Nova Scotia Renewable Portfolio Standard

A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires electricity providers to obtain a minimum percentage of their electricity supply from eligible renewable energy sources by a certain date with the required percentage usually increasing over time. An RPS can be voluntary or mandatory. Mandatory RPSs can include penalties for non-compliance. On February 1, 2007, Nova Scotia legislated an RPS, through regulation 36/2007 under the Electricity Act, which required standard service providers to obtain an additional 5 percent of their electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2011 and 10 percent by 2013. There was no lead time, but gradually the RPS target increased from 5% in 2011 to 10% in 2013. There was also no minimum price in place and no limit for the size of the generating facility. On October 12, 2010, Nova Scotia upgraded the RPS through regulation 155/2010, by increasing the target beyond 2013 to 25 percent by 2015. The eligible electricity generating facilities must be new, i.e. if it was constructed before December 31, 2001, it has increased its output since December 31, 2001, be grid-connected, and be located in the province. The province retains all environmental attributes associated with the RPS targets compliance, but Independent Power Producers (IPP) can export electricity generated by an eligible generating facility. For non-compliance, Nova Scotia RPS stipulates a daily penalty of no more than CAD 500 000 to a maximum aggregate of CAD 10 million per occurrence.

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