Leadership and Access

In 2018 EPA conducted a nationwide analysis of consumer access to green power supply options to evaluate relative access to green power in both residential and non-residential consumer segments.

Click to view The National Assessment of Consumer Access to Green Power Supply: Leadership and Impact Considerations (pdf) (2.17 MB, May 2022, 400-R-22-001)  or the Summary of Green Power Access Analysis in the US (pdf) (1.73 MB, May 2022, EPA 400-R-22-001) .  

The analysis showed that green power supply options are not uniformly or equally accessible either geographically or across residential, commercial, and industrial consumer segments.

Individual state policies play a significant role in providing consumers access to green power supply options. Due to the highly variable state policy landscape, consumer access to green power is also uneven.

Highlights of the study include:

• An estimated 19 million residential consumers (~16% of total U.S. residential consumers) and over 3.5 million non-residential consumers (~22% of total U.S. non-residential consumers) do not have access to any green power supply option other than renewable energy certificates (RECs).
• Except for RECs, no individual procurement option covers more than half of electricity consumers or half of the total U.S. electricity sales.

For Non-residential consumers:

1. 78% of non-residential customers have access to green power (excluding retail RECs).
   
   4 states – Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and West Virginia, can access green power only through Financial Power Purchase Agreements or self-generation options.


2. States with ~100% RE Access: California, Vermont, and the District of Columbia

For Residential Consumers:

1. 84% of residential customers have access to green power (excluding retail RECs).
   
   4 states – Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota and West Virginia - based on a 2016 EPA nationwide analysis focused on consumers access to voluntary renewable electricity supply options, consumers in these 4 states have limited or no access to renewable electricity


2. States with ~100% RE Access: Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington and District of Columbia

The graphic below highlights more details a. Interested parties can either download the full report or a presentation with more information. Expanding access to green power is a leadership principle highlighted by EPA.