District of Columbia electricity suppliers are mandated to provide an increasing percentage of their electricity from renewable resources. The Public Service Commission has established rules to implement these requirements. The renewable energy requirements are part of the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) (D.C. Code 34-1431 et seq.), which was established in 2005. The RPS program was intended, in part, to establish a market in the District of Columbia for electricity from renewable sources. The Act allows electricity suppliers to meet their RPS requirements by buying renewable energy credits from consumers or others who derive energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources.
The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Act requires the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia to annually report to the Council of the District of Columbia on the status of implementation of the RPS program including the number of renewable generators approved by the Commission; the availability of renewable resources; and the certification of the number of credits provided by the companies meeting the requirements of D.C. Official Code § 34-1432, which outlines the minimum percentages to be derived from certain renewable resources..