federal CAIR SIP plan instead of adopting their own CAIR Rule. The Federal Rule does not include set-asides for energy efficiency/renewable energy.

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Energy Efficiency Actions

Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards

Status: Completed

Details: SB 205/HB 374, signed by the governor on April 4, 2008, codifies Governor O'Malley's goal to reduce statewide per-capita electricity consumption and peak demand by 15% by 2015. Utility companies will be responsible for 10% of the savings with the Maryland Energy Administration providing the other 5%.

http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/SB0205.htm

Public Benefit Funds for Energy Efficiency

Status: No Activity Identified

Building Codes for Energy Efficiency—Commercial Programs

Status: Goes Beyond ECPA

Details: 2006 IECC, mandatory statewide; can use COMcheck to show compliance

http://www.bcap-energy.org/node/5

Building Codes for Energy Efficiency—Residential Programs

Status: Goes Beyond ECPA

Details: 2006 IECC mandatory statewide; can use REScheck to show compliance.

http://www.bcap-energy.org/node/5

State Appliance Efficiency Standards

Status: Completed

Details: On January 20, 2006, new regulations implementing the Energy Efficiency Standards Act (EESA) were published in the Maryland Register. The regulations incorporate the amendments enacted in June 2005 and address the preemption issues caused by the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005. The Maryland state legislature overrode the governor's veto to pass the first state energy efficiency standard for residential and commercial products in 2004.

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Energy Supply Actions

Renewable Portfolio Standards

Status: Completed

Details: On April 24, 2008, Governor Martin O'Malley signed SB 209, increasing the state's RPS requirement from 9.5% to 20% by 2022, while maintaining the 2% solar "carve out." SB 595, signed April 24, 2007, expanded the existing RPS to include at least 2% renewables sourced from solar and an additional 7.5% from Tier 1 sources by 2022 to reach 9.5% total. HB 1308/SB869 (May 2004) called for 7.5% from Tier 1 renewable sources by 2019 and Tier 2 source requirements to decrease from 2.5% in 2006 to 0% in 2019.

Public Benefit Funds for Clean Energy Supply

Status: No Activity Identified

Output-Based Environmental Regulations

Status: Completed

Details: Allowance allocation / set-asides as part of the NOx SIP Call.

http://www.epa.gov/CHP/state-policy/obr_factsheet.html

Interconnection Standards—Clean Distributed Generation

Status: Completed

Details: Final interconnection rules were adopted in April 2008, with COMAR 20.50.09, "Small Generator Interconnection Standards," and became effective on June 9, 2008. There are four levels of interconnection, and individual systems up to 10 MW are allowed to interconnect. In August 2007, the PSC staff recommended that the PSC implement the federal interconnection standard, pursuant to EPAct 2005.

Interconnection Standards—Net Metering

Status: Completed

Details: SB 595 (enacted April 2007) expanded Maryland's net metering rule to increase the maximum size of customer-owned, grid-connected power systems for net metering from 200 kW to 2 MW, and required utilities to provide net metering for up to 1,500 MW of customer-owned generation systems. It specified that customers own and have title to all RECs associated with the electricity produced by net metered systems. SB 167 (passed April 2006) made net metering available to customers with leased solar, wind, or biomass-energy systems. Maryland allows net metering for residents and schools with qualified solar-energy systems up to 80 kW and expanded the rules in 2004 to include wind turbines as an eligible technology and to extend net metering to commercial facilities. Net excess generation is carried over to the customer's next bill for up to one year. There are also rules for customers with systems designed to generate more electricity than they consume.

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